14 Fri. Slight morning frost, cold, misty day; foggy at night. Did
all the usual Fri. morning shopping locally. Met Mr. Dimes. Thence to Merton to
buy fish for dinner & cats meat. In evening took a No. 35 coil to plug into
Mrs. Figg’s wireless set as with the one in use the tuning would not go down
low enough to receive the European and Light Programmes. The new coil did the
trick and the set works perfectly.
London in the Blitz. Fred French, 66 Chestnut Road, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, London SW20 kept this diary, blogged 69 years later, during WWII and peacetime. He loves music, model aircraft, radios, railways, roses. His sister Theresa (Ciss) goes out to work - Fred does the shopping, etc. 'On this day' and other notes by Tony French.
By the same editor Poems Please Me
31 October 2015
30 October 2015
13th Dec 1945: carols from band in Chesnut Road
13 Thur. Less cold: no frost but keen wind. Clear
& a little brighter. Did some small amount of shopping locally both morning
and afternoon. Letter, a pictorial calendar and a pound note from Capt.
Marshall. He is very good. Wrote letter in acknowledgement. At night a fine
Salvation Army band played carols in this road.
29 October 2015
12th Dec 1945: transformed...
12 Wed. Sharp white frost, very cold day: slight sunshine midday
otherwise dull. Got the groceries locally; thence to Morden to buy fish.
Assembled rewound transformer but had to take it down again to file the iron
core to make way for the secondary: must try again.
28 October 2015
11th Dec 1945: maplemeat
11 Tues. Only slight frost, dismal, except a
fugitive gleam midday. To Wimbledon along rail path in morning; bought
“Maplemeat” at health food stores. Took note to Mrs. Child in afternoon. Met
Mr. Willmot in this road he was going to see poor Mrs. Baden-Powell. Sent 2/6
to the fund for her in her great loss.
27 October 2015
10th Dec 1945: ten degrees (F) of frost
10 Mon. 10 degrees of frost during the night. Dismal, misty day,
becoming less cold with drizzle at night. Heard with regret that Mr.
Baden-Powell of Warwick House in this road died on Sat. He leaves a young wife
& three children – Evelyn has been here. Did shopping locally also to
Merton where I bought ginger wine essence among other things.
23 October 2015
7th-9th Dec 1945: Holloway construction company's Victory Ball
7 Fri Severe white frost lasting till midday; dull, misty. Got the
usual Fri. morning provisions. Bought cats meat at Merton. Took Addie’s gram.
motor to Merton for repair but Smith’s would not undertake it. Ciss went to her
firm’s Victory Ball* at Wimbledon.
8 Sat. Very cold, dismal, piercing N wind, freezing by early
evening. The children brought back the “kissing bee” joke. The Conley children
took it to “frighten” their mother. Along rail path in afternoon to buy fish
and a paper in Wimbledon.
9 Sun. Severe black frost all day; dismal. The usual children
called including Connie Freeman with a bracelet on each wrist and a massive
“gold” chain with a crystal heart pendant.
*Hopefully no-one was stabbed to death, as in Agatha Christie's 'Victory Ball'.
22 October 2015
5th-6th Dec 1945: cooked Xmas puddings
5 Wed. Cold: glorious sunrise with horizontal strata of crimson,
scarlet and orange with green bands between until it merged into blue above.
Some wintry sunshine, keen N wind. Got the groceries in morning also to Merton
for cats meat. Gwennie, Laurie and Donald called. Returned Conley’s clock after
repair. Ciss mixed the Xmas puddings. Did small amount of gardening.
6 Thur. Very cold, clear bright, sunny; bitter N wind. To butchers,
bakers & chemists – locally in morning. To Wimbledon in afternoon to buy
fish & a paper. Gwennie, Laurie and Donald called; showed them the "Kissing
bee” joke: Gwennie was rather frightened even when she saw it was only a trick.
Cooked the Xmas puddings; they smell very exciting.
21 October 2015
3rd-4th Dec 1945: clock repairs
3 Mon. Cold, clear, some bright sunshine; bitter NW wind. Bought
soup powders & bread locally also got the batteries. Bought fish in
Wimbledon. Paid the landlord. Repaired hour hand of Victor Conley’s clock. Am
regulating it which takes time.
4 Tues. Severe white frost: my bedroom window was patterned with
ice but it gave midday and rained the rest of the day: gloomy. Filed to shape
more laminations of the R & A output transformer*; there are 54 of them to
be done. To Merton in the afternoon in a downpour to buy fish and a paper. Mrs
Akroyd bought some currants; Addie returned the cake tin.
*Did Fred mean AR or A&R?
