The
Crystal Palace
Foundation

Was Bert Moore really a spy?

How did submarines get a daily paper?

Why was a deaf and dumb man on Firewatch?

What were Holidays at Home?

These and other questions about the Second World War are answered in the pages of this book. And let’s face it, anything that starts with a chapter headed “Farting noises and Dead Cats” is worth investigating.

Alan Goldsmith’s account starts and finishes in the Penge and Anerley postcode area of SE20 but also takes in Eastbourne, Exeter and Widford (where?) seeing wartime events through the eyes of a growing lad.

WW2 SE20 & Me is Alan Goldsmith’s account of a childhood which included war years when Penge became the most doodle-bugged square mile in Britain. His account of events is often funny, occasionally alarming and poignant but always interesting. It’s a growing lad’s view of life, adventure and survival – a sort of Tom Sawyer plus occasional bombs and bullets. WW2 SE20 & Me is Alan Goldsmith’s account of a childhood which included war years when Penge became the most doodle-bugged square mile in Britain.

The author spent his formative years living in Thicket Road which included the period of WW2. After leaving school aged 15 he joined The Croydon Times where he became a junior reporter where he remained until his call-up for National Service. He has retained a deep affection for the area and after telling his family his stories for years...he has finally written them down.

This book would be of interest to anyone studying the social history of the area, as well as anyone who has an interest in WW2 and its effects on South London. 

SE19 - My London life 1937-1963 about Crystal Palace triangle (Westow Street, Westow Hill, Church Road, Central Hill)