NFS North London Messengers Part 4

Our growing numbers, now over 150 proved too much for our first home, so in the July we moved to Priory Road, Hornsey, opposite Priory Park on the corner of Priory Avenue. It took a while to settle down in our new HQ but it was a great improvement. Here there was a large brick built surface shelter in the front garden, complete with a blast shelter wall in front of the door. The shelter became our Control Room which was manned every night.

Training continued here each evening, with plenty of time to get to know each other and plan some social occasions. Upstairs bunk beds filled the bedrooms and the Watch on duty used these, cat-napping, ready to respond instantly should an ‘incident’ occur; then quickly dressed and bikes at the ready, those assigned would speed to where they could be of most help.

As the numbers grew we were grouped into a eight or nine ‘watches’ named after warships, and had our own special evening for attending. We were of course welcomed at any time. In addition to which when lads were at home the sound of any incident would cause some of them to don uniform and cycle off to report to the Controlling Officer, and be available to help.

I was a member of ‘Hood Watch’ along with:-
Ldg/Msngr Edmund Richardson. 474693
Ldg/Msngr David Gosling 474672
Msngr Charles Allen 477678
Reginald Allen 477678
Thomas Culleton 477924
James Connell 477867
William Dove 477757
Harry Gillott 487435
Dennis Gingel 477759
David Jacobs 474676
George Kett 487436
Robert Nicholls 477756
George Osborne 487437
Joseph Southwood 477899
Thomas Turley 474073
Joseph Viller 487438
William Webb 474935
Ronald Wollington 477930

We thought we were well settled in Priory Road, but! we had a visit from a Doodle Bug. I was just entering our Control Room, (surface shelter, complete with blast wall, which proved its worth). When the V1 landed, the door was blown off striking me on the back. Fortunately, apart from an uncomfortable coccyx for some time, I was unharmed. Had I been on my bunk bed upstairs I would have been hit by a large part of the ceiling.

The damage to our HQ was such that we had to move to Highgate and found our new home in Cholmeley Park. Here there were far more spacious rooms for our growing numbers and if I remember correctly, a conservatory with full-size billiards table.

News of our “Tally Ho” was spreading far and wide; former Messengers now in the Forces were on our mailing list, as indeed were Messengers in other Divisions. ‘Tis said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so it was gratifying to received copies of “Temple Times” from our colleagues of 36 ‘A’ Division, and “The Messenger” from No. 5 Region Youth Messengers.

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