East End Photographs and Drawings

[Tom_Wescott]

Emma Smith & grave visiting, etc.

Hi Monty, thanks for posting those. In the course of researching my book I've developed a further knowledge and thus deeper interest in the Smith murder. Glad to see she's not completely forgotten.

Also, something occurred to me recently that I don't believe I'd given much or any thought to in the past, and was reminded it of while reading the above posts from people who feel some sort of guilt over not visiting the victims' graves. What occurred to me is how little thought we give to how these murders impacted the lives of people close to the victims. Case in point would be Emma Smith's friend and inquest witness, Margaret Haymes, who subsequently became morbidly obsessed with the murders, sleeping in the murder houses and talking about them so much she earned the nickname 'Murder Mags' by 1895 and was considered (on the street level) to be something of an expert on the crimes. It seems the murder of her poor friend Emma, and next door neighbor, Martha Tabram, drove her nuts.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[Hunter]

I've never been there, but this certainly looks to be old brickwork...An interesting lack of bond at the top of the first picture though makes me think garden wall rather than factory wall...could they have recycled old bricks at that point do you think?

The bricks at the top are in a row lock bond; bricks laid on their face edge perpendicular to the two parallel runs of bricks beneath; essentially, forming a sealed cap on top. Very common way to top retaining walls.

[Archaic]

London Blitz

Here's a color photo taken during the Blitz.

I think it has a remarkably dynamic 3-dimensional quality... the ground appears to be swallowing the bus! I've seen this image before, but the clarity of this particular copy amazed me, so I thought it was worth posting.

Cheers,
Archaic

[Bridewell]

The Hole

Here's a color photo taken during the Blitz.

I think it has a remarkably dynamic 3-dimensional quality... the ground appears to be swallowing the bus! I've seen this image before, but the clarity of this particular copy amazed me, so I thought it was worth posting.

Cheers,
Archaic

Thanks for that, Archaic. I presume the bus has gone into a bomb crater. Does anyone know what the (presumably newly exposed) rectangular hole would be just to the right of the bus-stop - looks too big to be a manhole.? Does anyone know which street this is, for that matter?

Regards, Bridewell.

[Monty]

Bridewell,

Its Balham. The bomb punctured a hole through to the Tube Station, I believe a fair few people died in this.

Here is the scene from a different angle.

Monty

[Archaic]

Hi Monty, thanks for that other view. What a photo op!

These photos really were shot in color, weren't they? They don't look like they've been "colorized".

Besides making details more vivid, color photos make a WWII scene look so much closer in time, don't they?

Thanks,
Archaic

[Archaic]

Balhma Bombing, 8 pm, 14 October 1940

Here's an eye witness account of the war, including details about the Balham bombing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/20/a7916420.shtml

And here's a news article about the blast that describes what happened to those sheltering in the Underground when the bomb hit:

http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/8466182.FEATURE__The_Blitz__Balham__8pm__October_14__1940/

Very sad. Below is a close-up of Monty's pic.
Archaic

[DrummondStreet]

Thanks so much for those color Blitz photos. I noticed some interesting details. Did anyone else notice the sign that read "Buses stop here" in the right hand corner and in the foreground of the crashed bus

Also, there was an advertisement on the double decker that read, ".... for victory." I couldn't read the word(s) that preceded it , but the last part was so sadly ironic.

[Archaic]

Hi Drummond. You're very welcome. I didn't realize that the bus sign said "Buses... Stop Here" until you pointed it out.

I believe the ad on the side of the bus reads "Bonds For Victory", so I'm guessing if we could see more it would say something like "Buy War Bonds for Victory".

We called them "Liberty Bonds" in the States; can someone tell me if they had a special name or slogan in the UK?

Thanks,
Archaic

[Archaic]

Survivors

What occurred to me is how little thought we give to how these murders impacted the lives of people close to the victims. Case in point would be Emma Smith's friend and inquest witness, Margaret Haymes, who subsequently became morbidly obsessed with the murders, sleeping in the murder houses and talking about them so much she earned the nickname 'Murder Mags' by 1895 and was considered (on the street level) to be something of an expert on the crimes. It seems the murder of her poor friend Emma, and next door neighbor, Martha Tabram, drove her nuts.

Hi Tom. That's a very good point. The lives of the friends and families of the victims are often overlooked in Ripperology, but they are victims too.
I actually think about them a lot, because I'm more interested in the "human" side of the Ripper murders than in, say, the police investigation or the political aspects.

It's hard to imagine how someone like poor Joe Barnett could go on with his life after the horrific murder of his girlfriend Mary Kelly and having to identify her mutilated corpse. Today we have professional psychologists and counselors to help survivors, and we're aware of after-effects such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but what resources were there in 1888 to help those deeply traumatized by the murders?

You've piqued my curiosity about Margaret Haymes; can you tell me where I can read more about her?

(I guess it would be OK if it turns out to be an article by you )

Thank you,
Archaic

[DrummondStreet]

I believe the ad on the side of the bus reads "Bonds For Victory", so I'm guessing if we could see more it would say something like "Buy War Bonds for Victory".

Thanks, Archaic. That makes much more sense than what I had privately guessed, "Almonds for victory." It just didn't quite sound right when I thought it.

I truly love the detail in those old photos. A beautiful wooden cabinet is visible inside of one of the bombed out storefronts. Pre-war architecture and furniture had a level of craftsmanship that I never see in recently built structures. Even when builders invest millions to recreate an earlier look, the result just seems to seems to fall flat.

[DrummondStreet]

The Balham tube station was the one featured in a pivotal scene in the movie Atonement, for anyone who is interested. The film depicts it flooding after the bomb struck. Over sixty people who took refuge in the underground were killed after the water mains broke and the tunnel filled with water.

[Archaic]

I just saw a huge sign on the side of a building in Monty's version of this photo, post #3215.

It says: "WALK THE BARRATT WAY".

Glad it's spelled with two a's instead of an e!

Archaic

[Robert]

I think the advert on the back of the bus might be for McLeans toothpaste.

[Cogidubnus]

As your friendly local bus service planner (ie sad old man) I'll don my anorak and address you in a high pitched voice: I can tell you the London Transport bus, half buried in a Balham bomb crater, was an AEC Renown LT (LT669) on service 88 - registration GT5056...drone, drone, blah, blah...

Whoops, sorry I'll switch off "gricermode" now....

Dave