Hi all, This is a bit of a longshot but I thought it might be worth a try. I'm trying to find the location of ARP post 75. It would have been in the London Borough of Lewisham. I found that my Grandfather had this Post listed on his 1939 Register entry. He was living in Catford at the time. I know he was part of the Heavy Rescue section, so assume that the post may have been at a Council yard or perhaps School premises in the area. I have found that most of the Civil Defence records have been destroyed so no joy at the Lewisham Archive. I'm hoping that someone may have come across Post 75 in pictures or maybe some written articles. This has started me wondering if it would be important to make a note of these posts location when they come to light for future reference as information seems very sparse on this important subject. Hopefully someone may be able to help or come up with suggestions for searching further. Thanks John K
Hello John For info might get you more info innthe link below There was a pillbox on Lewisham high street close to where the travel lodge is now located. It had long since be removed Preparations for World War Two – ARP Wardens, Sirens and Black Outs Their control centre was in the basement of the old Town Hall in Catford At the level below the control centre, Individual wardens were based at schools and some purpose built concrete ‘pillboxes’ (8) around the community.
That number suggests an ARP Wardens Post, not Heavy Rescue, which were based at depots. Have you got this good book? It's at a ridiculously cheap price here: How We Went To War - Deptford And Lewisham 1939-1945 by Lewis Blake Book The | eBay
Hi, Yes, I have a copy of that book. I managed to find it in a charity shop for 50p, a very good buy. My Grandfather probably started as a Warden, moving on to Rescue. I have a suspicion that the depot may have been at Wearside Road in Lewisham but I have no firm evidence of that. I'm constantly scouring Home Front books for info, but this level of detail seems very hard to find unless there is a particular reason for a certain unit to be mentioned. One of his stories regarded a bomb damaged pub in New Cross where the only survivor was a pet monkey ! Unfortunately he died when I was young so I had no chance to ask him more details. Thanks John K
The award recommendations in the HO 250 series of files in The National Archives might be worth a look as they sometimes provide post/depots locations. Search results: ho 250 lewisham | The National Archives Search results: ho 250 catford london | The National Archives
