London Town '54

12th Mar 2016

9. Bobbies, Traffic, The Queue, Sandwich Men & London Pool.

“Bobbies.”

It is assumed the cartoon is topical because legislation has just come in making it an offence not to have rear reflectors on a motor vehicle.

In this photo, (above), Hans Richard has photographed the two co-students that he photographed in Downing Street, in Chapter 5.

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“Traffic.”

The Admiral stopping at green lights to let children and adults cross will make him very popular with motorists behind him, and impatient overtaking motorists will mow down the crossing adults and children. Well done, Admiral. However, a visitor from the Continent would regard ‘The Admiral’ as a prime example of the ‘British eccentric’. There is also a political topicality in the reference to the Cold War – the Soviet Union versus the West. UPDATE: This is very probably a protest by Bill Boaks (1904 – 1988). Bill Boaks served in the Royal Navy between 1920 to 1949, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. During the Second World War he saw action at Dunkirk, and was also involved in the sinking of the Bismark. From 1949 until his death he waged a one man war on the errant motorist and promoted road safety, standing as an independent candidate in By and General Elections. For some time he was associated with Screaming Lord Sutch, and the Monster Raving Loony Party, formed in 1983.

This double exposed negative/print may have been deliberate, but it is doubtful. It combines a queue waiting for a bus, and a platform at Notting Hill Gate tube station. The film wind on may have been badly slipping, or occasionally not winding on at all, on his Exakta camera. In a later excursion down the Thames to Southend his Exakta packs in altogether, and he has to have it repaired.

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“Railways.”

“Waterloo St.” Waterloo station.

“Waterloo St.” Waterloo station.

“Ein Feiner Zug, Victoria St.” A fine train, Victoria Station.

Hans Richard also had two pages headed “Paddington Station”, which was his nearest mainline station to his digs in Chepstow Road. Unfortunately all eight, uncaptioned, photos have been removed. The dry spots of Uhu glue is all that is left, indicating that there were eight photos in the spread. As with the missing photos of warships, either the ebay vendor of the Scrapbook removed them for separate selling, or Hans Richard removed them and put them into a Trains and Railways themed scrapbook.

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“The Queue, od. Die Schlange.” The Queue, or The Snake.

This is a variant of the photograph Hans Richard took that is in the section Oxford Street, Chapter 3. A very tall man is in the queue waiting for a bus.

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“Pflasterkünstler und Sandwichmen.”

Pavement artists and Sandwich men

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“London Pool.” The Pool of London.

Rönnskär, Stockholm foreground

Hans Richard map added to his Scrapbook 1980s.

“Blick von der London-Bridge.” View from London Bridge.

The boat on the right is the MV Tunis.

Cannon Street station in the background. Note the ‘for export’ Morris Minor vans on the deck.

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Next: 10. The Tower, Ceremony, Canon-Couples-Children & Tower Bridge.

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12th Mar 2016

10. The Tower, Tradition, Canon-Couples-Children & Tower Bridge

Hans Richard self-portrait, with mechanical timer. Print marked ‘R’ for Rolleiflex. He has cropped the square negative. Note straps of his Exakta camera case, held behind his back.

“Beef Eater (Tower Soldaten).”

“Entfesselungskünstler.” Escape Artist. photo: Hans Richard Griebe.

“Tower Hill”. Photo: Izis Bidermanas, from Gala Day London, Harvill Press, London, 1953. Double page spread. (Note: the photo has been cropped due to the limitations of the photoscanner used.)

Izis Bildermanas (usually known as ‘Izis’) was from Lithuania and lived in Paris from 1930. He joined Paris Match in 1950, and was with them for twenty years. In 1953 he came to London to cover the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The escapologist above is Johnny Eagle, and details about him are online.

Apart from covering the Coronation Izis took many photos of London’s East End, and also of the Westbourne Grove/Paddington area. By an interesting coincidence, both he and Hans Richard Griebe photographed Hampden Crescent, W.2. within a year of each other. A working class street in the 1950s it was later demolished as part of the building of the Westway Road. Their photos can be compared in Chapter 15). The Izis photograph of Hampden Crescent is also in Gala Day London. The Queens People, above, was also published by the Harvill Press, London in 1953.

“Einer Tower Raben.”

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“Traditionen.” Tradition.

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

“Herbst.”

“Traitor’s Gate.” (Print marked ‘R’ for Rolleiflex.)

“Neu in England: Herta.” New in England: Herta.

Note in the above photo the tired soldier, and further in the background, the child sitting on the canon barrel.

“Brachte Herta ( 2.10.)” Comes Herta (2.10).

It is assumed that Herta is a new student at the London School of English. In the photo of her at the Embankment she is looking into the viewfinder of a pre-war Rolleiflex, probably Hans Richard’s. There is a faint possibility that it is hers, and that the photos designated as taken with a Rolleiflex were taken by her. However, the chronology of photographs taken doesn’t fit this surmise: the season in the above photo is turning autumnal, and photos were taken with a Rolleiflex from late August onwards. Secondly, if she had been taking the Rolleiflex photos, she would have had to have given Hans Richard the rolls of film, or once back in Germany, sent him the developed negatives for him to print. She does accompany him to the naval museum to Greenwich, and one or two other locations (see later Chapters), and she has taken one or two photos of him with his Rolleiflex, probably at his request.

