That was outstanding even by your high standards. The ending was especially sad with those graves being disturbed. We forget the awful burden civilians often endure in war time
Thank you so much Linda… yes, it angered me greatly when I found out the mass grave had already been reclaimed. I hope my video also serves as a memorial to those who died.
What amazes me, is the stoicism of people in that time. My parents were war children and if asked about WW2, they talked about houses disappearing from their street are being bombed. Also, the sound of doodlebug engines cutting out and waiting for the explosion. All matter of fact and just what everyone lived through.
The epitome of ‘keep calm and carry on.’ So many of us are so fortunate to have never experienced such horrific times; it’s extraordinary to think of their bravery
When I was about 10 years old, my neighbor was a woman who lived through the bombings of London during WWII. She met and married an American GI who happened to know my dad. She told me her mother would take her hand and hurry her through their garden going to the shelters when the air raid sirens sounded. I went over occasionally after school to watch TV with her son and while watching a tv comedy that opened with the sound of a whistling bomb, I went into the kitchen and found her with her hands over her ears and a look of panic on her face. That's when she told me about her war bombing experience. I remember being thankful she didn't die during the war and I never went back to watch that program.
In a story about the importance of tea during WW2 a man was quoted saying that sheltering in tube stations wasn't much fun, but when the air raid was over and the tea ladies came it was all right and they felt invigorated.
You have presented an honest video of the life in the underground. No frills and no "blitz spirit" nostalgia. My mother was 14 when the Blitz began and spent just a few days in Bethnal Green underground. She said that it was so disgusting that she refused to spend another night there. She spent the rest of the war in a flat with no shelter. Such was the times that people in East London lived day by day and accepted their fete. She obviously survived or I would not tbe writing this comment. Well Done Rob
That's really interesting. My grandfather, who spent most of the war in Egypt and was not allowed to be an active soldier due to an injury sustained as a child, would tell me about the wartime spirit with such nostalgia, but my grandmother, who went through some terrible experiences, would never talk about it. Of course, I didn't learn about the terrible experiences until I was much older, by which time it gave me some context as to her character
I literally can't imagine going there night after night lying in such extreme conditions, preferring that to what was above ground! Literally a life or death situation. Thank you Rob, for bringing us the true experience of what it would have been like!
Last I was in London (I’m Canadian), we took a bus tour of wartime London. We were shown parts of the city that still bear the scars, saw lettering on walls of buildings that still exists indicating where the shelters are, and even descended into a few stations to illustrate the guide’s narrative. Your video reminds me of that excellent tour. Well done as usual. (❤️ London).
I will always admire the determination and resilience of people during wartime and be forever grateful for their sacrifices. Thank you Rob for this fascinating and poignant video.
Takk! Another great documentary. When in London I have sometimes thought about this, though I never knew much about it. Your video really got us into different aspects of what this experience was like. May there never come such times again. Greetings from Norway.
@@Robslondon Thank you Rob I’ve just rung my father and told him about your video he remembered South Wimbledon tube station being used as a deep shelter.
as always rob wonderfully and tenderly done. my wife was hearing your voice and mentioned how pleasnt and calming you are good man. im from london. live in usa now. you always make me feel a little closer to home. thank you.
Harold, thank you so much for your wonderful comment. It can be difficult at times on here but your incredibly kind words made my evening Many thanks sir.
@@Robslondon ah thanks again rob. i just read your reply to my wife. ion turn you have made our day. so sorry to learn you have to endure unpl,easantrys sometimes. i cant fathom. your a lovely fellow. keep em comin good man.
I've known for years that the tube was used as a shelter in WWII, but didn't know about WWI or that the tubes stayed running while people were bedded down for the night. That's utterly outstanding, and I guess being down there with tube noise/chaos was considerably better than being up top at the time. Thanks Rob!
The absence of the usual outro surprised me at first, but it makes total sense considering the tone of the video's ending. Another excellent video from you.
I have to say, this is the most fascinating piece of little known, history it's been my privilege to watch, amazing work Rob! I am so in admiration. Beautiful, thank you!
Thank you again, Rob for a great video. It becomes a some kind of tradition to watch your content on Sundays. Todays topic is very sad, but you show the courage and resilience of ordinary people. It's hard to imagine that after such rough sleeping they woke up and went to work. London Underground as a topic is endless, with lots of details and stories from different times. Thank you for educating!
