Ealing council authorities were fortunate to possess several local diaries that covered some or all of the Second World War. Three are by men of varying ages, and one is by a young woman called Erica
With the approaching 80-year anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day, archivist Dr Jonathan Oates looks at the diaries of a local woman, Erica Ford, and her insights into everyday life during the Second World War.
Ealing council authorities were fortunate to possess several local diaries that covered some or all of the Second World War. Three are by men of varying ages and one is by a young woman.
None were in the armed forces, though two were engaged in civil defence activity in Ealing. None of the diaries were aimed at publication, and all were written at the time of events, so they give us genuine insights into life in the borough during these dangerous years.
Erica’s diary begins
The best diary in terms of coverage is that of Erica Lesley Ford, who was born in January 1919 and lived with her parents at 23 Mount View Road, moving to 49 Park View Road, both in north Ealing, during the war. They were well-to-do. Her father Ernest was a company director who had been a captain in the RAF during the First World War, and so there was no need for Erica to earn her living. She seems to have been an only child and was single. The family regularly attended St Peter’s Church.
Her diary begins on 1 January 1940; many diaries begin on this day and whilst it is a pity there are no diaries for 1939, when in January she and her mother had enrolled as auxiliaries in the British Red Cross, we must be thankful for what there is. I will be presenting a number of mostly war related extracts in chronological order but will also refer to her social life as well. The war gave opportunities for women as well as men that they would not have in peacetime.
There is little evidence in the diary of any conflict in the early months of 1940 in what was later termed the phoney war. Erica refers to troop movements in Germany, aircraft flying overhead and a speeches by Churchill and Chamberlain. Otherwise, her diary is very much taken up by everyday domestic events, church going, household duties, shopping and her then limited social life. In early 1940 is there is reference to the Norwegian campaign and to fighting in Finland. Everything changed dramatically in the year’s fifth month.
Erica reported the news of the German invasion of Holland and Belgium on 10 May 1940 and that two days later St Peter’s Church was better attended than usual. The National Day of Prayer on 26 May was even better attended. On 28 May, Erica went with a friend to the Women’s Voluntary depot to see if there was anything they could so. They were given salvage work, and to quote from the diary ‘which means having several streets & calling at every house there to find out if people are collecting all rags, bottles, bones & paper for the dustman to take away separately’. On the same day they later learnt that Belgium had surrendered. They went around Queen’s Walk, Harrow View, Amhurst Avenue and Mortimer Road. Her friend encountered ‘a pacifist who refused to save anything or help in any way’.
‘Mussolini is completely mad – He & Hitler’
In June, Erica was upset about potential allies and new enemies. Of the former, though she noted Roosevelt’s support, added ‘still they will not come in – dash them’ and as to Germany and Italy, ‘Mussolini is completely mad – he & Hitler – what men’. The German arrival in Paris on 14 June was met with gloom, ‘Most depressing mid day news’. Three days later, ‘Everything else is overshadowed by the dreadful news that France has capitulated & now stopped fighting – it seems amazing how all these countries fade out & we are left alone to fight on. We pray to God to help us to victory – to give us strength & courage to carry on’. A ray of hope was heard on the next day, ‘Marvellous speech by Churchill which lasted half an hour’.
Despite hearing air raid sirens in early July the next couple of months were very low key for her as regards the war. In August she referred to an air raid practice in their road and to German aircraft being shot down. The battle of Britain is referenced, but not by name, so on 24 August ’50 planes down today 19 of our own but crews of 12 saved’. On the next night ‘we heard a German plane over & gunfire’. The sights at night were quite a spectacle as she wrote on 26 August, ‘we viewed from our balcony the most marvellous searchlight display. I have never been so excited in my life as when I saw a German plane picked up & the burst of shells all round. We rushed round the front to watch it all’. There are other notes about enemy aircraft being shot down and even one on Haven Green, which attracted the curious.
Far more entries refer to what was to be called the Blitz, though Erica never used this term. However, sirens became increasingly exhausting. The family tended to sleep in the hall rather than in a shelter. On one occasion when they ‘got to bed expecting a warning – but, oh joy, a peaceful night. Really marvellous’. However, one of the worst nights locally was 8 September, when there was ‘a terrific crash’ when ‘a delayed timebomb had dropped in Mount Park Road & all the people were sent to St. Peter’s church’.
Five people came to Erica’s house and had tea with them, before Erica’s friend came over to take them to their flat to sleep there. ‘we had a rotten night. One of the worst’. There was a lengthy daylight raid for four hours on 13 September so that Erica could not get to work on the church notice boards.