20 October 2015
1st-2nd Dec 1945: fun and games
1 Dec. Sat. Rather cold, less dull than of late.
Posted pictorial calendar to Cousin Elsie in Canada. Cleaned some windows.
Showed the children how to make a coin stick on the wall: also made a pinch
nail truck and a “kissing bee” that jumps out of its packet: just a phew (sic) jokes.
Made a new pendulum for Victor Conley’s clock.
2 Sun. Mild for time of year; a small amount of sunshine in
afternoon. The usual children called: showed them some tricks. Margery McAinsh,
Dorothy, with Jeanette and baby Margaret brought a watch & a clock to be
repaired by the Tolworth man: gave Jeanette two sweets. Walked past Annie’s house
in Amity Grove in even.
19 October 2015
30th Nov 1945: fall on escalator
30 Fri. Cold, cloudy; a little fairer. To the butchers, bakers and
newsagents & confectioners; bought a nice calendar for cousin Elsie in
Canada. Also bought tinned fish. To Merton & Morden in afternoon bought
cats meat. To Mrs. Akroyd in evening to see how she is; she fell down an
escalator on the tube railway: she is getting better. Put her wireless in
order.
18 October 2015
28th-29th Nov 1945: huge baby!
28 Wed. Severe white morning frost, very cold, dull day. Got the
groceries locally among other things, thence to Morden to buy cats meat. Heard
Yehudi Menuhin play two violin concertos on the wireless: wonderful.
29 Thur. Very cold, dismal. Did shopping locally
in morning including buying a set of purple blocks for a Xmas present for Anthony.
Met Harold Rogers & his wife & new baby Susan – a huge baby. Rode to
Southfields in afternoon, saw where a flying bomb fell in Stuarts Road.
17 October 2015
26th-27th Nov 1945: new springs in cycle saddle
26 Mon. Cold, less dull but fitful skies; windy. Finished writing
and posted letter to Uncle Tom. To Wimbledon & Merton in afternoon; bought
fish. Fitted the other pair of pedal rubbers. Bought a cycle spanner in S.
Wimbledon.
27 Tues. White morning frost, cold, cloudy day.
To Morden in morning; bought dates @ 9d per lb and soya flour @ 5d also a local
purchase. Removed the two coil springs from back of new saddle and replaced
with a pair with easier compression. Gwennie, Laurie & Donald called; they
brought some magnesium ribbon which I burned, to their delight.
16 October 2015
25th Nov 1945: Mostyn Gardens ex brickfields
25 Sun. Rather cold, dull, calm. I ought to have said yesterday
that Mr and Mrs Bradley called and brought me a fine water-colour drawing of
the brickfields Merton painted by Mr. Bradley. I value it very much. The lake
is now levelled and is now a recreation ground – Mostyn Gardens. Short cycle
ride in afternoon: the new saddle is a great improvement.
15 October 2015
23rd-24th Nove 1945: magic
23 Fri. Rather cold, very dull. Got a piece of beef this week and
did other shopping locally; also bought fish in Morden in afternoon. Gwennie,
Laurie & Donald came; gave them a magic book which I had made. A letter
from Uncle Tom saying how delighted he is with the crystal set I made for him.
24 Sat. Rather cold, dull, misty, calm. To Morden
in morning to buy a new 3 coil spring cycle saddle, made by Mansfield price
13/6: very good: also bought a set of pedal rubbers: at night fitted one pair;
they were price 1/6. To Wimbledon & Merton in afternoon to buy cats meat
& fish. The new saddle rides very comfortably but the springs are a trifle
hard.
14 October 2015
21st - 22nd Nov 1945: a long wire for the wireless!
21 Wed. Rather mild, dismal, misty, damp, becoming foggy. Got the
groceries locally as usual: also to the butchers. Bought cats meat at Morden.
Cleaned some more organ reeds, making a noticeable improvement.
22 Thur. Rather mild, dismal, damp, misty, calm.
Did some shopping locally in morning. Bought new cycle lamp battery in
afternoon & got accumulator. To Mr. and Mrs. Figg to see how their wireless
is going. Very weak by my standard, but they are very satisfied. Their aerial
is so bad. I just took a wire up the stairs & along the passage as a
temporary aerial with results 4 times as loud: they were surprised & will
put up a better one. A new moving coil loud speaker would be another surprise
to them.
13 October 2015
19 - 20th Nov 1945: Fred the organ cleaner
19 Mon. Cold, very dull. Repaired the lamp stands* of the organ. To
Merton to buy cats’ meat, thence to Morden where I bought a paper.
