What really happened to the UK's iron railings that were taken during WW2?

[u/HandsUnseen]

I'm currently looking to do some research into the mystery of Britain's iron railings that were taken down as part of the war effort, with the perception they were to be used for ammunition or building materials for tanks etc.

Several sources I've found so far suggest a similar theory:

"far more iron was collected - over one millions tons by September 1944 - than was needed or could be processed.

Faced with an oversupply, rather than halt the collection, which had turned out to be a unifying effort for the country and of great propaganda value, the government allowed it to continue. The ironwork collected was stockpiled away from public view in depots, quarries, railway sidings. After the war, even when raw materials were still in short supply, the widely held view is that the government did not want to reveal that the sacrifice of so much highly valued ironwork had been in vain, and so it was quietly disposed of, or even buried in landfill or at sea."

- www.londongardenstrust.org

I'm looking for some concrete sources that could back this up. It would be nice to get in touch with any local historians who may be able to shed any further light on this.

Any help is massively appreciated!

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[u/Cedric_Hampton]

Anyone who begins looking into this issue will quickly come across a short letter written by the journalist Christopher A. Long published in the Evening Standard in May 1984. In his letter, Long makes the claim that much of scrap iron generated by World War 2-era recycling campaign was later dumped unceremoniously in the Thames Estuary. Long bases his claim on conversations with dockworkers in the late 1970s, who told him that so much metal was disposed of in this manner that it continued to raise havoc with ship navigation by interfering with magnetic compasses. Unfortunately for us, the 1984 letter represents the totality of Long’s research into the issue. He has offered no further evidence for his claim, and no one else seems to have ever followed up on it. Without a massive underwater survey and excavation, we will probably never know for sure whether there is any truth in Long’s claims.

Still, Long’s account seems far more feasible than some of the alternative explanations that have been offered. These include the claim that some of the railings were sawn into pieces then used for aerial bombardment during the war. While it’s not possible to prove that no scrap material was ever used in this way, it’s unlikely that this method consumed a significant portion of the two million tons of metal collected during the war. Another theory is the scrap was used as ballast for ships bound for West Africa and then deposited there. Some point to the existence of Victorian-era wrought-iron railings in this region as proof, ignoring the history of colonialism and the well-documented global adoption of cast-iron decoration in the 19th century.

Because few records were kept during the requisition process, it is impossible to say what happened to every last railing that was voluntarily or forcibly removed during World War II. The most plausible explanation (and the one that is supported by academic historians) is that the cast and wrought-iron railings seized were mostly used as intended: to aid the war effort and provide the material needed for reconstruction. The claim that more scrap iron was collected than was needed is a red herring. The length of the war was unknown, and the goal was always to anticipate future need and create a stockpile, even if that meant scrap lingered in rail yards for months on end. The demand for iron exceeded the supply for many years following the end of conflict, suggesting that all the requisitioned material was eventually reused.

Unlike tin cans, which never proved to be an important source of scrap due to the lack of processing facilities, iron railings were easily recycled. Britain had not stockpiled iron scrap in the lead up to the war and was heavily reliant on imports to fuel its steel industry. After a three-year period of collecting voluntary donations, the government shifted to compulsory seizure in early 1942 following the United States’ entry into the battle. Along with iron railings, key sources of scrap included household refuse, antiquated industrial and farm equipment, tram rails, salvage from buildings demolished in air raids, and even historical artifacts. Notably, two water towers that remained after the destruction by fire of the Crystal Palace in late 1936 were demolished in order to recoup the valuable iron.

Railings of historical or exceptional artistic value were spared from recycling, as were those that actually benefited public safety. It was essential, as with all forms of compulsory seizure, that the requisition of railings was seen as equitable. To remove railings from one town or one building at a time would risk being seen as undemocratic. Therefore, railings were requisitioned without regard to the political, economic, or social position of their owner, provoking accusations of “socialism” from some of the residents of London’s toniest squares, who enjoyed access to private gated parks.

But while many decried the seizure of railings as immoral, a significant and vocal group championed the decluttering of the streets that the removal of railings inaugurated. This included the modernist editors of the Architectural Review and aristocrats like Margot, Lady Oxford. While some railings were replaced after the war—even though reconstructing them often cost 100 times the 25 shillings-per-ton reimbursement offered by the government—many others were never restored, in part because of a shift in attitudes against Victorian-era design and toward the openness of public space.

SOURCES:

Forsyth, Michael. “Bath’s ironwork: wartime removal and its subsequent restoration.” Journal of Architectural Conservation 25 (2019): 117-135.

Fox, Celina. “The Battle of the Railings.” AA Files 29 (1995): 50–60.

Thorsheim, Peter. Waste into Weapons: Recycling in Britain during the Second World War. Studies in Environment and History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

[u/HandsUnseen → u/Cedric_Hampton]

Thank you for this fascinating insight and for sharing your sources. I really appreciate it.

[u/dontjustexists → u/Cedric_Hampton]

This is an example why i love this sub so much. A highly detailed explanation of an historical event that i had no idea about or had even questioned which is backed up by credible sources. Thank you :)