Thanks, for the memory (2)

This is the second of two postings, summarising comments on some of the articles that have appeared on this blog, since its inception.

Please see the opening paragraphs of last week's blog - immediately under this - for the rationale for running these pieces.

And - if you have memories relating to any of the articles that have appeared on this website, we'd be delighted to hear from you (by name, or anonymously). Simply type away in the 'Comments' section at the end of each article.

The rise and decline of Forest Gate's Jewish community

Original article link: here, date:20 November 2013

This is one of the site's most visited posts and has certainly provoked the largest number or recollections from visitors. Below are edited highlights of a number of them. A visit to the original posting on : xxxx is highly recommended for more detailed memories.

1. Anonymous

My grandparents, aunts, my mother, a cousin, my father all lived in Forest Gate. Three or more marriages at Earlham Grove shul 1933 - 1961. There were many that had moved from Whitechapel. Granddad worked as a presser and in the evenings finished suits that were sold in a shop in Green Street... It was all tough work. My mother told me she remembered in the late 1930's coming across graffiti: "All Jews are rich". This was far from the truth.

Earlham Grove synagogue

2. Anonymous

I grew up in Forest Gate and remember my childhood with fondness. When we moved to Forest Gate from Clapton the Earlham Grove Synagogue was full to capacity over the Jewish New Year and we had to use the Youth Services building. The Simchat torah party was very lively. My mother was on the ladies guild and I used to go with her to prepare for the party. I remember buttering so many bridge rolls. Laying the tables for 200 and a lady called Big Bloomah scared the life out of me. The parents association always took the kids from the Hebrew classes out every summer, usually to Westgate, and we went to the Norfolk Hotel for lunch. They were good times, never to be repeated.

3. Anonymous

My father was caretaker at this Synagogue from 1961 - 1963. I was only a five month old baby when my mum and dad moved here. I can remember it as if it was yesterday. Rabbi Shnider was so lovely, but Cantor Blackman wasn't very nice. There were 2 Irish sisters who helped my dad with the upkeep of the 2 shuls, 1 hall and the grounds. I remember the children coming into the Hall for lunch. There was a school over the road from the Synagogue, and a men's gym in the basement of one of the buildings.

4. Anonymous

I grew up in Forest Gate my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins were all members. I remember some very happy times going to the synagogue for the Sabbath, High Holidays and Hebrew classes... I of course remember Rabbi Waller, who was a wonderful teacher, Rev Schneider, Mr Woolf, Mr Weinburg, Mr Barnett all the committee and Ladies Guild. The most upsetting thing was when the fire burned it down.

5. P Shapiro

I grew up in Green Street, but my best friend lived in Earlham Grove and my sister married a man from Earlham Grove and got married in that shul. Back in the 50's and 60's it was a very close community. There were several kosher shops and a large Jewish population who had moved from the East End. I used to attend the Youth Club, which was held in the shul hall. A reunion a few years ago brought back many memories. From Stratford Grammar School in Upton Lane, my friends and I went to Kosher dinners at the shul too. They were not very good, but oh! that jam and coconut tart!  My mother had a stall in Queen's Road Market, down Green Street. Recently that was saved from redevelopment. It is now called "Queen's Market" and there is a support group. Nobody had a car in my family and I remember very clearly the long hikes between Oakdale Road and Earlham Grove, which seemed a never ending length! Happy days.

Fascists in 1930's Forest Gate

Original article link: here, date:16 April 2014

A number of posts on this site have provoked family recollections or stirred an interest in delving into family history. This one provoked one of the most painful stirrings (see second comment below).

1. Birdman

I remember Higgs the furriers extremely well and used to go past it on my way to school in the 1960's. I had no idea of its links to British Fascism. I know the wife of the Jewish landlord we had kept her furs there, so perhaps she didn't know of the link either.

471 Romford Road - from fascist furrier's
 to Islamic charity shop, in one generation!

2. Kate Higgs

James William Higgs was my great grandfather and although I know he was a racist and an eccentric, I had no idea about his fascist history!!  I'm completely shocked and unsettled by what I have just learnt. Especially as I was brought up by his grandson in the complete opposite way - to stand up for human rights, equality and to respect others religious beliefs - which I am so incredibly grateful for. This has inspired me to learn more about my family history and to write it down for the future generations. If anyone out there has information on (or photos) of my great grandfather (nicknamed Jimmy) and the shop Higgs Furriers please contact me at kateyhiggs@gmail.com I'd be so grateful! Thank you for putting the information up.

