"The Man who saved London from drowning, during The Blitz"

Thomas Peirson Frank. (Elliott & Fry, Public domain)

During World War II, especially during The Blitz, London was heavily bombed. 

Bombers flew along the River Thames, dropping bombs on the dockyards and industrial sites, before moving towards the City itself, using Tower Bridge as a point of reference.

Because London is a low-lying city the River Thames embankments were targeted, too, in the hopes of flooding some of the area.

However, they didn't know about Thomas Peirson Frank.

Thomas Peirson Frank was born into a farming family in Yorkshire, in 1881. He was educated at Pickering Grammar School and Huddersfield Technical College, before gaining three years of practical experience training under Huddersfield borough engineer, K.P. Campbell.

Over the next few years he gained further experience in general construction, the laying of sewers and water mains, maintenance of roads and tramways and much more.

In 1908, he became the city engineer for Ripon. During the four years that he worked here he was responsible for extending the sewage disposal works and also the construction of two river dams.

He then spent between three or four years in various roles in Cardiff, Liverpool, Plymouth and Stockton-on-Tees. In Cardiff he acted as a surveyor and performed a similar role in Liverpool. While in Plymouth he was responsible for construction work, which included roads and sewers for a housing scheme. In Stockton-on-Tees he was the borough engineer. During his time in Liverpool he also lectured at Liverpool University.

London Ambulance Service: A Brief History

On Waterloo Road you will find the headquarters for the London Ambulance Service, which has been in this building since 1973.

On their forecourt you will find three ambulances: a 1949 Daimler DC27, a 1965 Morris LD and a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Ambulance.

The 1949 Daimler DC27 is one of 120 that were built. This was the first, fleet number A1 and it remained in operation until the late 1950s.

The Morris LD ambulance replaced the Daimler DC27, coming into service in 1965. Shorter, lighter and more manoeuvrable it was better suited to London's congested roads.

The 2004 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter carries far more equipment than any of its predecessors, which only carried a stretcher, oxygen and treatment boxes, as they weren't expected to do much remedial work at the scene.

Affixed to the wall of the headquarters are various information boards which give a history of the service, along with photographs taken throughout the years.

A small well-maintained memorial garden is a space for family, friends and work colleagues of the staff and volunteers who have died, in service or retirement, to come and remember them.

There is also a memorial plaque, which is a copy of a plaster relief sculpted by Station Officer D.M. Thrupp of the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service, in 1941.

In April 2021 a tree was planted, in the memorial garden, to remember London Ambulance Service staff who died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year marks 60 years of the London Ambulance Service, as we know it now. So, let us take a look at its remarkable history.

Serving around 8.6 million people, the London Ambulance Service is the busiest ambulance service in the United Kingdom and one of the busiest in the world, employing around 5,300 staff. In a typical year the London Ambulance Service responds to over 2.1 million 999 calls and attends 1.2 million incidents.

York Watergate, Victoria Embankment Gardens

It is hard to believe, now, but that this small building once stood on the north bank of the River Thames.

Originally an entranceway with stone steps that was used to reach the river, where boats moored along the river's edge could be boarded. 

This building has not been moved. But the River Thames was narrowed, in 1862, when construction began on the new sewer system and Victoria Embankment was created, which has resulted in this building now resting some 133 metres (436 feet) from the banks of the river.

A large tablet close to the gateway reads:

THIS GATEWAY MARKS THE POSITION

OF THE NORTHERN BANK OF THE RIVER THAMES

BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE VICTORIA EMBANKMENT 1862.

It was built in 1626 by Nicholas Stone.

Master Mason for George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, to serve

as the watergate to York House, which the Duke had acquired from

the Archbishop of York, in 1624. The arms on the river front and the motto

'Fidei Coticula Crux' (the Cross is the Touchstone of Faith) on the land side

are those of the Villiers family. York House was demolished in 1675 and

streets were laid out on the site. In 1893, the gate having fallen into

decay, the London County Council obtained parliamentary powers

to acquire and preserve it as an object of public interest.

However, although the tablet attributes its erection to Nicholas Stone, Indigo Jones and Balthasar Gerbier may also have had a part in it.

It is built of stone in three bays, with rusticated bands on the side facing the river. The two lions on the top hold shields with anchors to symbolise the Duke of Buckingham's service as Lord High Admiral.

Today, it lacks its balustrade, stone-paved landing stage and steps.

ARP Stretcher Railings

Wandering London's streets, as I often do, I am still surprised by the extraordinary things hidden in plain sight.

Take the railings, in the photo above. At first glance they appear to be your standard railings, which are quite often found south of the river, in places like Bermondsey, Brixton, Camberwell, Deptford, Southwark, etc..  There even some north of the River Thames, in Poplar.

However, these are no ordinary railings. They are almost 80 years old and once served a very different purpose.

During World War II many of the metal fences and railings, around various houses and buildings, were removed, so that the metal could be used for the war effort.

Kingsway Tram Subway

The Kingsway Tram Subway entrance.

I have walked up and down Southampton Row on numerous occasions, as it is a direct walking route from Euston, when I travel by London Overground, to the River Thames. The road and pavements are always busy as Russell Square, Queen Square, the University of London and much more are all in the area.

As you cross the busy Theobalds Road, there is a ramp, behind iron gates, that slopes down into a tunnel, in the middle of the road. This is the only surviving entrance to the Kingsway Tram Subway.

Unlike the rest of the tram network, which ceased operation in 1952, the Kingsway Tram Subway still has the street tracks, for the most part, in situ. Looking closer you can make out the underground electricity cable that powered this route.

Although Southampton Row hasn't really changed that much, over the last century, you can immediately spot a problem with the layout. The roads would have been quieter, granted, but passengers would have to cross to the centre of the road, where stairs would need to be descended to reach the station below. And those exiting the tunnel would climb a different set of stairs, only to find themselves fighting to cross the road to the safety of the pavement.