Hi Rob, a very insightful reminder of what these people had to endure during the war. This should be shown in schools to remind children that they are indeed very privileged with what they have today and if the worst happens would they survive without games consoles/mobile phones etc. I think it would be extremely difficult for them ! 🦆💕
Quite simply - Brilliant, Rob! Your research and presentation was gripping, informative and really enjoyable. . Thank you. It must have been smelly hel! Rob
That was very moving. Thank you for sharing the nitty gritty of what things were really like rather than the ‘all chums together, jolly good fun’ nonsense. I had no idea things were so bad and the terrible death toll… 😢 ❤
Hey Rob My mum, her brother and their mum and dad would take their “bundle” down to Borough Tube. They lived nearby in Grange Road, Bermondsey. Mum says she can still see her dad hurrying them down Great Dover Street so they could get a good spot on the platform. They had an Anderson shelter in their rear garden, but my granddad refused to use it. And, when the family had no other choice, he had to keep the door open, which kind of defeats the purpose of the shelter. Mum, 92 last week, has very clear memories of air raids, sirens and both V1 and V2 bombs. One story she tells is of her sitting in the tin bath in front of the fire when a V1 exploded. It blew out all the windows and shot soot down the chimney. Mum ended up “as black as Newgates knocker!” She still has a deep scar on her knee gained from slipping on “tarry blocks” whilst running when the Siren sounded. She’d been helping to fill sandbags. Mum also recalls looking for shrapnel with her brother and swapping the different types of scrap found with her classmates. Mum was eventually evacuated to Northamptonshire. Her memories of being away from mum and dad still haunt her to this day. Her dad, Horace, was an essential worker. He was a skilled tanner who worked in one of the many tanneries in Bermondsey. He used to bring home off-cuts of the leather to burn on the fire at home. He would often get stopped by the coppers wanting to know what he had under his arm? Despite being a fire watcher, he often got detained and questioned as he had a German surname, despite our family being here since the 1820’s. He was also threatened with being interned on the Isle of Man along with other “Germans”. My granddad did alter his name to sound more English, but my mum never did. And, when asked what her surname meant, she always claimed not to know. To be honest, the name comes from a single German village and is not found anywhere else in Germany. Thus making anyone with the surname Riegelhuth related. Another smashing and incredibly informative video. When I’m at mums this week I’ll take my iPad for her to watch, and enjoy! Two thumbs up!
oh thats facinating stuff about your family during the blitz, my dad was a young man at the time of WW2 but never talked about his experiences, so i know little about it. He once started crying when i mentioned to him that id become interested in ww2, we were at a restaurant and our waitress was Polish, and he got really emotional. I dont know exactly why except that he said that Warsaw was totally destroyed during the war. Id never seen him emotional like that.
Having spent many late nights standing in an empty tube station and seeing dozens of rodents scampering about, the thought of sleeping down there seems creepy. I guess it’s better than having a bomb dropped on your noggin.
Great video Rob, the best one i've seen on this particular subject. My dad was evacuated in the war, but like so many others they returned for various reasons; often mistreatment by the villagers that hosted them. That may go some way to explaining why there still seemed to be many children in London despite the evacuation. He survived the war and moved to Suffolk in the 1960's. Thanks for the posted video; I look forward to the next one.👍
My mother and aunt were evacuated together to the countryside, aged 10 and 8. They only stayed for a matter of weeks due to being treated as slave labour on the farm. My grandmother fetched them back to Hackney. The countryfolk often thought of the city kids as common criminals and vermin.
An excellent video about a dark time in London's history. I remember my mother, who was an ARP warden, saying she preferred to be upside with the bombs rather than stuck in a tube station.
Once again, Rob, you have captured the past and recounted it perfectly. As a student of World War II I was impressed with the accuracy of your research and presentation surrounding Londoners enduring the Blitz. Thank you for another good show!
This was really interesting. Thank you so much. Your videos always have so much interesting content. It must have been such a scary time for these Londoners but the community spirit would have been amazing. Looking forward to the next video.
Rob, I have loved every wonderfully researched piece you have posted but for some reason this one truly captured my heart. The living history as I call it, the way you show clips of today versus the way London was during the blitz was amazing. Where did they find the resilience and fortitude to carry on with life! I do understand that there was no choice, but it makes me reflect that our society of today would may not have the mental strength to live life under such adversity. Thanks for another incredible watch, much enjoyed and appreciated.
Bless you Tom and thank you. I love New York and the New Yorkers; been fortunate enough to go there twice; a great bunch of people with a terrific sense of humour. You overcame that horrific day just as Londoners did the Blitz. Stay well my friend 🇺🇸🇬🇧
Rob, excellent video. Extensive research as always and linking modern images to the old, numerious visits to tube stations seeing all the different styles of tiling. The dated tube maps you showed strange, I was looking at them on tuesday this week at the open day of the London Transport Museum. As off today you travel a few stops on the tube and you are glad to be off it, give credit to all the people that shelterd in that enviroment. yet again another quality video that finished to soon
Much appreciated Butch, thank you. Yes the old, pre-Harry Beck maps are very odd- all squiggly and I think the Central line is blue on one of them? 😂 Hope you’re keeping well out in Thailand mate
I've seen other history videos about the use of the Tube for shelter during the Blitz, but you -- as always -- find new images, new stories, new angles to explore. This is another terrific addition to your archive and I"m sure I'll watch it again. Thank you for delving into so much detail on this and all your videos!