Kenny Johnson and the Lotus Club

Original article link: here, date:17 September 2014

1. Eddie Johnson (Kenny's brother)

It might interest people to know that Norman Arsonsohn, the owner of the former skating rink that found renewed fame as the 'Upper Cut' first approached me about what to do with the premises. I passed him to my brother, Kenny, who was enthusiastic about opening a rock venue, he produced detailed plans for Aronsohn and it was a cause of much angst when a deal with the Walker brothers was signed and they seemed to follow Kenny's plan, probably given to them by Norman Aronsohn. Aronsohn was a shadowy figure in the world of high finance and it was often said that he was the 'Mr X' behind many of George Walker's schemes.

Kenny Johnson, in the cloakroom
 of the Lotus club, 1960's

Forest Gate's proud suffragette legacy

Original article link: here, date:6 March 2015

1. Jean Bodie

I am trying to research old 'Granny Baldock' for whom my mother worked as a young girl when she lived in Hamworthy. Minnie Baldock lived across the street from us when she was old and we were afraid of her because she wore long black dresses and we thought she was a witch. It was my mother who told us that she had been a suffragette when she was a younger woman. Now that I am older too, I am pleased that I knew her, despite the fact that as a kid I went scrumping on her property.

Minnie Baldock, c 1908

I'm wondering if she sold the land (in Poole) to the Labour Club, or they were sponsoring her to live at 73 Rockley Road, where the Labour Club was built. I just cannot remember when it was built; do you know?

Forest Gate short-changed

Original article link: here, date:20 May 2015

Cllr Rohima Rahman - still missing,
 but not collecting £6,000 for it.

1. John Walker (posted two months after a critical article attacking the inaction of Cllr Rohima Rahman as the Mayor's "Advisor" on Forest Gate, at £6,679 per year).

We are delight to report that Cllr Rahman has now been replaced, without public comment, by Robin Wales as his Forest Gate Advisor. The new post-holder is Forest Gate North councillor, Rachel Tripp.

Turning the Pages of history

Original article link: here, date:27 May 2015

1. (Cllr) John Gray

I have lived around the corner from the rocket impact for 26 years and never knew about it.

A V1 rocket, of the kind that hit Dames Road

2. Richard40

I lived in Bective Road through the war, Page was our local shoe mender. I also remember the V1 incident vividly. It was a sunny day, we children were all playing in the gardens, our mothers all chatting over the fences, when suddenly someone shouted. There above us was the V1, it passed us as we scrambled into the Anderson shelters. It hit the top of a large Sycamore tree in Gobbells Bakery, breaking the top off, carrying on to Dames Road, where the damage was caused. Although we had little damage in our road, we had plenty of real scares, with a prisoner of war camp a few yards away, our mothers were always on edge.

3. Brian Arthur

I was born in Pevensey Road in 1948 and my mother spoke about the doodlebug hit on the trolleybus. They eye-witness account really conveys the full horror of the event, which would have been hushed up at the time. Before the new houses were built, opposite the Holly Tree pub, an infants schools occupied the site, which I attended.  Half of the playground was still a bomb site when I was there and I remember playing on it - great fun for a little boy!

Forest Gate's role in WW1, the Hammers battalion (1)

Original article link: here, date:5 June 2015

Evonne

William Busby was my great-grand-uncle.... Thank you for posting such interesting pictures and stories about the men. It was wonderful to see the homes of the Page and Holthusen families as they are now.  We live in the United States and I've been researching Forest Gate/William's life, your blog has been wonderful to learn about Forest Gate, then and now.

William Busby - hero then,
 cherished now

Thanks, for the memory (1)

If journalism is the first draft of history, websites like this have a good claim to be the second. So, in most of the articles, we try to give a flavour of what the press had to say about a particular event and add context to it with the hindsight from public records, official histories and published maps, photographs etc.

Apart from the odd extract from autobiographies that we reproduce, there are rarely accounts of how the participants, observers and those directly affected by events felt about them. We believe these are vital in coming to a rounded understanding of history, but won't bore you with treatises on the nature of history, here.

So, we are delighted to receive comments on the articles that we have published, from those directly involved or affected by the events covered - whether it was World War 11 bombings, attendances at Upper Cut gigs, or life within the rapidly disappearing local Jewish community.

They, in many senses, give "reality" and authenticity to what we publish.

They are often contributed many months after the original article was published, so it is highly likely that regular visitors to this site will not catch up with them - having already read the substantive article, and feel no need to revisit it - thus miss the comment.

Similarly, for us, it is an absolute delight when a blog provokes or adds to a reader's family story, and we have had a fair number of these, since we began publication.

