This is a long shot but was anyone in Forest hill during ww2 and if so what was it like, where were the shelters and were any significant buildings or anyones house hit by a bomb and how did those who chose to stay adapt to life under the blitz? Was there a home guard or any anti-aircraft guns stationed in se23? Any aircraft come down in the area or aircrew bail out over Forest hill and if so were they captured?

I have a map of all bomb damage in the area - in fact there is a weighty tome with maps for the whole of London. Should be available at local history section in Lewisham Library.

One of the major buildings that bought it was on the site of the now Fairlawn School - rocket strike, I think from memory.

I was not born until 49 but have heard many stories from older people.. The first place to be bombed in SE23/26 was the Deutsche Lutheran Kirche in Dacres Road.
It is still easy to see where many of the bombs fell by looking for the occasional newer house amongst pre 39 houses.
I agree very interesting. There are many books I believe about this subject.
Main target in our area was of course the railway tracks

Apparently the roof (balcony) of the Capitol was used by the wardens to keep an eye out for fires and bombs - not a great job standing out there during the raids.

I think the gun emplacement on One Tree Hill is WW1 rather than 2 (or did I dream that?)

Not much else to add except I think that one of the houses on Waldram Park Road was hit and rather than replace it, a through road to Rockbourne was added (plus the smaller houses along that road)

I was once told by my mum that Fairlawn School was built on the site of the Burmah Oil Company.

Out of curiosity I just did a search on the internet and found that a patent was applied for in Dec 1937 by the Burmah Oil Company and a Mr Charles Robinson Scott Harley of "Fairlawn", Honor Oak Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23. The patent was for improvements in the refining of Paraffin Wax and was accepted on June 16th 1939.

Seems likely that it was the Burmah Oil Comapany building that was destroyed by the rocket strike in Honor Oak Road. I would guess it was sometime nearer the end of the war.

And of course Forest Hill Station was bombed.

Not sure where this leaves the Burmah Oil Company, but ...

Forest hill station was also hit by a flying bomb in 1944, although the current one was not built until the 1970s.

and then there's this story about another doodlebug hitting Fermor / Marler Rd.

If you want to investigate further, then the Imperial War Musuem has got information where every bomb fell in London, and is a very good venue for researching information about the war. They have a huge photographic collection of bomb incidents in South London.

Maybe Steve Grinlay can add some more information

That's the nursery annexe to Fairlawn - quite separate - the main Fairlawn School is up Forest Hill Road, opposite the Christian Fellowship Centre.

Forest hill and Catford were strafed (shot at by warplanes in 1943) incuding Dunoon rd why a women had a narrow escape. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stori...0177.shtml

I think Kilmorie School was hit by a bomb.

Apparently a flying bomb (V1/V2?) caused some damage at the top of Bovill Road - would be interested to hear if anyone has any more details than this.

This website is well researched for V1 and V2 strikes, but SE23 info is limited.

http://www.flyingbombsandrockets.com/V1_summary.html

I believe that the part of Perry Vale where Christchurch school and playground now stands was bombed, hence the post -war school development and what I think are early 50's houses. I used to live opposite and heard this from some of the older tenants in our block, some of whom are now well in their 80's and lived there all their lives. Again I believe the real target was the railway track.

Fairlawn, Kilmorie, Christchurch ...

That a lot of schools to be bombed. Anyone check the alibis of all the students? I sense a pattern (cue dramatic music)

I don't think they were schools at the time!

The bottom end of Fermor Rd and the corner of Marler Road where the two meet was all destroyed. You can clearly see the extent of the damaged area as there are a large number of newer houses at this end of the street rather than the surrounding Victorian properties. I live near the corner of Fermor Rd on Marler Rd in a Victorian terrace and you can clearly see where the backs of our house and those next to us have had their back walls repaired and new roofs following the damage. Must have damaged quite an area - as detailed in the testimony mentioned by NewForester above. The testimony comes from a guy who lived just across the road from us. So I presume that if he lost all his windows and roof our house (being slightly nearer to the blast) would have been badly damaged too. You can see some blast/ shrapnel damage to the front of our house also.

This is the book I was talking about http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4655437.stm

I cannot unearth, under my piles of paperwork the copies I took of the FH/HOP area, but will keep trying....

Aha! Found it!! Can anyone advise on whether there are any copyright implications of posting a scan of it here? It's one page that covers the railway line from roughly HOP to FH and a bit further south, plus a chunk east and west of that. The damage seems to be mainly from V1 rocket strikes - there are about eight just in this area, plus one V2. Maybe, if there is a copyright problem, I can PM the scan to anyone who is seriously interested.

Houses on Honor Oak Park where bombed in ww2, on the site of two of them and thier gardens (1 of them the vicarage) , Walters Way the self build site now resides.

Please email the scan (see Contact page) with book details, and we'll check.