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“Kanonen, Couples, Kinderchen.”

“Kanonenfutter.” Canon Fodder.

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“Tower Bridge.”

“Sunderland-flugboot am Tower (Battle of Britain week).” Battle of Britain week was usually between 7 and 15 September celebrating the last and decisive fighter airplane battle between the Luftwaffe and the RAF during the summer of 1940. Defeated in the skies over southern England, Hitler abandoned Operation Sealion (the invasion of Britain) and the Luftwaffe switched to night time bomber blitzing of British cities. The defeat of the fighter planes of the Luftwaffe (and the probability of imminent invasion) is now commemorated as Battle of Britain Day, rather than Week.

“Die Stelle, wo 1950 mien Hut beihahe überfahren worsen wäre.” The spot in 1950 where my hat was run over.

Without this caption we would not have realised that Hans Richard had been in Britain before. The tantalising thought is that he had been a POW (prisoner of war). German POWs in Britain were made to work on the land after the war, up until the end of 1948, when the last of them were repatriated. However, many thousands of German POWs volunteered to stay on after 1948. Perhaps Hans Richard was one of them? And returned to Germany during 1950, or after?

MV Rinaldo.

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

MV Royal Sovereign.

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Next: 11. The East End, Kensington Gardens, Mothers & Babies.

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12th Mar 2016

11. The East End, Kensington Gardens, Mothers & Babies.

Christopher Matheson and his brother, who still lives in Shadwell, identified this. “It’s St Katherine’s Way, E.I., basically facing east for the street used to wind about a bit.” – CM. More about Christopher in a moment.

“Sonnabend ist Feiertag.” Saturday is holiday.

By holiday Hans Richard means a day of not working, although Saturday morning work would be usual. August Bank Holiday had been and gone by the time he arrived in London for his English Language course. It may be an oblique or ironic reference to the Docker’s strike (see further down). He is perhaps visiting in the afternoon with Herta. The photo is marked “R” for Rolleiflex, and then in brackets “Rollei/Herta”. This is the only time in his Scrapbook that he has mentioned that Herta took a photo using the Rolleiflex. (see Chapter 10 for a discussion about the Rolleiflex camera and Herta.) The rectangular print is a crop from the square negative.

“St.Katherine Docks.”

Cartoonist Lee had been drawing London Laughs for the London Evening News since before 1939. During the war it had been re-titled Smiling Through. The background to the cartoon above was that dockers had come out on strike on 7 October, 1954. On 13 October a strike of London transport workers meant there were no buses running. On 19 October, 1954, the day after Hans Richard Griebe started his return journey to Kiel, London buses were back to normal. The reverse of the cartoon cutting is reproduced below, as it gives an interesting insight into the jobs being advertised in the early autumn of 1954.

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Hans Richard titled this next sequence of photos as “Lime House, altestes Dock” – Lime House, oldest docks. A viewer, Christopher Matheson, who saw some of the photos on the 2013 taster Post London Town ’54 got in touch and kindly pointed out that the photos were in fact taken in adjoining Shadwell. Thanks to several emails, to and fro, he and a brother of his, who still lives in Shadwell, identified the places where the photos had been taken. My sincere thanks to Christopher for his contribution. A reproduction from the 1929 edition of the A1 Guide and Atlas to London and Suburbs, showing the Shadwell area is below.

Map: 1929 edition of A1 Guide & Atlas to London and Suburbs, published by Geographia.

“I am certain this is Limehouse facing south with the bridge being in Narrrow street… The row of houses looks to have been messed about and made into a longer row.” – CM

“Juniper Street, facing west, from near the corner of Glamis Road.” – CM

A girl is about to do a hand-stand in Juniper Street, her skirt tucked in her knickers. Two boys, one carrying a football are crossing the street, whilst further down a couple cross, the woman carrying her shopping bag. The girl nearest the camera has a small parcel under her arm. If this was Paris and the photographer was Robert Doisneau, Izis or Willy Ronis she would have had a ‘French stick’ under her arm. In this photo there are maybe up to 80 families living in the flats, and there are just two parked cars, maybe three if you count the one at the bottom, which may be passing what could be a removals lorry.

“This is Watney Street, facing south from near Commercial Road. Blakesley Street popping in from left at Players advert on wall. The flats in the distance are Tarling Street Estate” – CM.

Photo update, September 27, 2018. Kevin Clarke writes from Australia, re. the boy who is central in the above Watney Street photo:

“Hi, I am Kevin Clarke, writing from Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia. In the picture of Watney Street, identified by Christopher Matheson, I am the boy wearing the over-sized jeans, next to the couple with the pram. Those jeans were my first pair of long trousers. I was very taken with them — but did not like having to turn up the bottoms. I was aged 9 or maybe just turned 10 when this photo was taken. I lived at 145 Shadwell Gardens, top end of Watney Street, near Shadwell Station.”

– Many thanks for getting in touch Kevin, and amazing and heart-warming that after all these years you see yourself in Watney Street in the late summer of 1954. – Pete Grafton.

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Besides Kevin being in the above 1954 Watney Street photo note the small rugs, sisal mats, a roll of lino (linoleum) and clothes (second-hand?) for sale, and Players cigarettes. Until Cyril Lord came along with his budget priced carpeting in the early 1960s, a carpet was a luxury item for many unskilled and semi-skilled working class people.

