Page 12 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940

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WO
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THE SOLDIER

For over a year, Great Britain had been in the grip of the second
major war of the twentieth century. Hitler’s war machine had
been marching across Europe with a devastating ferocity until it
came to the small island called Great Britain. Earlier during 1940,
the Luftwaffe had attempted to dominate the air in what was to be
known as the Battle of Britain. However, Hitler didn’t count on
the sheer determination of the Royal Air Force and by July, the
German offensive on Britain had failed.

However, for the next eight months, the air attacks on the
airfields turned to bombing runs over the capital and other major
cities such as Hull, Liverpool, Southampton, Portsmouth and other
strategic targets. So began the Blitz. London was to lose around
20,000 civilians during the raids before the Blitz ended. Despite
the horrific loss of life and mass damage to the cities, Hitler failed
in his plan to disrupt the manufactur of munitions and equipment.

As for Church Street, the old station had remained mostly intact
except for some minor shrapnel damage on the outside walls.
However the daily comings and going of servicemen inside told
a much different story. Every day, troops were gathering on mass
on the platforms to head to the ports on their way to the many
battlefields. And everyday, troops were arriving on the platform
after being shipped back home from playing their part. Some
limbless, some blind, most shellshocked. Families would arrive to

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