I have lived in Dagenham (East London) most of my life. Industry in Dagenham contributed to the war effort by having the Sterling Engineering Company where both the Lanchester and the Patchett were developed. Sterling also manufactured silenced DeLisle carbines for clandestine British Commando units. The other big contributor was Ford Motor Company which produced 360,000 military vehicles and 34,000 Merlin aero engines. Of course this made the area a target for the Luftwaffe and many civilians lost their lives.
Also, on the corner of Whalebone Lane and the Eastern Avenue, diagonally opposite the Moby Dick pub, is the site of a Saxon moot hall. The adjoining fields were used as a POW camp for Germans during WWII.
My dad was a young boy during WWII and he lived in Ford Road in Dagenham and he told me once that he saw three low flying ME 109s flying towards Romford where they attacked the Gas Works there.
Nemo
Last edited by Captain Nemo; 10-11-06 at 09:47 AM.
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