So, this is the first of two articles in which we round up some of the comments subsequently made to original articles.  We find it illuminating and that the comments add real value to the original piece.

For the future, we would be delighted to hear from those directly affected by all of the pieces that we write about, and if the response is appropriate, we'll be delighted to run similar 'comment round-ups', in future.

The headlines below are the original title of articles published and the comments below are edited extracts from comments related to them, with a hyperlink to the article, itself.

Fire guts famous gym

Original article link: here, date: 17 April 2003

1. Anonymous

Well said mate .. I went there today (26 September 2014) and noticed that the lamp post is still standing! ... It will soon be demolished ... I think someone should take that lamp post as a memory of the gym and all it stood for! ... or it will end up in a skip very soon ...

As predicted by the
commentator - now gone

ed note: Somebody took this poster at his/her word.  The lamp post (pictured) has subsequently been "removed", by whom, we do not know.

When Otis played Forest Gate

Original article link: here, date: 27 May 2013

1. Ron Smith-Galer

I was there that night.  Sam and Dave were electric and the singers wore pastel coloured suits that soon showed huge sweat stains. I was 18 and nobody could eclipse Sam & Dave that night ...

Until this big black guy came on and barely moving, with that gentle sway and  gracefulness that some big guys manage started to sing. Otis, a true giant of music.

Ecstasy!

Every picture tells a story

2. Pat Morrissey, Dublin

I travelled from Dublin on my own, without a ticket for this gig. It was St Patrick's weekend. What an innocent time. No problem, I just paid on the door about 7.30pm and walked into the venue. Could you, or would you, ever try to do that today. Incredible gig that I still recall today. They all played for about 15/20 mins and when Otis came on, he was amazing.

Then it was over! My main concern was to get back to Euston to my B&B.
It was one of my most memorable gigs ever. The others were The Beatles in Dublin in 1963 at The Adelphi and the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. What a very lucky person, born at the right time.

3. Steve Cook

I saw the Stax show having travelled up to London, from Southampton... We saw it at the Hammersmith Odeon then 2 shows at the Upper Cut. Asked if they could get my newly bought copy of a Booker T album signed, and to my amazement was invited in to meet Booker T .. they all signed the album label.

Booming Woodgrange Road

Original article link: here, date:12 June 2013

Opposing views on recent developments, from two posters:

1. Carol Hale

So pleased this little bit of East London is regenerating in such a positive way.  My daughter and myself have noticed a really upbeat quality in the area (which was badly needed) having lived in the area for 20 yrs with its fair share of bad press. I hope this lovely area continues to thrive and I hope I can also get involved with the market.

CoffeE7 - the good bit of the facelift

2. Anonymous

Sorry to say that the shopping experience in Woodgrange Road is really depressing. I only shop in the local butchers, co-op and fishmonger. The betting shops and chicken shops are a real let down and the various grocers all sell the same stuff. Thank goodness for the lovely new coffee shops.

The Sound of Music from Earlham Grove

Original article link: here, date:19 June 2013

1. Frontier Publishing

Curwen professionally thieved Sarah Anna Glover's intellectual property, expressly without her permission, (he had asked) and attempted to pass off the whole Sol-fa phenomenon as his own. He profited greatly from his deceit and even today people are not aware that Curwen ripped off Glover's work - his feeling being that she couldn't take it further (perhaps true) because she was a mere woman. The forthcoming book about Glover by Dr Jane Southcott will confirm the true attribution of Sol-fa and permanently expose Curwen for the cheat he was.

Sarah Anna Glover

ed note: We have not been able to trace any sign of this book being published, by Frontier Publishing, or any other publisher. Neither have we been able to trace a book by Dr Jane Southcott, who would appear to be a lecturer in music history in an Australian University.

Sarah Anna Glover's (1785 - 1867) Wikipedia entry says that she was an English music teacher, who invented the Norwich sol-fa system. She was born in Norwich and developed her learning system to aid teachers with a cappella singing. Her instruction book Scheme for Rendering Psalmody Congregational met with great success. It was later refined and developed by John Curwen and others over the years. The concept became known in popular culture, after it was featured in a song from The Sound of Music.

The Upper Cut Club, part 1 - the rise

Original article link: here, date:24 July 2013

1. Martin Smith

Thanks so much for a great article. After nearly 50 years the Otis/Sam & Dave and the Nina Simone gigs still stand out as favourites for me, partly due to the great atmosphere in the club.  My parents skated there as teenagers.

