Page 7 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940
P. 7

The Spirit of Christmas 1940

           for him or tell him how much of a hero he was.  That was not
           Mr Crispin at all.  But for now, he was the station Christmas tree
           decorator.  At least it would give him an hour or two not thinking
           about the relentless bombing runs from those damn planes.


             Apart from the Christmas tree, there were very few other
           decorations reminding people of the forthcoming celebrations.
           Maybe the only other reminders were the Holly wreaths on Rose’s
           flower cart.  Mr Crispin had a little soft spot for the young Rose.
           She was always so cheerful and friendly.  She always made him
           feel that happiness could always be found at Church Street. His
           thoughts were interrupted by the sharp whistling of the arrival
           of the 5:30am postal train.  Ah well, the decorations would have
           to wait.  He walked over to the platform to meet the guard as he
           stepped off the train.

             The quietness and peace of the station was disturbed not only
           by the mail train but also the arrival of Jimmy Deacon, the station
           newspaper vendor.  A cheeky east-end lad cursed with an over
           active sense of humour, and far too much confidence for his own
           good. He had been selling the Daily Herald in exactly the same
           spot since leaving school.  Not much of a career but he could
           always make up for his low wages by a few under the table deals
           from his many east end contacts.  Everybody knew that his goods
           originated ‘off the back of a lorry’ but nobody questioned it.  Even
           the local police turned a blind eye as they knew he wouldn’t
           overcharge people and he could often be a blessing at this time
           of strict rationing.  In fact, a visit by the police to the station was
           normally just an excuse for them to grab a bargain from Jimmy
           when nobody was watching.  Besides there was never any point in
           questioning Jimmy about the origin of his stock as he had the gift
           of the gab and could talk his way out of anything so to save time,
           energy and an awful lot of wasted paperwork, they just turned a
           blind eye as long as he didn’t go too far.

             Within ten minutes, his newspaper stand was set up and his
           daily act began.  “Read all abaht it, Joe Louis wins heavyweight
           title.  Get yer ‘erald ‘ere” The headlines would be screamed out
           over and over the next few hours enticing passengers to part with
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