Page 6 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940

CHAPTER ONE

CHURCH STREET

Pre-Christmas preparations at Church Street Station in the
heartland of London were proving to be something of a nightmare
as 1940 was coming to a close. London had been at the mercy of
the Luftwaffe since September and the constant bombardments
were taking its toll on the tired old station, although, thankfully,
it was yet to take a direct hit. Still, the scars from nearby flying
debris remained apparent on the face of the outside walls and
windows.

The station platform was still, apart from a few trade stalls being
prepared for the onslaught of daily commuters and a tired old man
lazily pushed a broom around the station mumbling quietly to
himself. The first of the outgoing passengers began wandering in
looking bleary eyed in the early morning cold air.

Church Strret Station was a beautiful old station built in
the heart of London in the late 1800’s. The VIctorian style
architechture was typical of many of the major city stations such
as Kings Cross and Waterloo although somewhat smaller. Still,
the station was large enough to house many businesses within the
buildings such as shops, a cafe and even it’s own pub. It really
was a small village within four walls. Inside the station was
a large main area where trade stands conducted their business,
passengers would meet and greet and wher information boards
would show the daily schedules from four platforms that would