Watney Street is on the right, running vertically. Map: 1929 edition of A1 Guide & Atlas to London and Suburbs, published by Geographia.

Watney Street, Shadwell, identified by Christopher Mathieson. Reverse shot of previous photo of Watney Street. The railway line the steam train is on is now part of the Docklands Light Railway. A fruit and veg stall on the right.

Unlike some British cities, fruit and veg was a popular part of the diet of Londoners, of all classes. The fruit and veg stall, with the oranges and apples piled up pyramid style, continued to be a street feature in London working class areas well into the late 1970s, often outside the entrances to railway stations, such as Forest Gate in East London. Here and there, they are still around. In late January, 2016, Mike Quinn saw the London Town 54 taster post on petegrafton.com and got in touch:

“Just seen the photo of Witney Street market and the two people standing behind the stall look like my mum & dad. We lived in the pub at the bottom of Witney Street called the Old House at Home, their names were Rose & Bert Quinn, they had three daughters & one son, me.”

“East End Beauty”, Hans-Richard Griebe’s title. Christopher comments “Well she isn’t my sister so I don’t know who she is. However, I do remember those Smiths Crisps bags.”

“Michael.”

“Hardinge Street facing north from beneath the Fenchurch Street/Southend train line. Hardinge Street was very wide and this is one of the two arches which spanned it.” – CM

“Kinderspielplätze…….” Children’s playground…… “The boys are standing in the King Edward V11 Memorial Park with Glamis Road, and the wall of the Shadwell Basin, behind them. The cranes are in Shadwell Basin. When I was in primary school that’s exactly where they took us to play football, and we always called it Shadwell or Shaddy Park.” – CM

…………”Königstreue (blüht aus den Ruinen). Royalty blooms from the ruins. Photo marked “R” for Rolleiflex. Again, a rectangular crop from the square Rolleiflex negative.

On the death of her father, George VI, the young Princess Elizabeth had been crowned Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster the summer before. The “ruins” will probably be the result of the Luftwaffe bombing blitz on London between September 1940 and May 1941.

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Sunday by the Pond, Kensington Gardens

“Sonntag am Pond, im Kensington Gd.”

Crop from above photo.

Like the previous photo there is “pimpling” on part of the negative that produced the print. On the above photo it is seen on the little boy’s coat. It is possibly caused by Hans Richard speeding up the drying of his strip of negatives, using some too close heat source. For a discussion about this, and other technical aspects of his processing and printing, see ABOUT above.

“Modelschiffe u. ihre Kritiker.” Model ship and critic. (Appraiser).

With his stud collar, type of bowler hat and style of dark jacket the elderly gentleman, even in 1954, belongs to an earlier age.

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Mothers and Babies

“Cricklewood. 100 Teignmouth Rd.”

“Joti mit Wimpie.”

Han’s Richards photos are here in the same sequence as in his Scrapbook, as are his photos in all the chapters of London Town ’54. It is at the bottom of the two page spread that he identifies the home as in Teignmouth Road, Cricklewood, which is in north west London.

It is probable that two of the mothers are German speakers, perhaps all three. Mrs Hulbert, below, may be German and has married an Englishman. Two of the identified mothers have had their photo taken in a park, and further down in the sequence is an unidentified mother with children, presumed to be in the same park. The interior photos are assumed to be 100 Teignmouth Road. Deirdrie has had a change of dress during the taking of the photos, but it seems unlikely that Hans Richard would have visited this group of mothers and toddlers twice. Amongst the nearest two green spaces to Teignmouth Road is Gladstone Park.

“Mrs Hulbert und Deirdre.”

It is possible in the above photo that Deirdre is playing with a box of the luxury brand Abdulla cigarettes.

“Hilda Boer und Deirdre.”

As usual, Hans Richard has a fine sense of humour.

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Next: 12. The Thames from Richmond to Tower Bridge & A Trip on the Royal Sovereign.

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12th Mar 2016

12. The Thames, from Richmond to Tower Pier and a Trip on the Royal Sovereign.

“Richmond”.

Hans Richard’s sketch of the Thames from Richmond to Southend added in the 1980s.

The woman is assumed to be a fellow London School of English student. The photo is taken earlier than Herta’s arrival in London.

“Kew Gardens (Bot.Garten Observ.)” Kew Gardens (Botanical Garden Observatory).

Hans Richard Griebe by the Thames near Kew.

“Themse bei Kew.” Thames by Kew.

The Glencoe, registered at Rochester. A Thames sailing barge. (Also below.)

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

“Bei Putney (und Ebbe.). Underground Brücke.” Near Putney (ebb tide). Underground (Tube) bridge.

“Blick von Vauxhall Br.” View from Vauxhall Bridge.

“Westminster Bridge.”

“Victoria Embankment. Blick vom Südufer (London County Hall).” Victoria Embankment. View from the south bank. (London County Hall).

“Blick vom Waterloo Bridge. Der Monumentalbau ist ein Hotel.” View from Waterloo Bridge. The large building is a hotel.”

