Page 6 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940
P. 6

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
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11