I first met the author of this book, John Conen, when we moved to London in 1983. We came from Bedford and, having been heavily involved with the North Beds Branch, it was natural to seek out my new local Branch which was North London. At the time John was branch chairman and we have been friends ever since, although he now lives out of London in Berkshire.
I first came across his writing skills when, in 2003, his book Bamberg & Franconia: Germany’s Brewing Heartland was published. I was very pleased to stock it on the products stand at London Drinker Festival and it taught me a great deal about old-style German brewing, a subject of which I knew very little.
I had not realised that his writing skills extended beyond beer so, when the opportunity came to review his latest book, I grasped it. John grew up in Chingford and consequently has a long-standing interest in London history. This 394 page publication is the story of what happened to London during the time it was a major target for the Luftwaffe. It looks at both social and military history and the progression of the attacks is addressed in a timeline covering the build-up, the beginning of the Blitz and through to its end. Its conclusions, not unnaturally, look at the human cost and, in terms of blitzed London today, addresses what has happened since the war to some of the sites previously covered.
As you might imagine, with his interest in beery matters, there are many mentions of how the bombing impacted on breweries and pubs and, in many cases, the fatalities that ensued after raids. Some pubs were completely demolished and never returned. Some were packed with customers at the time so the level of fatalities and injuries was considerable; for example, 32 died when a parachute bomb hit a pub in Chigwell, one of only two incidents involving fatalities in that parish.
Of the pubs and breweries that survived the bombing with damage that was repairable, many of them are not with us today, having been subsequently closed, demolished or converted to other uses. As to the survivors, well that’s for you, the reader, to find, should you choose to buy a copy of this book. In that, I encourage you to do so; for me it was a real eye-opener of what truly happened. Put away subjects we have seen in movies such as the ‘Blitz Spirit’ and the creation of ‘bomb shelters’ and find out what really did happen in terms of the material destruction and the human cost of the bombing. It might even help understand fully the impact of what is currently happening in a country some way to the east of us.
The Bombing of London 1940-41 is published by Troubadour Publishing, cover price £13.99, and is available from the usual sources.
John Cryne