2. Peter Read

A very good article. Thanks.  I was at the Boxing Day 1966 matinee gig at the Uppercut, with my mate Steve Jolly. Hendrix played a great set (of course) but the advertised Pretty Things did not appear. Instead we saw John Lee Hooker, solo, and Zoot Money with (I think) his band Dantalian's Chariot. JLH was amazing, and very cool, wearing a sharp mod-style suit. I remember thinking it was a cheap entrance ticket for a wonderful bill. Best Boxing Day ever, thanks to the boxer, Billy Walker.

The great John Lee Hooker
 - another name to add
 to the Upper Cut's
illustrious performer list

The Upper Cut Club, part 2 - hitting the deck

Original article link: here, date:31 July 2013

Upper Cut club - after the event

1. Michael Claxton

I played in The Trend, a soul/R&B band from Canning Town - Norman, Frank, Phil and me - and I certainly remember playing the Upper Cut because I had to set my new amp at Spinal Tap volume 11 so that my new Vox Continental organ could be heard - on stage! - in that vast venue. We backed the Soul Sisters and various permutations of the 'Original' Drifters as well as playing in our own right, so it was either us alone or as a backing group. If the former, at a talent evening, maybe? Does someone remember?

FG Good Booze guide - 2015

This is the third of our popular annual look at Forest Gate's drinking spots. And, this year, it's good news. No closures, a new opening and the prospect of a restaurant selling "craft beers" on the horizon.

The new outlet is, like the longer standing Wanstead Tap, to be found underneath the arches - at 361 Winchelsea Road. Hawkes is largely a cider house and at present only open on Saturdays.

Two years ago we used the price of the then ubiquitous Stella Artois as a benchmark for the pubs at work. Stella is no longer available in all local boozers, whereas draft cider now is.  In view of this we have used cider as our price barometer, and at the end of this blog we produce our first Forest Gate Draftcidrometer.

One other, good, local feature has been the complete refurb and relaunch of neighbouring Manor Park's Golden Fleece - a regular for many Forest Gate locals - so, we've included it in this year's round up.

We've tried to offer a bit more consistency in our descriptions, so are using a common format of features examined. Each drinks outlet, of course, has its own unique characteristics that don't fit this format, so, we've produced a paragraph, or so, on these, for each drinks house examined. They appear in alphabetical order.

Forest Gate Hotel

The only Forest Gate pub not on a main drag - it's on Godwin Road. The pub clearly caters almost exclusively for very local customer base. It has had problems with drugs in the past and now displays many "zero tolerance of drugs" notices. Very quiet pub. Must be tempting for owners to turn into flats - see Holly Tree, below.

Drink: Real ale pumps on display, but look infrequently used.

Food: No menu on display.  Small selection of bar snacks.

Entertainment: Pool table, wide-screen TV, with BT football. Quizzes on Wednesdays and Karaoke evenings.

Garden: Small terraced area with tables and much larger tarmaced car parks area, available.  Mainly for smokers, as no interesting landscaping, design features.

Child-friendly: "No under 18's, after 8.30 pm".

Forest Tavern

Improbable as it may seem, this pub, at the centre, physically and socially of much of the recent regeneration and gentrification of Forest Gate has only been open for two years. Everything about it seems to sum up the "new Forest Gate", from its client base, to its offer.

Drink: Up to eight real ales on tap, plus a couple of ciders.  Trendy enough to get away with selling Pimms in jam jars, and for people not to feel put-off by it.

Food: Menu constantly evolving, with a varied and innovative option currently on offer.  Meals can be taken either in the back, restaurant area, or in the bar.
Standard of food varies a bit, but can be very good; not the cheapest - with Haddock and chips being served at £11.50. Good range of tasty bar snacks on offer, too.

Entertainment: The Tavern has cracked it, and is now reflecting local interests well, with regular free Forest Gap music nights, Saturday record sales, open mike nights, quizzes, all soon to be joined by Swing Patrol on Monday nights - a fusion of two of the more prominent manifestations of the "new Forest Gate".

Garden: Decent back garden that has been spruced up recently. Not an exclusive preserve for the smokers and very pleasant on a summer evening. There are a couple of tables at the front, usually used for smokers - which minimises the smoke pollution in the back.

Child-friendly: Yes, in both garden and pub, although not much to assist with child entertainment.

Fox and Hounds

Sits cheek by jowl with the Forest Tavern, facing Forest Gate station, on Woodgrange Road/Forest Lane junction. The juxtaposition is a mirror image of the shopping centre options in Stratford - one catering for the "new" arrivals in the area and the other - the Fox and Hounds, like the old Stratford shopping centre - for the older established residents. Home drinking base for the Clapton FC Ultra fans.