20 Tues. Cold, dismal, calm, misty. Spent many
hours cleaning the flute and viola reeds of the organ. They got a black deposit
at the tip which flattens their pitch; when removed the reeds are found to be
in tune. The few reeds I did showed a great improvement. It is a very delicate
job cleaning the deposit from the smallest reeds. Gwennie & Donald brought some
meat for Dinky but Michael Winsley’s dog stole it from them.
* Note: I vaguely recall a flat, circular wooden platter on a small post at each side of the tall, carved wood (with mirrors) organ. My own organ-playing was confined to holding down the bass notes to imitate the sound of approaching bombers - Tony.
12 October 2015
17 - 18 Nov 1945: moo, baa, woof, yap, meow
17 Sat. Very cold, dull, bitter E wind. Laurie
and Donald called. Donald although only two can give a wonderfully realistic
imitation of a pig grunting; he amused Ciss by doing a moo cow, a sheep, a big
dog and a puppy dog and a cat also: he was rewarded with a sweet. To Wimbledon
in afternoon along line: bought fish and dried green peas. Made a good repair
of the Celeste stop on the organ. Ciss went to Anthony’s 4th
birthday party.
18 Sun. Very cold, dismal, bitter wind. Stayed in all day. The
usual children called. Played the organ: the Celeste is now perfect. Audrey
Child brought a piece of Anthony’s birthday cake.
11 October 2015
16 Nov 1945: bought two eggs from milkman
16 Fri. Very cold, clear, bright, windy, sunny day. Got the usual
Fri. shopping, got a nice piece of pork this week. Two eggs from the milkman.
Bought herrings locally also cake and sweets. Gwennie, Laurie, Victor and Ann
Conley & Nita Hart called, gave them a sweet each.
10 October 2015
14 - 15 Nov 1945: music from Woolworths
![]() |
This wasn't necessarily the book Fred bought but it's the same vintage |
14 Wed. Cold, very dull, damp in the air. Got a lot of provisions
locally. Bought a lovely coloured picture book called “A Day on the Farm”, for
a birthday present for Anthony. Gwennie, Laurie and Donald called. To Mr. and
Mrs. Figg in Amity Grove in evening to attend to their wireless set, got it
going well but aerial & earth system is very poor: put in one new valve.
15 Thur. Cold, dismal, S wind. To Wimbledon along
rail path in afternoon. Bought piano arrangement of 1st movement of
Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor for 6d at Woolworth’s. Met Alf’s Lily. To
local butcher’s.
9 October 2015
12 - 13 Nov 1945: talking opf roses
12 Mon. Cold, dismal, damp; little wind. To Merton and Morden and
bought only a jar of fish paste.
13 Tues. Very cold, heavy clouds looking like
snow, E wind. Cycled to Cheam to buy some nice cats meat. In afternoon to
Merton Churchyard to plant daffodils and scillas on dear Mother’s grave. Met
Jessie Hodge there and had a talk about roses: a lovely Lady Hillingdon rose
was in bloom close by.
8 October 2015
10th - 11th Nov 1945: egg & spoon race
10 Sat. Cold, dull, nasty N wind, heavy showers. Gwennie, Laurie
and Donald called and played egg and spoon race. To Wimbledon to buy fish, got
drenched: bought my poppy. Thence to Merton to buy something at Boots. A note
on the organ stuck down but I put it right without much trouble.
11 Sun. Cold, bright, clear, sunny; N wind. A lot of children
called. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley came to tea and seemed to enjoy their visit, we
were certainly delighted; I shall never forget dear Connie who brought so much
happiness into my grey life. I have not seen her for a great many years but it
was a privilege to have her father and mother with us; they went to the Church
in evening.
7 October 2015
8th - 9th Nov 1945: pulled out the stops
8 Thur. Rather cold, dull. Did some shopping locally in morning. To
Wimbledon along rail-path in afternoon. Made two templates for new bevelled
glass mirrors for the organ. Gwennie, Laurie and Donald brought some pieces for
Dinky. Made the Celeste stop on the organ work again.
9 Fri. Cold, dull; N wind. Got the meat, cakes, sweets, paid for
the papers. Got a birthday card for Anthony also stamps – all locally. Bought
daffodil and scilla bulbs at Woolworths, Wimbledon also the andante from
Schumann’s piano concerto. A melodic reed on the organ would not play; cleaned
it with good results.
6 October 2015
5th to 7th Nov 1945: dates, figs, salmon, pilchard
5 Mon. Rather mild, dismal all day; calm. Did some repairs to the
organ. Fitted two vanes to the Vox Humana fan, also repaired the control valve.
Fitted new spring to the safety valve. Gwennie, Laurie and Donald brought some
scraps of food for Dinky. Paid the Slate Club; met Harold there.