Thank you once again Rob for such an interesting film . I’ve just read a book about disused underground railway stations in London, so this follow up actually showed what life was like in the war. A very moving film showing the stoicism of Londoners. Liz Clarke
Thanks Rob for another fantastic video. Every time I visit your channel I think you just cannot get any better, but you do! I once read about a lady who used to regularly travel on the tube during the war and she memorably said that when the doors opened on the train carriage at a deep level station that it was like the curtains opening at the theatre: people sleeping on the platform, kids playing at another, a 5 piece band playing at the next! I use Piccadilly station a lot: I don't think I will wait on the platform again without sparing a thought for all those people. It doesn't matter that it was 85 years ago, in a way as Londoners we are all connected.
Another top video. Excellent black and white pic of spiv Joe Walker (played by the late, great James Beck). Before he went into the RAF my late Dad was a young clerk in the City and during the Blitz did "fire watching" from the office roof.
Wow, you've done it again, Rob. My father was an aid raid warden during WW2 and would tell me some harrowing bedtime stories. You always make me a bit home sick. 😢 more please 🙏
Another amazing video. A very touching memorial and sobering reminder of those who lost their lives on the very corridors and stairs ways we use everyday
Thanks Rob. One can Only imagine the horrific conditions in the tube stations… but the alternative was far worse. A very sympathetic and well researched video. Thanks mate
Us people today can be glad we did not live through these times and hopefully never will. My Grandparents being Shoreditch and Hackney born could report from their experiences. Unwillingly not to mention. My father was one of the evacuated children to the outskirts of London. He too was reluctant to talk about his childhood during WWII until his later years. Actually today would have been Grandad‘s 117th birthday. Happy birthday in heaven Grandad Archibald „Archie“. Thanks Rob for all your work. Spin chilling and a bit tearful this time but it‘s important to keep us aware of how lucky we are today. Bless your heart x
Aldwych tube station, one of the stations used as a shelter during the Blitz, was kitted out again with WWII ads and a crowd of suitably dressed extras playing shelter-seeking Londoners in the 1969 film, The Battle of Britain.
Thanks, Rob. I have loved the Brits since they digitally arrived in the US. But more than that, I have such respect for everyone that suffered at the hands of the Natzis.
Very interesting, thank you for this! Last wednesday the city of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands (where I'm from) had been liberated 80 years ago
I used pictures of Londoners sheltering in tube stations during the Blitz as a history lesson for my sons’ when images of residents of Kyiv were sheltering in that city’s metro system stations during air raids.
Great video Rob 😊 what a sacrifice those families made in awful conditions, present day population wouldn’t even consider it, very informative as ever 👍👏
Shocking about the graves being reclaimed. I had never heard that before. Great video Rob. I think most people think the sheltering down the tubes was somehow wonderful
Thank you for such an informative video. I was a teenager in London in the sixties. I remember the older generation didn’t always have a lot of patience with us. I can see why.
My fascination with London began when I saw footage from the blitz. I was absolutely amazed at the people going on with their daily lives. I have to admit, I thought sleeping in the tube station looked kinda fun. But thanks to your insight, I've changed my mind on that! 😄 Thank you for another outstanding video! 👏
An inspired theme for a film, beautifully realised. So much rich and visceral detail. It's easy to overlook the cramped, smelly, noisy and precarious reality of sheltering in the tube network. It takes some leap of the imagination, to envisage a situation when that was the best and safest place to be overnight. I'd always wondered what the big, blue painted metal structuere at Embankment was and had forgotten about the Bethnal Green tragedy. When I next see Henry Moore's powerful drawings from the time: I'll look upon them with an enriched understanding of those scenes. Magnificent film Rob, thank you.
Churchill + the bulldog advert ... gold! Excellent video, and as always, beautifully produced. Also ... LOVE your book! Looking forward to my annual visit to London in January!
Great video Rob. The whole wartime shelter subject is so interesting. I remember in the 1970s viewing with my mother an interesting property that was for sale. It was a an early Victorian farmhouse that had been surrounded by later Victorian rows of homes, trapping it on a triangular patch of land of about an acre. At the back of the house an unusual 'flagpole' rose up from the garden to about twenty foot. It was a metal tube of about six inches diameter. It was only some years later while researching old local newspapers, I discovered an article written in 1938 about the then owner of the property who, fearing a war starting and being disappointed at the lack of government preparation, had built his own shelter in the garden underground and had utilized old bed frames and bicycles to strengthen the concrete roof and walls. The 'flagpole' was the ventilation shaft and the shelter was accessed from inside the house via an underground tunnel. Some years ago I passed by the property noting that the flagpole has gone. The present owners are probably totally unaware of the shelter buried beneath their garden or the secret tunnel from the house.
My mum's family were bombed out of their flat in Marylebone during the Blitz. I don’t know where they were sheltering at the time, but I don’t think it was the underground. It always amuses me when people talk about the "Blitz Spirit", when in reality there was a massive crime wave in London at that time. All this was officially surpressed of course.