‘Gunfire and enemy planes’
On New Year’s Day 1941 there were ‘3 alerts through the night & sounds of gunfire & enemy planes. Not as peaceful as one would like. Still it has been much worse’. On 30 January she made a phone call about a war job. Within a week she was working at the canteen of West Ealing Fire station in Meryvn Road but was not there on a regular basis until March. They prepared and cooked vegetables and fruit, later moving onto making pastries and puddings. She gained an admirer, a man called Kirk ‘quite nice’. However, there was an ‘annoying fireman kept squeezing my arm as he passed’. She often cycled to work or sometimes her father would give her a lift in the car for most of the journey. She seems to have adapted to employment working five days a week without too much of a problem.
Meanwhile she heard a ‘marvellous’ speech by Churchill and saw an ’awfully good’ Charlie Chaplin film, The Great Dictator. News elsewhere was discouraging with Germany and Italy attacking Greece ‘Things in Balkans depressing’. Air raids over London continued in April 1941 and were noted, though those on Ealing were very few indeed on this year.
She took classes in cookery at Ealing Technical College and was even photographed in the local newspaper. These were weekly until the beginning of June. She seems to have worked during the five weekdays though not until late morning, so could do household jobs or go to early communion. On one occasion, she helped the chef fry fish for 500 people and made a huge basin of mustard.
Although the war against Britain was less intense by the summer of 1941, Erica noted the invasion of Russia in June and an accompanying ‘magnificent speech by Churchill’. In August she noted that the Russians were fighting well. A few weeks later she wrote ‘I do hope the Russians hold out’ in relation to Leningrad.
Trying to live normally
The war was not, of course, Erica’s only concern. Despite Kirk at the canteen, the mysterious R, whose name we learn is Ralph Dixon-Brown of 12 Carlton Road, Ealing, born in 1904 and so somewhat older than her, and in the RAF, is still in her thoughts, ‘Can’t make up my mind about Ralph. Think about him quite a lot’. Kirk later said that he thought she was too serious to have a boyfriend.
However, on writing to Ralph she wrote that she would be happy if they could be good friends and sent him 50 cigarettes. He certainly seems to have been smitten with her and when they met said that he kept her photograph in his tunic and asked her to sign it. ‘If you say yes it will be just heaven’ he told her. It was all very chaste; Ralph asked her if he could kiss her on the cheek and she said yes.
It seems that Erica was less ardent about Ralph than he was about her; on proposing to her on 14 September she requested he wait for three months. They spent a lot of time with each other and he was very complimentary towards her. They often went for walks in the park, possibly Pitshanger Park, and on Haven Green.
Ralph did not monopolise her spare time. Erica went to the cinema about once a week, often the Palladium in Ealing or the Globe in Acton with two of her female friends. She carried on doing flower arranging in St. Peter’s and of course attending church twice a week. If at home on an evening she would read, listen to the wireless and knit.
On 8 December she noted that Britain and America declared war on Japan but not that this was due to the Japanese attack on the American base at Pearl Harbour on the day before. She could note British successes in Libya and Russian resistance. Christmas day included churchgoing, presents exchanged ‘an enormous Christmas dinner. Could hardly move after it’ and when Ralph came around to ask for her answer about marriage and she said perhaps and wrote that he was ‘a dear thing’. Things are clearly looking pretty hopeless for Ralph with Erica using that type of language.
At the beginning of 1942 there were further signs about the disparity of her feelings for Ralph, ‘I wish he didn’t love me so much because I don’t want to make him unhappy’. War news took a turn for the worse on 15 February, as Erica noted ‘Mr Churchill spoke at 9.0. We have lost Singapore. It is a blow’. Erica was ill at this time, as was Ralph but he was able to see her and Erica wrote ‘I entertained him in bedroom, as I was glad to return to bed. We had tea & talked & he was very nice’. In March she ‘explained to him how I felt. Found it difficult. I wish he was not so fond of me. I’d hate to make him unhappy’. He was released from the military on health grounds and took a factory job in Staines. They still kept seeing each other, however.
Erica was also involved in a savings group which she refers to occasionally. She was happy to report that in April 1942 the combined Ealing groups had raised £700,000, to buy a war related item. She makes occasional reference to earing at a British Restaurant. She saw Home Guard drill in Park View Road; one man said that seeing her made manoeuvres worthwhile. Erica was clearly an attractive young woman.
Dealing with V1 rockets
The V1 rockets of the summer of 1944 were also commented upon. Erica wrote ‘Terrific gunfire in night & raid warning from 11.20 until 9.20 this morning, then more alerts during day. Germans now sending pilotless planes with bombs on board. When engine stops, & light goes out they explode’. These devices were also known as doodlebugs.