Drink: Now sells Real Ales, though two of the pumps were out of order, when we visited.

Food: None advertised, other than a small range of bar snacks.

Entertainment: Sky Sports, pool table, regular Karaoke nights.

Garden: Described as a "secret garden", at the back of the pub; small and mainly a smokers' area.

Child-friendly: Nobody under 14 permitted.

Golden Fleece

Capel Road, overlooking Wanstead Flats.  Had a major face lift this spring, from which it is clearly benefitting. Wide range of seating, including nooks and crannies, if you don't want to eat, or join in the entertainment. Packed when we visited, very popular with the shiny black-BMW crew.

Drink: Six real ales, good range of other drinks, including ciders.

Food: Large and varied menu. Like an upmarket Wetherspoons: e.g. steak and ale pie, £7.99 and regular list of interesting specials, averaging £10.

Entertainment: A very full week of entertainment advertised, see photo.

Garden: Wanstead Flats, to the front! In addition, large, well furnished back garden, with comfortable furniture and very good children's play and climbing equipment.

Child-friendly: Great garden - front and back for children.  Good children's menu on bar food and restaurant.

Hawkes

Under the railway arches, at 361 Winchelsea Road - yards from Wanstead Tap.

The East London based cider-making company started in 2012, and is named after traditional street sellers - hawkers. Forest Gate is its first fixed venue and was opened at the end of July, for the time being, on Saturdays only.
Hours noon till 10pm. Great new initiative for this cider house, who have doubled up with Wanstead Pizza company, Luppolo to provide an enjoyable Saturday night offer - wood-fired, stone-baked pizza and cider, inside or out.. Friendly helpful staff.

Drink: Range of ciders - including their own - made from London apples, spirits and cocktails, mainly. Nice cider sampler 3 x 1/3 pints for £4.

Food: Excellent choice from about half a dozen pizzas: £5.95 - £7.95, from Luppolo of Wanstead, baked on the terrace.

Entertainment: No, but plenty of enthusiastic conversations.

Garden: Front terrace, only.

Child-friendly: Yes, but nothing specifically to entertain them.

Holly Tree

Junction of Dames and Vansitaart Roads. Large, airy pub, with sizeable conservatory area, overlooking Wanstead Flats. Fairly quiet, whenever visited. Occupies large footprint.  Seems only a question of time before freeholders, like those of Forest Tavern, above, cash in and seek planning permission to demolish and replace by £7m - £10m of apartments, in an increasingly sought-after residential area.

Drink: No real ales. Standard range of typical pub beers, wines and spirits.

Food: A limited menu. Lower end price range, e.g. Shepherd's Pie, chips and veg £5.95.

Entertainment: Sky Sports, pool table, Karaoke nights, small library.

Garden: Large garden with over a dozen tables, barbecue area
.
Child-friendly: Good garden space. Large range of children's equipment now depleted, down to only a couple of pieces.

Hudson Bay

Top of Upton Lane - the only pub in Forest Gate, south of Romford Road. Full story behind the pub's name will be featured in a future blog! A Wetherspoons house, where they pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap.  Always busy; the most multi-racial pub in the district.

Drink: Good range of real ales and ciders.  Regular beer and cider festivals, with lots of guest drinks.  Always good value for money.

Food: Typical Wetherspoons menu: wide choice, low prices. "Special" nights, e.g. fish and chips plus a pint of beer/cider/glass of wine on Fridays,  £6.25! Wetherspoons are, corporately, making a big push to challenge McDonalds and Greggs for the low cost breakfast this year.  Again, very good value.

Entertainment: TV's with sport, but low/no sound. No live entertainment - just a pub/restaurant. Wetherspoons doing, what they do well.

Garden: Back garden area reasonably well laid out, but mainly a haven for smokers.

Child-friendly: Children welcome and able to eat until 8.30 pm.

Wansted Tap

This intriguing local initiative, "underneath the arches" in Winchelsea Road, goes from strength to strength: good drink, food, company and entertainment. Opening hours slightly erratic, not helped by the fact that they are not well posted on the premises. Perfect name for a watering hole, apart from the fact that it's not in Wanstead and most of the drink isn't on tap!

Drink: A wide range (up to 100 varieties) of bottled craft beers and ciders and three barrelled beers, fresh tea and good coffees. Not the cheapest, but by far the widest local selection of drink options.