Thank you for another brilliant and very atmospheric episode! I was told my Great-Grandmother, a Londoner born & bred, would only go to a shelter when the cat ran out of the house and headed to the shelter herself! 😂👍🏻 I thought of her and how tough it must have been all through this episode.
Thanks rob lush Sunday viewing another of your in depth vids. I was not aware of the world war one usage. I can't imagine what it was like with no train noise or hot air coming with an incoming train. Having used them when I worked up there years ago with cramped platforms and people rushing down escalators and stairs, that was scary enough. Thanks once again ❤️❤️
As unpleasant as it may have been, it was a damn sight better than being cooped up with thousands of New Orleans denizens in the Super Dome in more recent history.
Well that was pretty miserable at the end, but an excellent informative video. Like others, I was amazed to hear how many children remained in London during the war.
My grandparents lived through the war and told us what it was like. A horrific period to live through, we take for granted what we have now
Well said.
That was outstanding even by your high standards. The ending was especially sad with those graves being disturbed. We forget the awful burden civilians often endure in war time
Thank you so much Linda… yes, it angered me greatly when I found out the mass grave had already been reclaimed.
I hope my video also serves as a memorial to those who died.
@@Robslondon indeed it is rob. and linda. well said. i know the story. rob shared it with such grace.
Rob, This episode is simply sublime. The last few minutes, dealing with the Bethnal Green disaster will stay with me for a long time.
@@triviabuff5682 Thank you so much- apologies for the delay in replying, I've only just seen your comment.
What amazes me, is the stoicism of people in that time. My parents were war children and if asked about WW2, they talked about houses disappearing from their street are being bombed. Also, the sound of doodlebug engines cutting out and waiting for the explosion. All matter of fact and just what everyone lived through.
Well said Chris.
Humans are survivors.
Thank you Rob.
That was a poignant reminder of what Londoners had to endure during the blitz.
We owe that generation a debt of gratitude 🙏
Thank you so much Angela; much appreciated
The epitome of ‘keep calm and carry on.’ So many of us are so fortunate to have never experienced such horrific times; it’s extraordinary to think of their bravery
When I was about 10 years old, my neighbor was a woman who lived through the bombings of London during WWII. She met and married an American GI who happened to know my dad. She told me her mother would take her hand and hurry her through their garden going to the shelters when the air raid sirens sounded. I went over occasionally after school to watch TV with her son and while watching a tv comedy that opened with the sound of a whistling bomb, I went into the kitchen and found her with her hands over her ears and a look of panic on her face. That's when she told me about her war bombing experience. I remember being thankful she didn't die during the war and I never went back to watch that program.
That is a very moving memory mwallace, thank you for sharing.
In a story about the importance of tea during WW2 a man was quoted saying that sheltering in tube stations wasn't much fun, but when the air raid was over and the tea ladies came it was all right and they felt invigorated.
Tea is the cure all ;-)
You have presented an honest video of the life in the underground. No frills and no "blitz spirit" nostalgia. My mother was 14 when the Blitz began and spent just a few days in Bethnal Green underground. She said that it was so disgusting that she refused to spend another night there. She spent the rest of the war in a flat with no shelter. Such was the times that people in East London lived day by day and accepted their fete. She obviously survived or I would not tbe writing this comment. Well Done Rob
An incredible comment Robbojax. Thank you so much, your words mean a lot to me.
That's really interesting. My grandfather, who spent most of the war in Egypt and was not allowed to be an active soldier due to an injury sustained as a child, would tell me about the wartime spirit with such nostalgia, but my grandmother, who went through some terrible experiences, would never talk about it. Of course, I didn't learn about the terrible experiences until I was much older, by which time it gave me some context as to her character
This is an absolutely wonderful mini doc for those wishing to delve further into those long BBC documentaries on the same topic.
Thank you so much ☺️
Just incredible what people went through in those days. My admiration for the courage and stoicism of that wartime generation knows no bounds.
Very insightful and important video! Well done
Thank you David, much appreciated.
I literally can't imagine going there night after night lying in such extreme conditions, preferring that to what was above ground! Literally a life or death situation. Thank you Rob, for bringing us the true experience of what it would have been like!
Thank you Nellie!
Last I was in London (I’m Canadian), we took a bus tour of wartime London. We were shown parts of the city that still bear the scars, saw lettering on walls of buildings that still exists indicating where the shelters are, and even descended into a few stations to illustrate the guide’s narrative. Your video reminds me of that excellent tour. Well done as usual. (❤️ London).
Thank you so much 🇨🇦
I will always admire the determination and resilience of people during wartime and be forever grateful for their sacrifices. Thank you Rob for this fascinating and poignant video.
Thank you Paul
Very tastefully presented and informative. So sorry that those at the time had to go through all of that.
Much appreciated, thank you.
Londoners are really tough people; I tip my hat to you!
😉
Takk! Another great documentary. When in London I have sometimes thought about this, though I never knew much about it. Your video really got us into different aspects of what this experience was like. May there never come such times again. Greetings from Norway.