On the same day as the latter was Hanwell’s worst day. Twelve people were killed as a bomb hit Deans Road, and at number 39 five members of the Woodhouse family died; husband and wife in their 50s and three children in teens. Erica wrote ‘Met Joe…He there had been nasty incident at Deans Road, Hanwell. Flying bomb came down there 2.30, & firemen up all night doing rescue work. Harry one of them – he was very tired & quiet’.
Erica took stock on the situation on 7 July, following her listening to a radio broadcast by the prime minister. ‘Mr Churchill’s figures of bombs dropped here up to Thursday were 2574, & fatal casualties 2752. Not so bad, but bad enough’.
In the midst of all this, Ralph, now in the RAF, returned and they met a few times, but sparks did not fly, though Joe thought she and Ralph would be married by 1946, which she refuted. He was jealous of Ralph.
On 20 July Erica wrote ‘Another beastly night – one came right over & dropped at Cuckoo estate, killing one boy & injuring people’. The fatality was in 29 Cuckoo Avenue at the time. Six houses were destroyed and many more damaged.
Ealing’s worst day of the period was the next one, 21 July, when a bomb fell on the Uxbridge Road, in West Ealing, killing 23 people and injuring 154 more, mostly slightly so, in 142-148 and 191 Uxbridge Road. Erica wrote ‘there was a terrific crash & place shook & dust got in our eyes. We went outside to see great column of smoke just over houses in west Ealing Broadway, about 150 yards away. Mrs Quine fainted dead away & had hysteria when she came to. She also disappeared to women’s quarters & wasn’t seen til lunchtime’.
‘I tried to phone home across road, but it was out of order – so went on cycle to The Avenue & phoned from there. M terribly worried as it looked alright in our direction. Felt rather shaky. Main doors were blown open, & screws drawn out of brass plates. Windows broken, & ceilings down in flats. Men doing rescue work – some dribbled back towards 3.0. Joe very near bomb when it fell on Abernethie & Boots. Although on leave he spent the morning doing very good rescue work & and came in covered with dust. Fire & gas stared there. Awful business. Men saw beastly sights. Leathers couldn’t eat any dinner’.
End of war draws close: VE Day
There had been very little about the war in early 1945 but on 2 April she recorded ‘Our troops now well over Rhine & in some parts 180 miles behind. End of war in Europe very close now’.
On 8 May she was able to record: ‘Victory Day: At last. Cycled to ‘Z’ via Broadway – houses and shops gay with bunting and flags and church bells ringing. Sunday routine – rather quiet at C1. Went to Hanger Lane for while. Back for tea. Bacon roll for supper. We watched band go out and play outside Town Hall from 8.00 – 9.00…We all cheered it & rushed to side entrance to watch & cheer. When band came marching back, half of Ealing was marching behind & came right in the yard through the gates – wonderful sight. Band played some more, then dismissed…Houses floodlit & bonfires scenting the air…Couldn’t get down Haven Lane because of crowd dancing outside pubs. Big crowd on the Green singing & dancing…Bed .1.45’. Part of the day was spent with Harry, of course.’
Erica continued working in the canteen after 8 May. Despite an argument with Harry, called Dumbo, they continued going for country outings, cinema visits and so on. Yet in June there is a reference to ‘having words mostly due to class hatred & political views being opposite’. Yet they made up by the day’s end.
As said, Erica was a great admirer of Churchill so it doubtless came as a shock on 26 July ‘Horrible shock today. Socialist government in by 390 odd votes to Conservative 190 odd. This is a jolly shame & let down for good old Churchill. America shocked by result. Attlee premier’. Ralph returned and asked if he felt differently about him; she didn’t. Meanwhile on urging from her mother that she needed help with the housework she must leave her job, reluctantly she did so; her last day was 30 August.
The end of the diary years…
Later in 1946 Ralph was engaged to an older woman (35) and Erica saw very little of Harry, though he sent her a note which caused trouble. By mid-1946 Harry no longer features, just as Joe had not since 1945. Romance seems to have been off the cards for her after the heady years of war, though one Fred showed interest in marriage in 1947-1948, but again he loved her more than vice versa and there was another doomed romance with one Mainard Sheering. Joe and his wife lived at 14 Denmark Road in Ealing and Ralph married in 1950 to one Aubrey Austin and moved to Sussex, died in 1972. Harry’s future is unknown.
Erica’s diary carries on for the next few years. The family left Ealing in 1952. Not much is known about the remainder of her long life; she never married and moved with her parents to Knotty Green in Buckinghamshire until 1956 on her father’s death. She died on 18 May 1999 in Gloucestershire.
I think to conclude we can see from these diaries a little about the role of women in the war; especially women who did not normally work coming out of the home and going into the workplace and so making their contribution to the allied victory. We can see the community coming together against a common enemy. Finally, we can see that in the midst of war, life and love went on, and perhaps more so given the possibility of sudden death from the clouds.
