The War Years

In these days when everyone seems to have a mobile phone attached permanently to the ear I wondered what had happened to the telegram. Except for wedding celebrations etc. the arrival of the telegraph boy was looked on with apprehension as the bearer of bad news, especially in wartime. My father-in-law started as a telegraph boy aged 12 and worked in the Post Office until his late sixties.
A telegram changed the course of my life. On 1st September 1939 I made my way home from work at the National Savings Bank at Holloway. North London. I had my evening meal and noted that this was the first night of the total blackout. The Government were preparing for aerial bombardment. I went to bed at 10.30 because I had to be up to go to work on Saturday until 1p.m. We worked five and a half days a week then. At about 11p.m. there was a knock at the door. My mother woke me to say there was a telegram for me. I read it sleepily and said "I have to report to Civil Defence HQ at Brixton tomorrow at 11 o'clock" Then I had another look and saw it said 11p.m on Friday, 1st September !
Well mother decided I had better get dressed and go. She didn't like the idea of my going alone in the blackout so she called on our neighbour to escort me. Now Jock, the kindest of men, was a steward on the "Flying Scotsman" (a famous train) and was known to take a little of his native brew - sometimes more than a little ! This was one of those occasions but, nevertheless, he agreed to come with me. So one 16 year old girl and one 40 year old inebriated Scotsman we set off. No street lights, car lights just a glimmer. I suppose it was rather dangerous.
To get to Brixton we had to take a tram. To get a tram we had to get out into the middle of Westminster Bridge Road. The tram lines ran down the middle of the main roads. At last a tram came along and we got on and got off at Brixto Hill. We made our way in the pitch dark to the Day Continuation Centre, a college which had been taken over by Civil Defence. Jock delivered me safely and went home.
Inside all was confusion. Some people had been there all day waiting for their relief shift to arrive. Some telegrams giving people their instructions were not delivered until the next morning by which time the recipients had gone to work and were not expected home until after lunchtime on Saturday. Consequently I found myself still at Civil Defence HQ, ready to man the phones until 1.30p.m. on Saturday September 2nd. I was then given fresh instructions. I was to return at 11.30a.m. on Sunday September 3rd. A truly auspicious day ! But that is another story.