That’s so kind of you Ronny, takk my friend 😄 Hope you’re keeping well
Thanks for the tree too.
Rob, what a brilliant and well researched video, probably your best so far
That's so kind of you to say Nigel, many thanks my friend.
Another excellent Sunday evening video.
Thank you Paul- enjoy.
Hi Rob, Hope you are keeping well, This is a fantastic video, Great Production and really well edited, Excellent job, Thank you
That means a lot to me Dave, thank you so much for the kind support. Stay well sir and thanks again.
A brilliant very moving video both my parents who are now in their 90s spent their childhood in the war in London
Thank you; best wishes to your parents
@@Robslondon Thank you Rob I’ve just rung my father and told him about your video he remembered South Wimbledon tube station being used as a deep shelter.
@@arrangrant4614 Thank you; best wishes to your father
as always rob wonderfully and tenderly done. my wife was hearing your voice and mentioned how pleasnt and calming you are good man. im from london. live in usa now. you always make me feel a little closer to home. thank you.
Harold, thank you so much for your wonderful comment.
It can be difficult at times on here but your incredibly kind words made my evening
Many thanks sir.
@@Robslondon ah thanks again rob. i just read your reply to my wife. ion turn you have made our day. so sorry to learn you have to endure unpl,easantrys sometimes. i cant fathom. your a lovely fellow. keep em comin good man.
@@haroldofcardboard Best wishes to you both Harold; it's people like you who make this site worthwhile. Stay well my friend.
Wonderful video, it should be used in places of education to highlight what that generation of people had to endure. Respect to them all.
That means a lot to me, thank you.
I've known for years that the tube was used as a shelter in WWII, but didn't know about WWI or that the tubes stayed running while people were bedded down for the night. That's utterly outstanding, and I guess being down there with tube noise/chaos was considerably better than being up top at the time. Thanks Rob!
It's a pleasure! Thanks for watching, and thank you too for the kind words ;-)
The absence of the usual outro surprised me at first, but it makes total sense considering the tone of the video's ending. Another excellent video from you.
Thank you Cristian
Brilliant, such great history telling. Thanks Rob.
Thank you Michael
I have to say, this is the most fascinating piece of little known, history it's been my privilege to watch, amazing work Rob! I am so in admiration. Beautiful, thank you!
I truly appreciate that Anne. Thank you and stay well.
Why "little known" in the USA? (I presume)
@@JP_TaVeryMuch little known detail, no not in the US.
Thank you again, Rob for a great video. It becomes a some kind of tradition to watch your content on Sundays. Todays topic is very sad, but you show the courage and resilience of ordinary people. It's hard to imagine that after such rough sleeping they woke up and went to work. London Underground as a topic is endless, with lots of details and stories from different times. Thank you for educating!
Thank you for such a beautiful comment youleks. And thank you for watching; it's a pleasure to have you here every other Sunday :-) Have a good week.
Hi Rob, a very insightful reminder of what these people had to endure during the war. This should be shown in schools to remind children that they are indeed very privileged with what they have today and if the worst happens would they survive without games consoles/mobile phones etc. I think it would be extremely difficult for them ! 🦆💕
Thank you Pam 😉
Quite simply - Brilliant, Rob! Your research and presentation was gripping, informative and really enjoyable. . Thank you. It must have been smelly hel! Rob
I really appreciate that Robert, thank you.
That was very moving. Thank you for sharing the nitty gritty of what things were really like rather than the ‘all chums together, jolly good fun’ nonsense. I had no idea things were so bad and the terrible death toll… 😢 ❤
Much appreciated Maz, thank you
Thanks
Much appreciated Tom! Thank you so much :-) Have a good week sir.
Hey Rob
My mum, her brother and their mum and dad would take their “bundle” down to Borough Tube. They lived nearby in Grange Road, Bermondsey. Mum says she can still see her dad hurrying them down Great Dover Street so they could get a good spot on the platform.
They had an Anderson shelter in their rear garden, but my granddad refused to use it. And, when the family had no other choice, he had to keep the door open, which kind of defeats the purpose of the shelter.
Mum, 92 last week, has very clear memories of air raids, sirens and both V1 and V2 bombs.
One story she tells is of her sitting in the tin bath in front of the fire when a V1 exploded. It blew out all the windows and shot soot down the chimney. Mum ended up “as black as Newgates knocker!”
She still has a deep scar on her knee gained from slipping on “tarry blocks” whilst running when the Siren sounded. She’d been helping to fill sandbags. Mum also recalls looking for shrapnel with her brother and swapping the different types of scrap found with her classmates.
Mum was eventually evacuated to Northamptonshire. Her memories of being away from mum and dad still haunt her to this day.
Her dad, Horace, was an essential worker. He was a skilled tanner who worked in one of the many tanneries in Bermondsey. He used to bring home off-cuts of the leather to burn on the fire at home. He would often get stopped by the coppers wanting to know what he had under his arm?
