Flags and streamers appeared all over the Borough when
victory in Europe was announced on 7th May 1945. The
following day, VE day was a public holiday; bonfires were
lit in the streets and children joined hands with adults
around burning effigies of Hitler. The neon lights on
the factories along the Great west rd were used for the
time in six years. Street parties for children were held
on the 12th: they were all alfresco thanks to the weather
behaving nicely and people of all denominations attended
a thanks giving service at the ground of Brentford Football
Club on the 13th. As part of the peace Celebrations 250
pensioners were entertained to tea at Brentford Senior
School and children were given a Gala Day at Chiswick
house. Names of the World War II dead were added to the
war memorial outside Brentford library it lists 113
Brentford men killed in action. In 1998, a garden of
Remembrance for the fallen soldiers of Brentford was
unveiled outside Brentford library, organised by the
Brentford branch of the Royal British Legion. Two new
columns were put up with plaques commemorating the
dead who 2worked for the Gas Light and Coke Company
in both World War 1 and World War Ii. A plague which
pays tribute to a Royal Marine who died as a prisoner
of war in Korea and a Royal Green Jacket bandsman who
was killed in the 1982 Regent's Park bombing. There
are plans to transfer the war memorial from redundant
St Lawrence's church to the Garden of Remembrance.
Housing was a major problem after the war many had
been made homeless by the bombs and the returning
troops needed places to live. The Mayor put out an SOS
for people to share their homes, but this met with kittle
response. One solution was to put up temporary pre
fabricated bungalows on bomb damaged sites. Pre-fabs
was put up in Enfield, Lateward, Pottery and Kenley
roads and in Mafeking Ave.
I hope you enjoy the rest
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Last Updated: 22nd NOVEMBER 2005
