Page 36 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940

H
ER
C SI
T
A
P
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DECK THE HALLS
The Christmas season was in full swing on Church Street Station,
Mr Crispin had finally finished his mammoth task of adorning the
station with decorations and there was an air of excitement in the
faces of the normal commuters. Of course, Christmas was still
a week away but, true to the normal British form, the spirit was
thriving.

Rose’s gaze and ears were firmly fixed on the group of
children singing carols by the cafe. The local school was on an
early Christmas break thanks to a recent raid by the Luftwaffe.
Thankfully, being a night raid, only bricks and mortar was
damaged. Nonetheless, it gave an early holiday for the kids who
jumped on the chanceto sing for a few pennies. Rose was loving
it. She had a big soft spot for the traditions. She enjoyed even
more, the smells from the Christmas trees and wreaths on her stall.
It was a nice change from all of the attention on the war.

But the Christmas trees and holly wreaths weren’t the only
smells hanging around the station. There was something romantic
and exhilerating about the smells of the locomotives coming in
and going out of the station. The steam engines left a powerful
smell of coal and oil which, although not the healthiest of aromas,
was certainly something to savour. Yes, it was Christmas at
Church Street Station.

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