Despite being a fire watcher, he often got detained and questioned as he had a German surname, despite our family being here since the 1820’s. He was also threatened with being interned on the Isle of Man along with other “Germans”.
My granddad did alter his name to sound more English, but my mum never did. And, when asked what her surname meant, she always claimed not to know.
To be honest, the name comes from a single German village and is not found anywhere else in Germany. Thus making anyone with the surname Riegelhuth related.
Another smashing and incredibly informative video.
When I’m at mums this week I’ll take my iPad for her to watch, and enjoy!
Two thumbs up!
Robin, this was an incredible comment. I really enjoyed reading that! Many thanks- and please send my best wishes to your Mum when you see her.
oh thats facinating stuff about your family during the blitz, my dad was a young man at the time of WW2 but never talked about his experiences, so i know little about it. He once started crying when i mentioned to him that id become interested in ww2, we were at a restaurant and our waitress was Polish, and he got really emotional. I dont know exactly why except that he said that Warsaw was totally destroyed during the war. Id never seen him emotional like that.
Having spent many late nights standing in an empty tube station and seeing dozens of rodents scampering about, the thought of sleeping down there seems creepy. I guess it’s better than having a bomb dropped on your noggin.
Good comment, thank you! ☺️
Great video Rob, the best one i've seen on this particular subject. My dad was evacuated in the war, but like so many others they returned for various reasons; often mistreatment by the villagers that hosted them. That may go some way to explaining why there still seemed to be many children in London despite the evacuation. He survived the war and moved to Suffolk in the 1960's. Thanks for the posted video; I look forward to the next one.👍
Fantastic comment Fred and very insightful. Thank you sir.
My mother and aunt were evacuated together to the countryside, aged 10 and 8. They only stayed for a matter of weeks due to being treated as slave labour on the farm. My grandmother fetched them back to Hackney. The countryfolk often thought of the city kids as common criminals and vermin.
Great and interesting content as always. I love it. Keep up the good work. Thanks Robert. 👍👍👍😍😍😍
Hey Sharon 😉 Thank you as always
An excellent video about a dark time in London's history. I remember my mother, who was an ARP warden, saying she preferred to be upside with the bombs rather than stuck in a tube station.
Thank you; a wonderful comment
This is incredibly useful with so many facts and so much information - as well as being really interesting and well presented - thank you
Much appreciated Georgie, thank you
Once again, Rob, you have captured the past and recounted it perfectly. As a student of World War II I was impressed with the accuracy of your research and presentation surrounding Londoners enduring the Blitz. Thank you for another good show!
That means a lot to me Paul, thank you
This was a particularly interesting and well presented video. We always enjoy watching but this one definitely hit differently- keep up the good work!
Thank you so much 😄
This was really interesting. Thank you so much. Your videos always have so much interesting content. It must have been such a scary time for these Londoners but the community spirit would have been amazing. Looking forward to the next video.
Thank you so much Jacqui.
An amazing insight into what people had to endure. Thanks Rob, for putting it all together.
Thank you Paul, and thanks for watching
Rob, I have loved every wonderfully researched piece you have posted but for some reason this one truly captured my heart. The living history as I call it, the way you show clips of today versus the way London was during the blitz was amazing. Where did they find the resilience and fortitude to carry on with life! I do understand that there was no choice, but it makes me reflect that our society of today would may not have the mental strength to live life under such adversity. Thanks for another incredible watch, much enjoyed and appreciated.
Thank you so much Cheryl, I really appreciate your kind words
Excellent job, as always, Rob.
Though, as a New Yorker who has to endure the anniversary of 9/11 every year, this was painful to watch.
Bless you Tom and thank you.
I love New York and the New Yorkers; been fortunate enough to go there twice; a great bunch of people with a terrific sense of humour.
You overcame that horrific day just as Londoners did the Blitz.
Stay well my friend 🇺🇸🇬🇧
9/11 had a beginning and an end. The bombs, or threats of the bombs, went on for FIVE YEARS in London during WWII.
Rob, excellent video. Extensive research as always and linking modern images to the old, numerious visits to tube stations seeing all the different styles of tiling. The dated tube maps you showed strange, I was looking at them on tuesday this week at the open day of the London Transport Museum. As off today you travel a few stops on the tube and you are glad to be off it, give credit to all the people that shelterd in that enviroment. yet again another quality video that finished to soon
Much appreciated Butch, thank you. Yes the old, pre-Harry Beck maps are very odd- all squiggly and I think the Central line is blue on one of them? 😂
Hope you’re keeping well out in Thailand mate
I've seen other history videos about the use of the Tube for shelter during the Blitz, but you -- as always -- find new images, new stories, new angles to explore. This is another terrific addition to your archive and I"m sure I'll watch it again. Thank you for delving into so much detail on this and all your videos!
I really appreciate that Cruz, thank you.
Excellent video Rob. Very interesting and very sad. What people had to endure back then must have been truly awful.
Thank you so much Barney.
Thank you Rob, this is so much better than anything I could watch on tv!
