Whiteman's of Abbot Rd, Poplar, London 1919

[smudwhisk]

Two of my grandparents grew up in Poplar, one who lived on Abbott Road and the other nearby.  They moved out to Beckenham just over a year before the war started, although my grandfather's mother and siblings stayed until their house was bombed.  As far as I know, neither of my grandparents ever went back.  My Nan said she didn't want to because it had all changed so much as a result of the rebuild after the war.

You can see just how much devastation there was in that area during WW2 from the bombsight.org map.  This is a link which, if I've saved it correctly, should show you the Abbott Road area - http://bombsight.org/#16/51.5151394346/-0.00403231422641.  If you're not familiar with the website, if you click on the red symbols and select more info, it'll show a more detailed map.  As far as I'm aware, as much of Abbott Road was rebuilt, the house numbers have changed from the original "plots".  I think 189 was probably towards where the road arks round and then continues northwards.

[Sylvia Paterson]

Yes Smudwhisk, I had a look on Google Search when dad was alive and he was most disappointed to see some newish houses where his should have been.  Ah well, time waits for no man.   Had a great surprise tonight when I put dad's mother' s old address into google -45 Harold Street, Carlisle -images - up came his uncle who was died WW1! Thomas Norman - never heard of him before.

[Simon Nay]

My grandfather and my father lived at 172 Abbott Road and his house (a shoe shop/factory) was bombed during the 2nd world war. I think it is the bomb marked on the map you posted as i believe the house there. modern day 172 is there but as you say numbers have changed. It is reasonable to think that it would be near where your house was. . It occurred between autumn 1940 and summer 1941. I am interested to find out the exact date. i do know that when they returned to the bombed house they discovered that somebody had pinched the bath tub!. they moved out of the area.

Abbott Road is famous for the being the home of Tommy Flowers who worked on Collossas-forerunner of the computer.

[Sylvia Paterson]

My dad did speak of a house nearby being bombed.  He had just come home on leave, it was late at night, couldn't understand why their house was all boarded up - climbed in the back window and went to bed exhausted only to be woken by a bomb going off nearby.   His family came home in the morning after spending all night in an air raid shelter.

[Simon Nay]

Thanks for your reply.

Something else I remember my dad saying regarding The Blackwall Tunnel approach road. He saw it on the map and said,
"So that's what they did, they said they were going to have playing fields."
He should have known what their priorities would be!

[Sylvia Paterson]

Doesn't all this make you wish they were still here.   I miss my dad.

[smudwhisk]

My grandfather and my father lived at 172 Abbott Road and his house (a shoe shop/factory) was bombed during the 2nd world war. I think it is the bomb marked on the map you posted as i believe the house there. modern day 172 is there but as you say numbers have changed. It is reasonable to think that it would be near where your house was. . It occurred between autumn 1940 and summer 1941. I am interested to find out the exact date. i do know that when they returned to the bombed house they discovered that somebody had pinched the bath tub!. they moved out of the area.

Abbott Road is famous for the being the home of Tommy Flowers who worked on Collossas-forerunner of the computer.

Hi Simon

My great grandparents lived three doors away from your grandfather and father so I suspect their house was bombed on the same night that your grandfather's/father's house was.  In all likelihood they probably knew each other's families.   Sadly we never did get round to asking them when the house was actually bombed, hence looking on the map that was made available and the last of my relatives who would have known because he lived there died at the end of last year.

I suspect Teviot Street ran parallel to the area where 172 Abbott Road and surrounding houses would have been because my grandmother grew up there and my grandfather on Abbott Road and they definitely knew each other as children because my grandmother was friends with one of my grandfather's sisters at school.

[Simon Nay]

Interesting. I just wish I had asked my dad all about this. If he was here now he'd have lots to tell me and be fascinated.

I have an old mapbook- pre Blackwall tunnel approach road and I can see Teviot Street on it. It runs north/south where the new road is. If you look at Booth's poverty Map-easily googled you will see it.

It's frustrating that the Bomb site doesn't have more details.

[Sylvia Paterson]

Can you tell me the name of the local school for Abbott Road children?