Kentish Express Ashford & District
The calm before the storm of war
It could be argued that many an everyday task was a risky business during the Second World War years. And, with Ashford taking several direct hits from enemy aircraft during these dark days, it is surprising that the town was still readily photographed and in a way that seemingly illustrated relative calm, when truthfully all was not so. It was business as usual for those who lived through the war years, with pride and determination coming as standard against the enemy. Ashford suffered greatly and lives were sadly lost, but as much as the Germans tried to cripple our town they failed.
It is somewhat rare to find pictures of calm in the town during the war years, with most images showing the devastation that bombing caused at sites such as Snashall’s Bakery, Haywards Garage, Beaver Road School, Dover Place, The Railway Works and Stanhay’s to name but a few. The town didn’t suffer as much as some others, locals tell me, but in my view, it suffered enough.
The town’s identity has greatly changed over the decades, so it is good to see imagery depicting the town in sometimes difficult times. There are still many surviving elements of the town that are featured in these pictures, those that were neither casualties of the war nor victims of the heavy-handed planner. One forgets just how things were and how things looked in a forgotten era – especially if you are old enough to remember!
This week, Remember When looks back at locations within the town during 1941.
Do you have any photographs or slides that you would be willing to lend me, to enable them to be scanned and featured in the Kentish Express? If so, please write to me: Steve Salter, Kentish Express Remember When, 34-36 North Street, Ashford, TN24 8JR, email me at rememberwhen_kmash@ hotmail.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @SteveKMAshford.
Or you can also leave a telephone message for me with brief details by calling 01233 623232.