Food: Regular bar snacks, plus tasty cakes and biscuits.  But the food highlight is the regular hosting of local celebrity chef, Michael Sanders, Invite to Supper nights. Monthly food fests, with 4 innovative and tasty courses for £30, with a complementary drink option for each course.  The food nights have now been extended to include vegetarian and fish evenings.

Entertainment: Great selection of high class evening entertainments: book launches and readings, with the likes of Ian Sinclair and Harper Lee novel launches, in conjunction with Newham Bookshop, good comedy nights, with big names like Simon Munnery and Bob Mills, free film shows, interesting music evenings, occasional historic and other local interest talks. Location for Forest Gate Arts trail exhibit. There's even a library, for dull moments.

Garden: No.

Child-friendly: Very. Comfortable, home-like furniture, children's play things and toys, where involvement is encouraged.  Child-friendly play sessions some afternoons, for thirsty supervising adults! Even children's books in the library.

Off licences

There are approximately 30 supermarkets/off-licenses, selling alcohol, in Forest Gate.

Since we are in a cider vein, we thought we'd try three out, to see what the comparative cider offer is, and include them in our Draftcidrometer table, below.

The excellent Bereket, Woodgrange Road, seems to have strange licensing restrictions imposed on them: they can only sell ciders and beers in minimums of packs of 4. They sell a range of ciders, including many fruit ones.

Co-operative, Woodgrange Road. Half a dozen ciders, including fruit flavoured ones on sale. Often multi-pack offers, at discount.

Tescos in Woodgrange Road, like the Co-op, often have multi-pack discounts and sell their own brand, very cheap ciders, by the bottle.

Draftcidrometer

Forest Gate Hotel: Pint of Magners, £3.50.

Forest Tavern: Pint of Hogans, £3.90.

Fox and Hounds: Pint of Strongbow, £3.40.

Golden Fleece: Pint of Symonds, £3.60.

Hawkes: Pint of own brewed, Hawkes, £3.60.

Holly Tree: Pint of Strongbow, £3.40.

Hudson Bay: Pint of Hawkes Urban Orchard, £3.49.

Wanstead Tap: No cider on tap, but pint of bottled London Glider, £4.00.

Bereket Supermarket: Bottle of Stella Artois cider, £1.99.

Co-op Supermarket: Bottle of Carling cider, £1.25.

Tesco Supermarket: Bottles of Stella Artois, 3 for £5 - i.e. £1.66 per bottle.

V1 and V2 bombs in Forest Gate 1944 - 1945 - second part of bombing round up

This is the second of a two-part post on World War 11 bombs and Forest Gate, covering the last two years of the conflict. The first post can be found below.

As we explained in the earlier article, we have pulled together information from a range of official sources, together with some contemporaneous photographs, press reports and eye-witness accounts, to try and provide as definitive a record as possible.

We accept, however, that it is not complete, may well underestimate the scale of fatalities suffered and tries to aggregate different lists measuring different outcomes (see previous post for consideration of methodology and difficulties presented). 

It is presented, however, as what we believe is the first and most likely near-comprehensive account of the affect of World War 11 bombings on the area and civilian population of Forest Gate.

West Ham, as a borough, saw about 14,000 houses - or a quarter of the housing stock - destroyed by bombs in the World War 11. Forest Gate was heavily hit, although considerably less so than the southern part of the borough, which embraced the docks and some strategically important industries and factories.

After the Blitz (1940-41) there was a lull in German bombing of London, while German military engineers developed more horrific weapons to inflict by air. The conceived their Vergeltungswaffe - vengeance weapons - understandably abbreviated to V1 and V2 bombs.

Clearing up after June 1944 Upton Lane bombing

Each bomb was 25 feet long and had a wing span of 16 feet, driven by an engine, that hummed. They were dubbed Buzz Bombs, or Doodlebugs by British civilians who were on the receiving end of them.
.
The first was launched in June 1944.  Within three days over 500 people had been killed in London. They came to terrorise the city, and their impact were felt on some of the most savage subsequent attacks on Forest Gate.

1944

January
22nd - (West Ham Cemetery)

29th - Crosby, Knox, Vansitart (Forest Gate Hospital, Wanstead Park Station, Upton Lane School)

30th - Claremont

February
2nd - Romford x 2

7th - Sprowson

19th - Strode

20th - Tylney

21st - Romford

22nd - Sprowson, Whyteville, Romford

24th - Dunbar, Forest Street, Windsor (West Ham Cemetery)

March
22nd - Vansitart

April
18th -Katherine Rd - Trebors 
This bombing does not appear in the ARP listings of bombings in West Ham, but features significantly in the company's official history, The Trebor Story by Michael Crampton. The book publishes the photograph, below and the accompanying text says:

Factory caretaker, Mr G Taylor reported the following, of the night of 18 April 1944 "The building was severely damaged because the bomb landed in the warehouses and set fire to a great deal of tea chests and tins of dry lemonade. A row of shops across the way was destroyed by blast and through the heavy shutters of the garage being thrown across the street. Several of the people in the houses were killed, including one of the firm's stokers.  But there was one miracle. For most of the war the firm had thrown open the basement to the public, and about two hundred of them were sheltering there that night. Imagine my relief on entering the basement to find not one casualty among them.