For once, Hans Richard’s identification is wrong: the building was Shell Mex House when he photographed it in 1954. It was built on the site of the Hotel Cecil in 1930-1931. Perhaps Hans Richard was using a 1920s Guide to London, hence the mistake. Shell Mex House, now known as 80, The Strand, is now the registered office of, and the floors are used by, Pearson PLC, owners of Penguin Books, the Rough Guide series, Dorling Kindersley, Michael Joseph and other publishing imprints within the group. Seemingly, the clock face on the building is the largest in London, beating Big Ben.

“Bei Cleopatra’s Needle.” Near Cleopatra’s Needle.

“Waterloo Bridge.”

“Hungerford Bridge.”

“Blick auf die City vom Südufer. Links der Temple.” View of the City from the south bank. Left, the Temple. (Photo marked “R” for Rolleiflex. Rectangular crop).

“Blick von der Hungerford Bridge.” View from Hungerford Bridge.

Th.SoutharkBr-Power Sta.-BlackfriarsBPNGr-92

“Southwark Br. Power Sta. (lks) u. Blackfriars Br. (Hintergrund).” Southwark Bridge. Power station on the left and Blackfriars Bridge in the distance.

“Sunset.”

“HMS President u. Chrysanthemum. (R.N.Training Ships).” HMS President and Chrysanthemum. (Royal Navy training ships).

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“Die Themsefahrt” The Thames Journey.

“Start 9 a.m. Tower Pier. Royal Sovereign.”

“Journey to Southend.”

“London will such erholen”. London takes a break.

The August Bank Holiday in 1954 was 2 August. Hans Richard arrived in London 21 August. The size of the queue shows how popular a boat journey down to Southend or Margate or Ramsgate was at summer weekends in the 1950s. Charabancs (coaches), often hired, would also head down to Southend on Sea from London at weekends.

The Royal Sovereign was built in the William Denny, Dumbarton, Scotland shipyard and entered service as a pleasure boat in 1948. She ran between Tower Pier, London to Ramsgate, Kent, calling in at Tilbury, Southend on Sea and Margate. Later she was to cruise under warmer Mediterranean skies: renamed the MV Ischia she worked as a ferry boat between Pozzuoli near Naples, to Casaicciola on the Ischia Island.

“Tower Bridge.”

“High and Dry. (Acclivity’s = Böschung)” High and Dry. Acclivity’s = Embankment.

Hans Richard’s caption includes a pun that shows just how advanced his knowledge of English was (and his use of an apostrophe). An ‘acclivity’ is an upward slope.

The boat is berthed at the Lavender Wharf in Rotherhithe, on the south side of the Thames. The firm is W.B.Dick. The big mystery is that the boat, the MV Acclivity, according to three sources, sank on 20 January, 1952, off the Northumberland coast. It was carrying linseed oil from Thameshaven to Newburgh in Fife. The Royal Sovereign Hans Richard is taking photographs from is sailing down the Thames in 1954. Either the reported date of her sinking is wrong, or Hans Richard took this photo – in 1950? But the problem here is that there is nothing else in the Scrapbook that would indicate he has pasted in photos he took in 1950, the year his hat got run over on Tower Bridge. (See Chapter 10).

In nearly all the photos there are clues to pinpoint the time to after 1950. For instance, in the Shadwell photos (Chapter 11), in the Juniper Street photo there is an Austin A30 (predecessor of the Austin A35) parked. The A30 only became available from May 1952. Without that Austin A30, the date the photo was taken could have been pushed back a few years.

The only two photos that may be problematic about when they were taken are the two that feature/include the women used as the front piece of London Town ’54. As noted about her, her hair style and dress are more late 1940s. But hair styles and clothes, close to each other in years, can co-exist.

Lastly, the linseed oil cargo bound for Newburgh would have been for the linoleum manufacturing factory in the town. Fife, particularly the larger town of Kirkcaldy, was a significant world centre of linoleum manufacture, still a dominant floor covering in most working class homes in the 1950s, before the advent of cheap synthetic carpeting. (See Chapter 11).

The Mystery of the MV Acclivity Solved! In trying to make sense of the Acclivity photographed at a London wharf two and half years after it sunk off the Northumberland coast Le Patron contacted the Tyneside British Sub Aqua Club, after an internet search. On their website was a item about the wreckage of the Acclivity, with photographs of their dive down to it. Contacting the Teignside BSAC, Simon Smith delved into the mystery on my behalf, and after a few emails backwards and forwards he solved the mystery. I am extremely grateful to Simon for this, as if the photo of the Acclivity had been taken in 1950 it would have called into question the veracity of some of the other photos in the Hans Richard Griebe 1954 Scrapbook. That is, what we were looking at was neither the time or place. Photographs as documentary evidence do not necessarily tell the truth, depending on the context in which they are printed, or the captions given to them. Here is an extract from Simon’s final email that solves the mystery:

Hi Pete,

The Acclivity that sank in 1952 was a 50 metre diesel engined tanker launched in 1931. The pictures I have in dive guides and elsewhere are somewhat contradictory….. the confusion continues as there was indeed another Acclivity built in 1968 ……. I think we can be sure that the ship shown in your picture….. is not the Acclivity that sank in 1952. It appears to be this one: http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2326760, which was launched in 1929 as the Atheltarn, being renamed Acclivity in 1952 (see: http://7seasvessels.com/?s=acclivity ).

