The End of an Era: Women & Work Post WWII in Bermondsey & Rotherhithe

[@marke.blewer1279]

My grandmother, was widowed in 1937, when my mum was 17. My nan had a shop in the railway arches in Druid Street, she was given a weeks notice and a sum of money and that was that. They couldn't find anything in Bermondsey, so they moved to Camberwell, where I still live. My nan found a shop and my mum worked in several offices and factories. She met my dad when he was an air raid warden, prior to joining up and they married in 1942. My dad was garrisoned in Yorkshire, my mum travelled up on her own, got married and made her way back home. After war service, fortunately my dad returned home and my brother and I were born in 49 and 52, respectively. So many of these women's stories are familiar from stories my nan told me as a child about family members and friends. They were a tough bunch with hearts of gold and their stories still bring a smile to our faces today. Mum died in 2015, at 94 years of age after a 5 year struggle with Alzheimer's, which she bore with great fortitude. I looked after her at home, she deserved that and although it was tough at times, we wouldn't have had it any other way. God bless them all, we won't see their like again.

[@mixthegreeka701]

My nan was the First Lady that spoke she worked so hard for her children. Very proud of my nan xx

[@elainejohnson4352]

What a breath of fresh air these REAL women are. No affectation at all. I miss them all.

[@darcylowe5292]

I remember walking to school and smelling all the different smells coming from the factories. My mum worked at the biscuit factory when we were small children. I have such wonderful childhood memories of a community that cared about each other. Playing in the streets all day or exploring the bomb sites which we called 'the country' as they were all overgrown. Thank you for bring back such nostalgic wonderful memories ❤

[@henryjohnfacey8213]

Wonderful documentary. I worked in Bermondsey. Next door to the Alaska fur factory. Evening classes, and a sports ground in Dulwich for staff. My mother worked in Bermondsey town hall. Uncle John on the river. My Grandmother came from Cherry Garden Pier, was schooled there. Grandad, a great darts player. My other grandmother was a Slum Sister Midwife and suffragette. The Mayflower sailed from here. Captain cook set off for the far side of the world. London The home of Daniel de Foe, Dickens, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Henry the V returned home after the battle of Agincourt up the old Kent road. Isaac Newton, Dr Salter. Many many more amazing people. A wonderful inheritance I am so glad and grateful for. London an amazing place. The Greenwich observatory, St Mary's church. My children were the first to go to university. Some thing we never even contemplated. The injustice of unequal pay and pensions. Great video. Viola coaches. Wow!

[@jamesstone9091]

but it doesnt exist anymore. so what is the physical inheritance?

[@louiseowusu246]

This is a fascinating documentary. Love this kind of social history. Thank you for adding it. Its very moving. The older lady reminds me of another woman in a documentary called 'We was all one' which focuses on Bermondsey, Elephant etc. It was done in 1972. If there are any more like this, please share!!

[@metaplay9602]

There is another film we made in the area called "Southwark voices'.

[@louiseowusu246]

@@metaplay9602 ooooh thank you. I'll have a watch! 😊

[@davidotoole9328]

This is wonderful. There's been a clandestine class-war raging since 1979 and unfortunately the working class have lost.

[@H4CK61]

When women were real. My mum worked at the Tin bashers. And was a cleaner all her life and Im proud of her more than you could imagine. What a Women. R.I.P mum till we meet again.

[@metaplay9602]

Thank you for watching and for commenting. We wanted to capture the working lives of these women before they were forgotten.

[@louiseowusu246]

Your mum sounds brilliant. I think that generation were hardcore. They had no choice. RIP to your mum.

[@silversurfer4259]

Good on you mate. My family were the same. Real people. The way they helped one another, particularly their own family, should be how we all live our lives.

[@tess1433]

This is so lovely! Bermondsey, Southwark etc, the London of my ancestors. I love these women, so comforting listening to them, wonderful women. 💕

[@metaplay9602]

It was a real priviledge meeting them and talking with them.

[@snowwhite6846]

Fantastic documentary....as a bermondsey girl ........it captures my childhood .. Perfectly ....plus Sylvia was my nanny mays very good friend ...wonderful memories

[@metaplay9602]

Oh wow!

[@QueSeraFredE]

A well produced documentary on social history in Bermondsey. Thank you.

[@spruggins]

My Gran and Grandad lived at 245 Lynton Road in 1913, my Mum and Dad lived in Plough Way Rotherhithe, my Uncles and Grandad worked in Surrey Docks. My Dad worked at Courage's Brewery Tower Bridge from the age of 14 delivering beer on a horse drawn dray. I worked in Peak Freans doing their phones, they had one toilet for the straw hat governors another toilet for the workers. My mate got the sack from Peak Freans falling asleep while stacking the Christmas Puddings in the railway arches, it was so warm and he'd had a late night so he couldn't keep awake. My Aunt worked in Martin Rice's Alaska fur making flying jackets during the war, it affected her lungs. One of my Uncles worked there as well. It was a real community of real Londoners round there. I still feel that's my home around there and they are my people. I worked in Bamfords Lard packers in Rotherhithe St the floor was so greasy your feet would be slipping and sliding. My Gran had a sweet shop, tobacconist in Rotherhithe.

[@keithrose6931]

These people are your real Londoners.

[@darrens3]

No True Scotsman logical fallacy. Anyone who has ever been born in London is a real Londoner by literal definition.

[@silversurfer4259]

This is a wonderful documentary. Thanks so much for posting, I really enjoyed it. My family are from Bermondsey, the accent is so nostalgic.