Trebor factory on Katherine Road, after
 the unreported bombing. Note presence
 of police on far right of photo. He was
 there to prevent looting of sugar

 June
16th - Upton Avenue (Death: May Wright, aged 30, 41 Upton Avenue)

Upton Lane after bombing on 16 June 1944

July
5th - Osborne

19th - Romford

27th - Dames (Deaths: Gladys Blackman, aged 39, Dames Road; Wendy Blackman, aged 4, Dames Road; Abraham Ince, aged 76, Dames Road; Edith Tilley, aged 41, Dames Road). This was the Dames Road trolley bus bomb, featured at length in the post on the Page family of bootmakers, see here.

The quote from Cyril Marne, who was later to become West Ham's Chief Fire Officer, in that article suggests that many more than the people named here were killed. Indeed, the Straford Express article, covering the incident produces the names of a small, but entirely different group of fatalities of that explosion. They presumably did not live in the immediate local area (see discussion on methodology for explanation).

Doodlebug of the kind that hit Dames Road -
 25 feet long and 15 wide. Unsurprisingly, the
 devastation it created was horrific

28th - Forest Lane (Deaths: Lilian Simpkins, aged 64, 103 Forest Lane), Woodgrange

29th - Junction of Woodgrange and Earlham Grove (Ronald Stuchbery, aged 16, at Rio Cinema, and Robert Scales, ofTower Hamlets Road)

August
12th - Upton Lane School: Deaths: Ursula Mercer, aged 32, an SRN at Upton Lane School; Kate Skingle, aged 67)

Upton Lane school, hit 12/13 August 1944

Stratford Express reports Upton Lane
 school bombing, without mentioning
 its name, or location. It does,
 however mention those killed.

15th - Wellington (Deaths: Eli Nightingale, aged 63, 133 Wellington Road; Ernest Tickel, aged 59, 20 Odessa Road)

October 
27th - Romford Road

30th - Earlham Grove (Deaths: Clara Hall, aged 69, 7 Earlham Grove; Alice Everitt, aged 66, 7 Earlham; Annie Everitt, 56, 7 Earlham; Ellen Everitt, 64, 7 Earlham; Charles William Hazell, aged 14, 3 Earlham Grove; Edith Read, aged 42, 5 Earlham Grove; Terence Read, aged 7, 5 Earlham Grove; Agnes Turner, aged 55, 3 Earlham Grove; Agnes Turner, aged 24, 3 Earlham Grove; William Turner, aged 13, 3 Earlham Grove)

November
1st - (Wanstead Flats)

1945

January
28th - Kitchener (Deaths: Alfred Chamberlain, aged 43, 90 Kitchener; Catherine Chamberlain, aged 66, 90 Kitchener; Alice Dearson, aged 70, 90 Kitchener; George Dearson, aged 87, 90 Kitchener; William Eyre, aged 46, 95 Kitchener; Arthur Finch, aged 32, 100 Kitchener; Ernest Johnson, aged 30, 96 Kitchener Road; Kenneth Johnson, aged 22 months, 96 Kitchener Road; Louisa Johnson, aged 30, 96 Kitchener Road; Patricia Johnson, aged 5, 96 Kitchener Road; Annie Kenovan, aged 41, 98 Kitchener Road; Patrick Kenovan, aged 39, 98 Kitchener Road; Phillip Kenovan, aged 2, 98 Kitchener Road; Albert Poree, aged 30, 94 Kitchener Road; Alice Shekyls, aged 28 99 Grosvenor Road; George Skekyls, aged 30, 99 Grosvenor Road; Mabel Vamplew, aged 55, 94 Kitchener Road; Doris Wales, aged 22, 92 Kitchener Road; Jane Wales, aged 48, 92 Kitchener Road; Margery Wales, 92 Kitchener Road; William Wales, aged 50, 92 Kitchener Road; Eliza Walker, aged 74, 102 Kitchener Road; Harriet Walker, aged 47, 102 Kitchener Road; Joseph Walker, aged 74, 102 Kitchener Road).