The common fact with all 3 of these ships is that they were all owned by FT Everard & Sons at the time they were named Acclivity. Which makes me think that the Atheltarn was acquired in 1952 and renamed to replace the sunken Acclivity, and was itself replaced by the new Acclivity in 1968.

Regards,

Simon.

One of the Woolwich ferries, the Will Crooks. Will Crooks (1852 – 1921) became Woolwich’s first Labour M.P. in 1902. The ferry named after him was a paddle steamer, introduced in 1930, and withdrawn from service in 1963. The ferry is carrying at least two coaches and the cab of a lorry can be seen. The other Woolwich ferry plying the crossing is just in picture, on the left. The Woolwich ferry service still operates, with newer boats.

Hans Richard’s finger print at the centre bottom of the photo.

Two sisters (twins?) with their Mum, who is eating an apple. There is a collapsible pushchair, and the family have brought buckets and spades with them. Dad’s overcoat and hat are by Mum. Dad’s shoulder is just seen on the bottom left of the photo.

The next three photos are an aspect of the woman in the above photo chatting to the sailor. Hans Richard captioned the following photos in Latin “Pars pro toto”: ‘Part for the whole’.

The Baron Inverclyde, a cargo ship, was built in South Shields and went to sea in early 1954. It was still new when photographed here. It is the deteriorated print that causes it to look older. During its life it had some name changes and ended up bring broken up for scrap in Bilbao, Spain in 1972.

“Argentinien Liner.”

The MV Eva Perón, named after the wife of the controversial President of Argentina, Juan Perón. Although only medium sized, it was a luxury liner launched in 1949, and at the time Argentina provided the only transatlantic crossings from South America to Europe, including London, as seen above, and also to Hamburg in Germany. After the fall of the Perón government, in 1955, the year after Hans Richard took this photograph, the ship was re-named Uruguay.

“London Power Station.”

This is Tilbury Power Station, Essex. Now de-commissioned and demolished.

“Ellerman Liner. Tilbury.”

This is the MV City of Bedford, Clyde built and in service from 1950. It was a cargo boat. Some cargo boats were cargo/liner boats, that is, they took passengers as well. The ship above was scrapped in 1972 in Valencia, Spain.

MV Warksworth, Tilbury.

“Southend in Sicht!” Southend in sight.

“Southend Pier”.

The Royal Sovereign is berthed on the right.

“Weiter nach Margate.” Next to Margate.

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Next: 13. With the Day Trippers at Southend on Sea, The Carnival & Wendy.

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12th Mar 2016

13. With the Day Trippers at Southend on Sea, the Carnival & Wendy.

We stay in Southend.

“Pierhead mit Belustigungen.” Pierhead with amusements.

“Pier mit elektr. Bahn – Ca. 3 Km lang.” Pier with electric train. Circa 3 kilometres long.

Hans Richard has carefully cut out – from a magazine beer advertisement – a look-a-like Oliver Hardy, of Laurel & Hardy. The glass being raised is Double Diamond pale ale, part of a 1954 advertising campaign by the brewers. He reprises the tag line “A Double Diamond Works Wonders” in his spread on the state visit of Haile Selassie in Chapter 18.

“Nochbau der Golden Hind.” Replica of the Golden Hind.

“Sprich für sich, bes. rechts oben.” Speak for yourself, especially on the top right.

“Kinderspielplatz.” Childrens playground.

“Kommunisten gegen German Rearmanent.” Communists against German rearmament.

The background to the above protest was the likelihood of West Germany becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO). Many on the Left (including many in the Labour Party) in Britain still feared that Germany was a militaristic nation. Hans Richard is probably right to assume that the above demonstration and soap box orator are members of the British Communist Party. A clue is the ‘Ban the ‘H’ Bomb on the above display board. The Soviet Union had already exploded an atom bomb, whilst the United States had gone on also to test a Hydrogen Bomb, and had publicised the fact. The Soviet Union had tested a hydrogen bomb in August 1953, but in August 1954 had not gone public about it. The above demand for a ‘European Security Pact’ is a red herring. The Soviet Union had a worldwide Front organisation, campaigning for World Peace, whilst at the same time subjugating East German, Poland, Cechoslovakia, and Hungary. For instance, in June 1953, just over a year before Hans Richard took this photo, a strike and demonstration by construction workers in East Berlin triggered other workers throughout East Germany to protest against the regime. Usually referred to as The 1953 Uprising, it was put down by Soviet tanks and East German security forces. Estimates of those killed vary between 55 and 125. Some weeks after Hans Richard took these photos the Labour Party agreed to West German rearmament, supporting the position of the then Conservative government. On 2 October, 1954 the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was admitted to NATO.

“Rearmanent-of-Soul ist niche so gefragt.” Rearmanent of the soul is not asked for.

A street entertainer, about to begin his spiel, by the looks of it. Note the double exposure on the left side of the print. This was to become a major problem for Hans Richard later in the afternoon. Also note the large ‘lollipop’ sweet the boy is holding on the right hand side. Update: The ‘Street Entertainer’ has been identified as the Rev. George Wood, known as ‘Happy Harry’.

“Happy Harry” – the Revd. George Wood. Photo circa early 1960s.

Viewer Natalie E. got in touch to say that she thought the ‘street entertainer’ was a “character known as Happy Harry, before my time, but certainly looks like the same man.” And she gave a link to Southend on Sea by Ken Crowe. Many thanks, Natalie.