I really appreciate that Dennis, thank you!
Wonderfully done & so sensitively ended. ❤😢
Thank you Tomgirldouble, much appreciated.
your videos never fail to inform and entertain, with great production and narration! well done Rob! 😊
Thank you Sarahlouise :-) hope you're keeping well.
One of you best Rob. Thank you
Thank you Andy
Another superb documentary, thanks Rob. We must never forget the debt we owe to the generation that went through the war.
Thank you Jake.
Nice one Rob, Thanks for an interesting trip down t tube😁👍
Thank you Gillian :-)
@@Robslondon ☺️😉
Great program. Very well done. Thank you
Thank you Cathy, much appreciated.
I love your videos Rob, they're always so interesting.
Thank you so much; I really appreciate you watching them 😄
Thank you once again Rob for such an interesting film . I’ve just read a book about disused underground railway stations in London, so this follow up actually showed what life was like in the war. A very moving film showing the stoicism of Londoners. Liz Clarke
Thank you so much Liz, that’s very kind of you to say
Thanks Rob for another fantastic video. Every time I visit your channel I think you just cannot get any better, but you do! I once read about a lady who used to regularly travel on the tube during the war and she memorably said that when the doors opened on the train carriage at a deep level station that it was like the curtains opening at the theatre: people sleeping on the platform, kids playing at another, a 5 piece band playing at the next! I use Piccadilly station a lot: I don't think I will wait on the platform again without sparing a thought for all those people. It doesn't matter that it was 85 years ago, in a way as Londoners we are all connected.
Thank you so much for the kind words David- and a great comment, thank you I enjoyed reading it!
Another top video. Excellent black and white pic of spiv Joe Walker (played by the late, great James Beck). Before he went into the RAF my late Dad was a young clerk in the City and during the Blitz did "fire watching" from the office roof.
Thank you John; a wonderful comment. James Beck was brilliant; thanks for noticing him 😉
Wow, you've done it again, Rob. My father was an aid raid warden during WW2 and would tell me some harrowing bedtime stories. You always make me a bit home sick. 😢 more please 🙏
Absolutely brilliant insight into what must have been horrific times and conditions.
Thank you so much Rob, outstanding work.
Much appreciated Sly, thank you.
Another remarkable edition; deeply sad but so important to keep alive in our memories.
Thank you so much Joncl.
Another amazing video. A very touching memorial and sobering reminder of those who lost their lives on the very corridors and stairs ways we use everyday
Thank you so much.
Another great video - thanks Rob.
Thank you Sparky- and thanks for watching
Thanks Rob. One can
Only imagine the horrific conditions in the tube stations… but the alternative was far worse. A very sympathetic and well researched video. Thanks mate
Thank you as always Doug, hope you're keeping well mate.
excellent - i see a video by rob, and, i click LIKE 😊
Thank you! I truly appreciate it
ROB 5:27 is a masterpiece. Bravo.
Thanks for noticing that Marty! 😉
@@Robslondon Such a lovely 'Robesque' detail.
@@LovelyLambLunch 😄
I had to watch it three times before I caught on. Very funny!
Us people today can be glad we did not live through these times and hopefully never will. My Grandparents being Shoreditch and Hackney born could report from their experiences. Unwillingly not to mention. My father was one of the evacuated children to the outskirts of London. He too was reluctant to talk about his childhood during WWII until his later years. Actually today would have been Grandad‘s 117th birthday. Happy birthday in heaven Grandad Archibald „Archie“.
Thanks Rob for all your work. Spin chilling and a bit tearful this time but it‘s important to keep us aware of how lucky we are today. Bless your heart x
Beautiful comment Sandra, thank you.
Aldwych tube station, one of the stations used as a shelter during the Blitz, was kitted out again with WWII ads and a crowd of suitably dressed extras playing shelter-seeking Londoners in the 1969 film, The Battle of Britain.
Ah yes! Well remembered 😉
Superb video as ever, very informative, keep up the great work 👍
Much appreciated Mark, cheers.
well done rob sterling work as always and my passion for anything ww1 and ww2 is always there well done rob a big thankyou for vloging this one
Many kind thanks Richard
@@Robslondon cheers rob u do sterling work my friend well done sir
Thank you Rob for another informative video. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you :-)
Thanks, Rob. I have loved the Brits since they digitally arrived in the US. But more than that, I have such respect for everyone that suffered at the hands of the Natzis.
Thank you Lois
Digitally arrived?
Very interesting, thank you for this! Last wednesday the city of Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands (where I'm from) had been liberated 80 years ago
Thank you! 🇳🇱
I used pictures of Londoners sheltering in tube stations during the Blitz as a history lesson for my sons’ when images of residents of Kyiv were sheltering in that city’s metro system stations during air raids.
Very well done and very respectful at the end. Good work.
Much appreciated, thank you
Great work showing just how truly frightened and uncomfortable people would have been and of course the tragic loss of lives ❤
Thank you Louise
thanks again Rob.
