Bexley and the Blitz

Eighty-five years ago the Bexley area was undergoing a period of intensive bombing raids known as the Blitz.

On 7 September 1940 an air attack on the London docks began. Incendiaries and high explosives caused fires which lit up the night sky and could be seen from Bexleyheath. The districts of Erith, Crayford, Bexley and Sidcup were in the direct line of German bombers which flew over almost every night until mid-November, disrupting life and causing fear and devastation.

There had been plenty of time for preparation, as evidenced by civil defence records held at Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre. Gas masks had been distributed and air raid shelters constructed. Wardens, rescue workers and first aiders had been trained.

Council staff took on additional roles. Bexley’s Town Clerk Mr W. Woodward became ARP Controller and Invasion Defence Officer - while volunteers took shifts as fire watchers and ambulance drivers. The Women’s Voluntary Service was ready to provide food and shelter to anyone who needed it.

Nothing could prepare the people of Bexley for the sleepless nights of the Blitz. Memories collected in oral history projects describe how every night the warning sirens sounded and then you would hear the German planes coming, followed by anti-aircraft guns. Most bombing raids came at night, but there were some daylight raids.

While many children enjoyed the excitement of watching battles in the air between the RAF and the Luftwaffe, the reality was that thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed and hundreds of civilians were killed or injured.

Despite the war, life had to continue. Cinemas remained open, and local newspapers carried adverts for shops trying to cheer everyone up. Hedley Mitchell, the department store in Erith, announced in December 1940 that their selection of toys and games meant ‘Christmas as usual for the kiddies’.