“‘Happy Harry’ c1960, the Rev. George Wood began his evangelical preaching at Southend in about 1910. Crowds of holidaymakers and locals alike would stop to listen, heckle and throw pennies. He was subject to physical abuse on occasions and retired in 1966. He died aged 86, in 1974.” (Picture and info from Southend-on-Sea by Ken Crowe).

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“Strandleben” (Durch die insular Beschränktheit hat sich manches anders entwickelt.)

“Beach Life.” (Because of insular ignorance much has developed differently.)

For once, a curious caption from Hans Richard. “Insular ignorance” works both ways. Styles of family outings to the beach differed throughout Europe, and North America in the 1950s and 60s. There is a passing similarity in some of the crowded beach scenes that Hans Richard took at Southend on Sea in 1954, with photos taken in the 1940s and 1950s at Coney Island, New York. On the German Baltic coast Hans Richard would be familiar with the Baltic coast beach chair, that has a high enclosed back to protect from wind, or sun, and is usually a two seater. And families taking trays of tea onto the beach, or children wearing cowboy hats would not be seen on the German beaches of the Baltic or the Nord See.

Mum and her family, son holding the push chair, above, and them settling down with two of his sisters below. He can be seen, partially hidden, to the left of Mum below.

The Golden Hind in the background.

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe. On a sheet of A4 paper, glued in by the edge, between the photos above, and those below.

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“Southend Carnival Procession”

“Modell aus Lyons Corner House.” Model from Lyons Corner House.

The Southend Carnival between the 1930s and into the late 1960s was the largest and most spectacular carnival in the British Isles. London’s Notting Hill Carnival supplanted it by the late 1960s. Southend’s Carnival was so prestigious that national companies, such as Lyons, above, participated in it, besides local businesses and organisations. Very large sums were raised by the Southend Carnival which, before the war, and before the National Health Service, were given to the main Southend Hospital. In the post war 1940s money raised went to build a small estate of homes for old people in the area.

The carnival had such prestige that BBC TV beamed a live transmission into homes throughout Britain in 1951. An estimated 5 million people watched. This was when there was only one TV channel, and sales of TVs had not taken off with the future impetus of the Coronation (1953) and ITV (1955).

The “Texas Belle” features in the Hans Richard sketch below. This was possibly related to the replica Wild West train, the Kursaal Flyer that had been built in 1951 by those involved in the carnival. The Kursaal Flyer was based on a train featured in the 20th Century Fox film Ticket to Tomahawk. For several years it was a feature of the carnival, and the Gamages store, and Selfrigdes store in London loaned it, using it for publicity runs in London.

The Kursaal Flyer. Still from archive film, from Southend Calling at carnival archive.org.uk

It was at the point that Hans Richard was taking photos of the Texas Belle float that his camera packed in. “Hierbei (s.oben) streikte die Exakta” – “Here (above) the Exakta went on strike.” The last photo he glued in – above – from the carnival is double exposed on the left edge. There are also one or two partially double exposed photos that he took in London, and this is the second one from his Southend photos. The sprockted 35mm film had been occasionally slipping when advanced, and it seems the film advance mechanism has now gone completely kaput. “Why Why geschrien” he heartfully writes in his Scrapbook.

The pasted in repair receipt from Photo Sport (Marble Arch) Ltd puts the date of his visit to Southend to the weekend of 28/29 August. This was his second weekend in England. The previous weekend he had arrived in London, and on the Sunday of that weekend he had been to Hampton Court Palace.

However, it seems he returned to Southend, probably on Saturday, 25 September, 1954. He has written in his Scrapbook “Am Ende der 1 Fahrt nach war such die Exakta am End.” : “At the end of the first trip was also the end of the Exakta.” He has pasted into his Scrapbook in the Southend section of photos a sheet of various responses to the Rolls Royce announcement that it had developed a jet that took off vertically, nicknamed the “Flying Bedstead”.

There’s a sporting chance the date of the Saturday edition of the Daily Mail was the date he traveled down a second time to Southend, reading the paper on the way. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing which photographs (apart from the Southend Carnival photos) were taken on which trip, although one or two hint at different weather. But weather can be transitory, and clouds can clear, the sun come out, and coats come off.

As no photographs are designated “R” for Rolleiflex, it seems he left his second camera behind in his digs.

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“Und damit Kommen endlich zum Titel dieses Abschnitts: Beauty, etc”

And finally we come to the title of this section: Beauty, etc.

“Vom Engros…”

“… zum”

“Endetail.”

“Oder: Warum immer nur die Ruckseite?”

Or: why always from behind?

“Antwort: Weil sir die Phantasie anregt*

*vgl. Tacitus: Ante Museum, Post Lyceum”

Answer: Because it stimulates the imagination.

“Wendy.”

“Beauty and the Beach.”

Note the gent lower right taking a family seaside snap. Where is that photo now?

“Sichtlich co-operative.”

Visibly co-operative.

“Gewährte sie noch weitere Einblicke in ihr Innenleben, nicht ohne auf oder…

She allowed further views of her “inner life”…

… abmunternde eines sichtlich versammelten Publikums.

…neither encouraging or discouraging comments from the public who had gathered.