Thank you Ryan
Just caught up with this due to being in a caravan with substandard WiFi 🙄 Another great video Rob, very informative 😏
Thanks so much Robbie!
Great video Rob 😊 what a sacrifice those families made in awful conditions, present day population wouldn’t even consider it, very informative as ever 👍👏
Thank you much Chris.
Shocking about the graves being reclaimed. I had never heard that before. Great video Rob. I think most people think the sheltering down the tubes was somehow wonderful
Thank you- yes I couldn’t believe it either, upset me very much when I discovered it
Thank you for such an informative video. I was a teenager in London in the sixties. I remember the older generation didn’t always have a lot of patience with us. I can see why.
My fascination with London began when I saw footage from the blitz. I was absolutely amazed at the people going on with their daily lives. I have to admit, I thought sleeping in the tube station looked kinda fun. But thanks to your insight, I've changed my mind on that! 😄
Thank you for another outstanding video! 👏
Thanks Kellie! I used to think the same until I looked into it!....
fascinating...
Thank you!
An inspired theme for a film, beautifully realised. So much rich and visceral detail. It's easy to overlook the cramped, smelly, noisy and precarious reality of sheltering in the tube network. It takes some leap of the imagination, to envisage a situation when that was the best and safest place to be overnight. I'd always wondered what the big, blue painted metal structuere at Embankment was and had forgotten about the Bethnal Green tragedy. When I next see Henry Moore's powerful drawings from the time: I'll look upon them with an enriched understanding of those scenes. Magnificent film Rob, thank you.
And this was a magnificent comment. Thank you so much; I really appreciate your kind words.
I learned so many new things. Very enjoyable!
Thank you very much ☺️
Churchill + the bulldog advert ... gold! Excellent video, and as always, beautifully produced. Also ... LOVE your book! Looking forward to my annual visit to London in January!
That means a lot to me Phill, thank you so much! Hope the planning for your next trip is going well :-)
Great video Rob. The whole wartime shelter subject is so interesting. I remember in the 1970s viewing with my mother an interesting property that was for sale. It was a an early Victorian farmhouse that had been surrounded by later Victorian rows of homes, trapping it on a triangular patch of land of about an acre. At the back of the house an unusual 'flagpole' rose up from the garden to about twenty foot. It was a metal tube of about six inches diameter. It was only some years later while researching old local newspapers, I discovered an article written in 1938 about the then owner of the property who, fearing a war starting and being disappointed at the lack of government preparation, had built his own shelter in the garden underground and had utilized old bed frames and bicycles to strengthen the concrete roof and walls. The 'flagpole' was the ventilation shaft and the shelter was accessed from inside the house via an underground tunnel. Some years ago I passed by the property noting that the flagpole has gone. The present owners are probably totally unaware of the shelter buried beneath their garden or the secret tunnel from the house.
Thanks Liam- that's incredible! And sounds like it would be quite a scary bunker to be in....
Really interesting topic, and as always well-researched and presented!
Thank you so much Deborah. Stay well.
Thank you for sharing this important piece of London history❤ Very interesting and painful...
It’s a pleasure juanap, thank you for watching
Excellent research and presentation, Rob. A fascinating video and a well-told story.
Many kind thanks Mitchell
My mum's family were bombed out of their flat in Marylebone during the Blitz. I don’t know where they were sheltering at the time, but I don’t think it was the underground. It always amuses me when people talk about the "Blitz Spirit", when in reality there was a massive crime wave in London at that time. All this was officially surpressed of course.
Thanks Roy- and yes, spot on.
Thank you for another brilliant and very atmospheric episode!
I was told my Great-Grandmother, a Londoner born & bred, would only go to a shelter when the cat ran out of the house and headed to the shelter herself! 😂👍🏻 I thought of her and how tough it must have been all through this episode.
Bless you Ladyellice, thank you ☺️
Thanks rob lush Sunday viewing another of your in depth vids. I was not aware of the world war one usage. I can't imagine what it was like with no train noise or hot air coming with an incoming train. Having used them when I worked up there years ago with cramped platforms and people rushing down escalators and stairs, that was scary enough.
Thanks once again ❤️❤️
Thanks so much Tracy. Yes, the WW1 usage is very little known about, hard to research too! Thanks again and stay well
Better than RUclips, I imagine
True
G'day Rob , absolutely interesting thanks for sharing. All the best form down under mate 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Much appreciated Peter, cheers 🇦🇺
Thank you for another great story. Best wishes from Australia !
Thank you!
Very interesting and very well put together.
Thank you Roderic
Very informative and thanks for keeping it interesting as always.
Many thanks Robert
As unpleasant as it may have been, it was a damn sight better than being cooped up with thousands of New Orleans denizens in the Super Dome in more recent history.
Well researched and presented true story with heart and information even I didn't know thank you for reminding us HUGS
Bless you; thank you ☺️
Well that was pretty miserable at the end, but an excellent informative video. Like others, I was amazed to hear how many children remained in London during the war.
Thank you