6 Tues. Rather cold, dull, calm. Did some shopping locally in
morning. To Wimbledon in afternoon to buy fish. Have seen many of the new
Southern Railway coaches which are as high and wide as the loading gauge
permits.
7 Wed. Rather cold, dull, calm. Got the groceries: got some dates
and figs. Also salmon and tinned pilchards at another shop. To Wimbledon Common
extension and took another briar cutting out of the hedge and budded it with
Mme. E. Herriot experimentally before planting it: if it succeeds it should
save time and get a plant earlier.
5 October 2015
2nd-4th Nov 1945: sunny cycling
2 Fri. Rather cold. Misty, dull all day. To butchers etc in
morning. Met Cousin Maud, Gwen, Laurie & Donald, they were coming home from
school.
3 Sat. Rather mild for season: cloudy. To Cheam in morning to buy
cats meat also bought vegetables locally. Short ride in afternoon.
4 Sun. Mild for season, 60 degrees: dull. Was cycling along Robin
Hood Way when I met Willie Wilmot also mounted, so we went for a ride in
Richmond Park together.
4 October 2015
31st Oct-1st Nov 1945: flowers & music
31 Wed. Rather mild, lovely bright sunshine most of the day; calm.
Got the groceries as usual. To dear Mother’s grave, took off the geraniums and
antirrhinums and planted forget-me-nots. Walked beside Beverleigh Brook in
afternoon and brought back two briar cuttings which I planted in garden.
Gwennie & Laurie called.
1 Nov. Thur.
Rather cold; fog night and morning but a little sunshine midday. To Wimbledon
along rail path: met Willie Wilmot. Bought fish. Bought Xmas cards at
Woolworth’s. Bought maple-meat at health food stores. Also Valse les Fleurs –
Tchaikovsky for the piano at Woolworth’s. Heard Beethoven’s Pastoral.
3 October 2015
29th-30th Oct 1945: pinboard
29 Mon. Mild, showers in morning but some very bright sunshine in
afternoon. To Merton to buy something at the chemists and to the catsmeat shop
there. Cousin Maud called in evening and played on the pinboard.*
30 Tues. Very mild, perfectly lovely, calm sunny
day. Walked along the rail path in lovely sunshine to Wimbledon to buy fish
among other things. One of the large ugly goods engines C22 was in Wimbledon
yard and went off with a load of trucks: the ugliest engine in the world.
Gwennie and Donald called in afternoon.
*Pinboard. Fred's was a 2ft 6in (approx) board, laid almost flat on a table, with a curved far end slightly raised on a block. The circles of pins, surrounded shallow metal trays, with score values beside them, into which you aimed to get your bright silver-coloured metal ball, propelled by a beautifully-shaped handheld stick, which you pushed up an alley (formed by a low wooden wall) on the right. The far end of the board had an arched top, so the ball followed this around, the distance depending on the strength of your push. You could risk aiming for the gaps in the circles of pins, to reach high scrores, or bounce off other pins (actually thin nails firmly set in the wood). The balls could be annoying attracted to the gaps in the pins, and just collect in the low-value circles, and miss the trays! For storage, there was a sliding wooded cover over an alley at the foot of the board - this is where the balls were scored. Fred records some pinboard scores inside his diaries front and back covers - his and Ciss's highest scores for the year. It was a well-used board.
2 October 2015
26th-28th October 1945: shop, shops, lawn and music
26. Rather cold, a few periods of sunshine, still very rough.
Got all the usual Fri. morning shopping locally. Mrs. Conley came as usual to
do some cleaning and brought Victor who has just had his foot taken out of
plaster following and injury; Anne came later.
27 Sat. Rather cool, but brilliant sunny morning becoming dull
later. Cycled to Cheam and got some meat with only a short queue. Also shopping
locally. Gwennie and Laurie called, so did Mrs McAinsh, Jeanette and the baby.
Cut the lawn, it had grown quite long.
28 Sun. Rather mild, very dull; rain on and off all day. Did not go
out, nothing to record. Played Beethoven that is all.
1 October 2015
24th-25 October 1945: dismal days!
24 Wed. Very cool after rain; a few sunny
intervals: very rough. Got the groceries as usual on Wed. Took a counterpane
cover to Robins to be cleaned. The transformer bobbin is now ready to take the
secondary winding.
25 Thur. Rather cold, dismal, severe rain storms;
gales of wind. Wound the secondary on the output transformer: the laminations
will have to be altered to fit it. To butchers in afternoon, thence to Merton
to buy fish, returning by Merton Church yard to see dear Mother’s grave. Got as
far back as Chase Station when I was overwhelmed in the most violent rain
squall I have been in: got soaked through and had to change.
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