– Thomas Mann. Der (exakte) Zauberzwerg.”

– Thomas Mann. The (exact) Magic Dwarf.

Hans Richard is playing around with the original title of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. By substituting zw for b (Zauberberg to Zauberzwerg) he arrives at Dwarf.

“Die Rückfahrt”. The return.

“Themsemundüng.” The mouth of the Thames.

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Southend 1954 Style Notes

These caps for boys were in:

Plus Roman style sandals for women:

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Next: 14. Woolwich Docks, Tilbury Docks & the P.O Liner Iberia.

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12th Mar 2016

14. Woolwich Docks, Tilbury Docks & the Iberia.

“Woolwich Docks.”

M.V. Corromandel.

“In der Docksschleuse.”

M.V. Durham.

M.V.Brittany.

“Der Zugang war nicht so Leicht….” The access was not so easy…..

“….gelang dann aber doch.” ….but succeeded.

M.V. Freemantle Star.

M.V. Port Brisbane.

“Port Brisbane.”

“Union Castle Liner ‘Braemer Castle’, ca.10.000 t.”

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“Tilbury.”

“Ahnlich versperrt vie Woolwich Docks….” Similarly blocked as at Woolwich Docks…

“… gelang das Eindringen auch hier… ” …entry achieved here….

“…mit Hilfe wines Inders, von der ‘C.o.L’ Besatzung.” …with help from an Indian from the ‘City of London’ crew.

“Ein Kumpel.” A pal:

“An Bord der City of London.” On board the City of London.

P & O liner Iberia, seen from the City of London

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“P & O Liner Iberia“

M.V. Iberia background, City of London with Roleni, his Indian pal, foreground.

“Besuch an Bord der Iberia.” Visit aboard the Iberia.

“Sportdeck Touristklasse.” Sports deck Tourist class.

“…wenn erst Wasser drin…” If only there was water in it.

“Schwimmbad 1 Kl. (mit Netz für Ubereifrige).” Swiming bath for First Class (with net for the over- eager)

“Schornstein, special für ‘keeping smoke off the sports deck’ (sorry, ging in Deitsch zu umständlich).” Funnel, designed for keeping smoke off the sports deck (sorry, it was too cumbersome in German).

“Auf der Kommandobrücke.” On the Command Bridge.

“You could take photos from the ships and afterwards sell them to the crew.”

“Blick auf Gravesend.” View of Gravesend.

Gravesend is on the opposite side of the Thames Estuary from Tilbury. It looks as if Hans Richard has included himself in the composition, probably using a lightweight tripod and mechanical timer on his camera, as he seems to have done on occasions previously.

“Nach den Londoner Docks… Noch einmal, The Town.”

After the London Docks… Once again, the Town.

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Next: 15. The Town & ‘Insular Differences’.

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12th Mar 2016

15. The Town & ‘Insular Differences’

“The Town.”

“Britisches Museum.”

“Fassenden.” Facades.

“Regent Street.”

Hampden Crescent, Westbourne Park-PNG216

“Hampden Cresent (Westbourne Park).” Hans Richard Griebe, 1954.

Hampden Crescent. Izis, 1953.

Hampden Cresent, Westbourne Park, London W.2 no longer exists. It was demolished and bulldozed to make way for the construction of the Westway dual carriage way (the A40), which began in 1964. Hampden Crescent was a cul-de-sac, and Izis has taken his photo at that end, looking back down to where Hans Richard took his photo, a year later. The Izis photo was reproduced in Gala Day London, Harvill Press, 1953. The photographs in Gala Day London were reproduced in the same sequence, and published in France as Charmes de Londres, with poetry by Jaquers Prevert. In the 2008 edition the white paper rubbish on the pavement, and the white spots on the road, and the few white light reflecting cobbles have been Photoshopped out to a dark grey.

“Und einige Besonderheiten:” And some special features:

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“Insulare Differenzen.” Insular Differences.

Irony and playing with words is a feature of some of Hans Richard’s captions.

“Die gut getarnten Bahnüberführungen.” The well camouflaged railway bridges.

“Hochwasserkinderwagen.” High water pram.

“‘Die ‘Times’, ein Möbelgeschäft.” ‘The Times’ furniture business.

Herta, above, is on the right hand side, looking at the display.

“Die ‘Privacy’ der Parkebänke (Aber 1 Auge riskiert er doch!). The ‘Privacy’ of the park bench (but still he risks an eye!)

“Die niedlichen Lokomotiven.” The cute locomotives.

“Die Uniformität der Wohnviertel.” The uniformity of the residential districts.

“Wievel Häuser zu Verkaufen warren (FOR SALE).” How many houses were for sale.

“Die Leichtigheit, mit der man in England als Gentleman erkannt wird.” The ease with which you will be recognised as a ‘gentleman’.

“Die vielen Zigaratten.” The many cigarettes.

Cigarette packets pasted into the Scrapbook.

In a note, added to the Scrapbook in 1980, Hans Richard says that he no longer smokes. In an interesting change-around, Hans Richard would find that in 2016 advertising of cigarettes on billboards and street cigarette vending machines are banned in Britain, but not in Germany.

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Next: 16. A Trip to Portsmouth.