[@grahamsouthon553]

Thank you so much for sharing this. My aunts, who lived in Sedan St, Walworth, worked in the Alaske Fur Factory. ♥

[@cuibono6872]

Forty years ago, when getting together on a Sunday morning (old opening hours) for a few pints was de rigueur among the working classes, you could go to boozers in rotherhithe and bermondsey where grandads would be sitting with dads and their lads having a beer, it was in a time warp even then, hard as nails but salt of the earth people.

[@rubiccube8953]

I worked in production control for two years 1976/77. With Walter Avery and Jim Tubs. Would walk around the factory every morning collecting production data on all the lines. Bermondsey people are the best.

[@chris-rfs]

My mother,Louisa Fisher,worked Peek Freans in the evening and as a cleaner at Guy's Hospital in the morning. People really don't know what working hard is now compared to those years.

[@suzannereddington-gardner9931]

What a lovely and informative documentary. Real Bermondsey women.

[@londonparticulars2968]

Brilliant watch, cheers!

[@metaplay9602]

Thank you! So glad you liked it.

[@johncarlisle6865]

what lovely ladies, it was a pleasure watching this

[@markwhalebone751]

Mum was invited from Ireland by Metal Box to come and work in about 1957. My Nan was at Peak Freans, Grandad and Gt Grandad were at Shuttleworths.

[@cliffthelondoncabbie]

fantastic

[@adelinaponzio9370]

So interesting thank you 🙏👍👍

[@Henry_the_viii_club]

It's funny my nan worked in the biscuit factory now I have a office there.

[@metaplay9602]

So many of the women we spoke with either worked at the Biscuit factory themselves or had had family members who had.

[@balluna1453]

That was really enjoyable and familiar, those girls must have had many good belly laughs through the years, they still had laughing eyes, gawd bless em!.

[@coleenallen5963]

Super lovely days Proper

[@paulinemoriarty3627]

Brilliant

[@JohnGallacher-g9o]

i worked with a local mini cab firm and we would buy broken biscuits from peak freans till they clised down in the 80s

[@Lloyd1885]

Lovely accents ❤

[@chris-rfs]

Yes,and what did all these ladies work their socks off for.? What is left of Bermondsey and Rotherhithe is a multi cultural highly desirable area for outsiders!! The community these ladies enjoyed has gone.They endured hard times but lived in a true community. The London I now know is nothing like the one my mum and dad knew.London is no longer a place that you can call a true community.It is a place of selective community depending on what race has the majority in a particular area.(For example the area around Canada Water,which I prefer calling Surrey Docks, has become very much Chinese and Korean)The reason is that they are the people that can afford to buy and rent in the area. As a REAL local of Bermondsey I live in sad times.

[@snowwhite6846]

Christopher Fisher so true Chris ....the Labour Party deliberately broke a truly great community...because we were so close to the city .....money always about money

[@chris-rfs]

@@snowwhite6846 I do not know if you live in my part of South London but you recognise what i say is true. And do you remember the LDDC?,they started the gentrification of the run down areas of the Docklands of London. This gentrification continues and will do until all the lower income locals are gone. Nothing changes!!

[@viewmodeimages]

Everyone blames the government but its nothing to do with them 😄 I work for Britains most successful construction company and when we are working on a New Build in London, our sales teams travel to Hong Kong, Shanghai etc and set up pop up offices and aggressively sell London properties to that market. Absolutely nothing to do with politicians. I live in Surrey Quays, and yes, there are a lot of Chinese there living in New Builds. You can thank the sales strategies of construction companies for that and the fact that they employ the best and most successful sales teams there are. Its HUGE money for them! Government policy could be changed to stop foreign property investment I suppose, I am not really sure that would change anything. I still think it would be wealthy landlords buying up the properties instead and renting them out to City workers of varying nationalities. And lets face it, people love to live near their own. Blacks live near each other in London. Indians live near each other in London. Arabs live near each other in London. Chinese live near each other in London. Kiwis/Aussies live near each other in London. South Africans live near each other in London. Jewish people live near each other in London. Thats the way it is. People like to be around their own culture/religion. I dated a Cockney guy in SE London. All his mates and their parents left London. Why? Because they all realised their houses were now worth a fortune and all sold up, made a ton of cash and moved to the countryside or seaside. No politician made them do that!!! They were laughing all the way to the bank. Cockneys left because they wanted to leave. Which left living space for ‘scummy foreigners’. Its about time people took some responsibility for the changes to London. You can’t sell all your properties and then complain that ‘London isn’t the same anymore’.

[@londonparticulars2968]

@@viewmodeimages good points u make

[@stephencotton2694]

​@@viewmodeimagesI agree eastenders who owned homes moved out for the money all in Essex and Kent now most of my relatives who grew up in the East end in the 1920s /30s/40s always talked bout the friendliness and community but said that it was a real shit hole dirty and grinding poverty it must be better now no matter how we complain

[@baberoot1998]

Worked in a 'fact tree'? What in the world...is a, 'fact tree'? That must be one...very large tree, to be able to 'work' in it.

[@michaelgibson4705]

Its our accent from where we grew up and our community so FO

[@vercingetorixwulf9298]

Is it about man hatred? I subbed, I'm a man. Interesting stuff. But it's me that goes to work, does the cleaning and do the cooking while my ex is waited on hand and foot. Why? The council don't have a place for me to live. Because, I'm a man!

[@sheila-we7em]

What has your problem with the council got to to with a documentary about women and work in post WW2 Bermondsey?

[@darrens3]

What's wrong with not liking men that treat women badly? The problem you appear to have with it is where you'd place yourself either a man that doesn't treat women properly, or one that does. And that's on you.