Stratford Express covers the
 Kitchener  Road bombing, or
 as they locate it, as "a residential
 district in southern England."
 Official records identify 24
 dead, but this report only 12.

March
6th - Earlham Grove (Deaths: Joyce Adams, aged 25, 56 Earlham Grove; Edgar Adams, aged 50, 56 Earlham Grove; Beryl Joyce Adams, aged 18 months, 56 Earlham Grove; Hetty Bogansky, aged 31, 62 Earlham Grove; Nathan Bogansky, aged 29, 62 Earlham Grove; Geoffrey Golding, aged 2, 60 Earlham Grove; Hilda Golding, aged 30, 60 Earlham Grove; Jack Golding, aged 23, 60 Earlham Grove; Sadie Golding, aged 22, 60 Earlham Grove; Sarah Golding, aged 61, 60 Earlham Grove; Samuel Hainsville, aged 85, 64 Earlham Grove; David Coles, aged 43, Freemasons Tavern, Romford Road; Ellen Coles, aged 39, Freemasons Tavern, Romford Road; Albert Lucas, aged 63, 104 Kitchener Road; Alfred Lumley, aged 60, Grosvenor Road; Mamie Lumley, aged 54, 97, Grosvenor Road: Bernard Marcovitch, aged 16, 58 Earlham Grove; Rachel Marcovitch, aged 38, 58 Earlham Grove; Rose Schector, aged 62, 62 Earlham Grove)

 Poor reproduction of
a small Stratford Express
 article of 9 March 1945.
 It appeared on page 9
 and in a matter of fact
 way reported the Earlham
 Grove  bombing, in which 19
 people died. The article
 only refers to eight people

11th - Romford Road (Deaths: Nicholas Mackey, aged 43, 342 Romford Road; Rose Seeley, aged 56, 342a Romford Road; Violet Seeley, aged 31, 342a Romford Road; Elizabeth Sharpen, aged 67, 1 Westbury Road).

Conclusion/summary/observations

Although the Blitz (1940 - 41) saw the largest number of hits on Forest Gate during the war, it was the deadly V1s and V2s, in the final eight months of the conflict, that caused the greatest number of civilian deaths in the area.

Between 1940 and 1943 there were a total of 197 recorded hits on Forest Gate, and 54 Forest Gate civilians killed by enemy action. 1944 - 5 only saw a fifth of the number of bombs (38), but 40% more deaths (70).

The most lethal attacks on Forest Gate during the war would appear to have been:

28 January 1945 - Kitchener Road - 24 identifiable deaths

6 March 1945 - Earlham Grove - 19 identifiable deaths

21 March 1941 - Eric Road - 17 identifiable deaths

30 October 1944 - Earlham Grove - 10 identifiable deaths

23 September 1940 - Odessa Road - 9 identifiable deaths

24 September 1940 - Clova Road - 7 identifiable deaths

9 September 1940 - Disraeli Road - 5 identifiable deaths
27 July 1944 - Dames Road - five identifiable deaths - most certainly a gross underestimation of total killed.

17 April 1941 - Claremont Road - 5 identifiable deaths.

German bombing, for the most part, became more accurate and direct as the war wore on. The fact two of the three most destructive hits in the latter stages of the war fell on Earlham Grove brought to mind a remark in Bryan Forbes' autobiography, when talking about his childhood in Forest Gate (see here). 

He referred to Lord Haw-Haw's German propaganda radio messages during the conflict, in which he ranted:

We shan't be dropping bombs on Earlham Grove tonight, we'll be dropping Keating's Powder (a disinfectant).

Perhaps the Earlham Grove bombs, on the road of the West Ham synagogue (Essex's largest) - in the most Jewish area of Newham - were, in fact, deliberately aimed to be a part of the "Final Solution", the Nazi's adopted in their attempt to destroy the Jewish people, world-wide.

In previous posts on this blog (see here, in particular), we have referred to the presence of barrage balloons on Wanstead Flats. They were there to deter low-flying aircraft from bombing locally. 

What is now known as "the village" area of Forest Gate - between Sebert and Capel Roads - was probably the least bombed part of Forest Gate during the war, perhaps this was in no small part due to the effective deterrent effect of those barrage balloons.

We have, similarly, covered the presence of Prisoners of War camps on Wanstead Flats during the war, in previous posts (see here, in particular).

Perhaps the German high command was not too concerned about bombing their own captured soldiers - as the Dames Road Doodlebug refrered to above fell only a couple of hundred metres from the PoW camp location.