12th Mar 2016

16. A Trip to Portsmouth & Southsea

“Fahrten nach Portsmouth und Southsea” Trip to Portsmouth and Southsea

From Hans Richard’s captions in his Scrapbook we know that he first visited Portsmouth on 15 September (Battle of Britain Day), and then again on 12 October.

This is Waterloo Station, London.

This photo was taken by Herta. Later in this section on Portsmouth, Hans Richard pastes in two photos of Herta, who accompanied him on the 12 October trip.

Besides postcards of naval boats, Han Richard took photographs of Royal Navy boats in Portsmouth. But as can be seen on one of the reproduced pages below, the photos have been removed. There are six pages with photos of Royal Navy ships removed. From his captions we know that HMS Vanguard, Vigo. Finisterre, Implacable, and others have been removed. As speculated on the removed photos from his Imperial War Museum section, the photos have either been sold separately by the ebay vendor of this Scrapbook, or at some point Hans Richard has transferred them to a Naval Boat themes scrapbook.

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

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HMS ‘Victory’.

“Peruanischer Zerstörer.” Peruvian destroyer (in background).

“Quarterdeck. Hierwurde Nelson getroffen.” Quarter deck. Here Nelson was hit.

“Blick aux Capt. Hardy’s Kabine auks Oberdeck.” View from Captain Hardy’s cabin on the upper deck.

“60 Pfünder im Batteriedeck.” 60 pounder on the battery deck.

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In between the visit to Portsmouth and then Southsea, Hans Richard has pasted in the following news item and cartoon from Giles, of the Daily Express, from 23 September, 1954. The reverse of the cutting is reproduced, as it is a news story on the soon to be broadcast ‘Commercial’ television in Britain.

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“Southsea Strand perspective.” Southsea beach perspective.

“Sole Bay, Blick auf den Kanal.” Sole Bay, view of the chanel.

” Marine Ehrenmal und. Rundfahrtfreund.” Marine memorial and tour friend.

Wearing his raincoat suggests this photo was taken on his second visit on 12 October, ten days after Herta arrived in London. Photo marked ‘R’ for Rolleiflex. Photo probably taken by Herta, and cropped to a rectangular shape when printed.

“Isle of Wight Boot.” Isle of Wight boat.

“Vierrerkonferenz.” Gnome conference.

“Sallyport.”

Marked ‘R’ for Rolleiflex, and photo probably taken by Herta.

Hans Richard has pasted these two photos together. The photo of him, holding his Exakta, is most likely taken by Herta, probably at his request.

“Herta”

“Promenade nach Southsea.” Promenade to Southsea.

Pasted in at the end of the Portsmouth and Southsea sequence is panel from a carton of Ilford HP3 35mm black and white film. There is no caption to indicate why. The film, reformulated, is still available from the British company Ilford as Ilford FP4. When Hans Richard set out for England from Kiel he would most likely have had rolls of the German Agfa black and white film. It is assumed that at some point he ran out of Agfa, and bought Ilford film, although Kodak film would also have been available for him to buy in the U.K.

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Next: 17. Greenwich.

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12th Mar 2016

17. Greenwich.

Hans Richard visited Greenwich, the Observatory and the Maritime Museum, on 10 October, 1954, a Sunday. Herta was with him, and took a photo of Hans Richard. Although they travelled to Portsmouth two days later, on the Tuesday, Hans Richard has put the visit to Greenwich in his Scrapbook after his Portsmouth and Southsea section. The pub in the photo – the Spanish Galleon, in Greenchurch Street – still exists.

“Die Themse.”

Above, Greenwich Power Station in the background.

Marked “R” for Rolleiflex. Cropped photo. Taken by Herta.

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“Royal Observatory.”

“Observatorium Berg.” Observatory Hill.

Herta at the railings.

Hans Richard has pasted two photos side by side of Herta. On the left she is standing on the Greenwich Merdian Line and on the right she is looking at the Shepherd 24 Hour gate clock. It has just gone quarter past one.

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“Royal Naval College.”

At the Royal Naval College the time is just coming up to quarter past two.

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Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

“Maritime Museum.”

“Admiral Scheer modell.”

The Admiral Scheer was a German ‘Pocket’ battleship, credited with being the most successful – in terms of tonnage sunk – surface raider of the Second World War. Herta is in the background above, and Hans Richard has positioned her standing in the door way below.

The Battle of the First of June, I794 was between British and French naval fleets.

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Next: 18. The State Visit of Haile Selassie, the “Last Day but Two.”

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12th Mar 2016

18. The State Visit of Haile Selassie.

“Eigentlich wollten wir nut die Wachablösung sheen….. (Life Guards).” Actually, we only wanted to see the changing of the Guards…. (Life Guards).

“Wellington Place.”

“… aber die Queen war such da.” … but the Queen was also there.

Cartoon: Hans Richard Griebe.

14 October, 1954 was a Thursday. Hans Richard was at Greenwich on the Sunday, at Portsmouth on the Tuesday, and now in Central London on the Thursday, with two days to go before he travels back to Germany on the Saturday.

Sketch: Hans Richard Griebe.

A bolting police horse.

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“The Guards.”

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“Der Anlaß.” The Occasion.

The “Star” was one of three London evening newspapers in 1954, along with the Evening News, and the Evening Standard. It went out of business in 1960 when the sister daily newspaper, the News Chronicle, also folded that year.