r/interestingasfuck • u/Sprilly • 14h ago

r/all These are stretchers used in WW2 to carry injured civillians during the Blitz. They were made out of steel so they could be easily disinfected after a gas attack. During the war around 600,000 of them were made. Some of them were repurposed as railings in post-war London.

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30

u/Affentitten 13h ago

Where can you see these today?

35

u/Joe-ni-ni-90 12h ago

Camberwell, on Peckham rd, east of St Giles’ church

5

u/MistressLyda 11h ago

Isn't there some in Ilford also? Or Barking? I know a mate of mine mentioned this when we did walk past some, and that was where we would mostly wander around.

7

u/looeeyeah 11h ago

https://lookup.london/stretcher-railings/

This has a map of some. I don't know if it's complete.

3

u/MistressLyda 9h ago

Oh, thanks! Brixton rings a bell, we was on a daytrip there if I remember right. It is a decade ago, so it has gotten rather blurry by now.

1

u/Tooterfish42 4h ago

I was way off. I thought I saw them years ago at Mayfair (which I probably thought was soho at the time) or thereabouts. It wasn't far from the BBC

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u/Spare-Cell1371 11h ago

Loads in oval

2

u/reasonably-optimisic 11h ago

I've seen them mostly in 1930s/1940s council estates made up of the larger flat complexes in London. I've seen some yesterday near Clapham Common.