When World War II began, no one could imagine the extent of the conflict that was to follow.

The war was in its infancy when people began planning for the end of the hostilities.

However, the reality of war would soon reach the home front, and south west Hertfordshire was to suffer more fatalities than any other Hertfordshire community.

As soldiers marched off to battle, those left behind had no choice but to try to keep smiling through. They cleaned up the debris of bomb damage, fought fires caused by incendiary devices, and saved money for War Weapons weeks.

The Watford Observer informed readers that there were to be siren practices at lunchtime on the first Sunday every month – but the real thing would come all too soon and with far greater regularity.

Eventually, dog-fights in the sky over the area were to become commonplace; people watched them with interest and even cheered in support.

The whole experience was as fascinating as it was disturbing for local inhabitants, many of whom would take to high ground such as West Herts Golf Course or Chorleywood Common to watch the Blitz over London at night. As well as being able to see the red glow of explosions in the capital, watchers could also hear them.

To the younger generation, bombs were a novelty and local children delighted in receiving souvenirs of shrapnel.

The Watford Observer was not allowed to publish details of bombings at the time in case the information was relayed back to Germany, but we now know that the first bombs fell in Eastbury Avenue, Northwood; Oxhey Woods; and Moor Park and Rickmansworth golf courses in August, 1940. There were no serious casualties.

Eventually, bombings would become so much a part of everyday life that people would remark, ‘They’re early tonight!’

Caledonian School in Bushey was gutted with fire from an incendiary device and Cawdells department store sustained damage from a delayed-action bomb, which exploded the day after it was dropped. Other areas badly hit included All Saints’ Church in Croxley Green, Gammons Lane, St Albans Road and the Rose and Crown pub in Watford.

Some had lucky escapes. At a house next to the railway line in Gade Avenue, Watford, a bomb exploded in its front garden, but the only damage was a vase blown off the mantelpiece in the front room.

Others were not so lucky. An errand boy cycling along Woodland Drive was badly injurd when he fell into a crater created by a bomb. He was carried into a nearby house, where residents tore up sheets to bind his wounds. One onlooker observed, ‘windows were smashed, paving stones were standing upright like tombstones and tiles had been blown off roofs’.

At the end of November, 1940, 200 incendiary bombs fell in one night on Watford, causing fires in Eastbury Road, Rose Gardens and Hagden Lane, among others.

A pamphlet circulated by Watford Council in October, 1940, gave advice about what to do if your house was hit by a bomb: ‘If enemy action has destroyed your home or affected it so that you cannot live in it for the time being, you should go to one of the prepared Rest Centres, at which meals and temporary shelter are provided’.

Several emergency feeding and food centres were created, including at Watford Field School, Victoria School and Garston School, to feed those who had been bombed out of their homes or who had to be temporarily evacuated to other parts of the town.

The pamphlet also encouraged people to think before rushing out of their homes due to an unexploded bomb, advising them to ‘stop and think for a moment what you may need. Why not have a suitcase already packed with essentials in readiness?’

The local authority worked as quickly as possible to make all repairable houses wind- and weather-tight by temporary repairs, and later would see that more permanent repairs were done. If furniture or clothing was destroyed by bomb damage, the Assistance Board Officer could offer compensation to replace what had been lost.

It must have been common for families to become separated, as the pamphlet advised, ‘If you have become separated from some of your family and do not know where to find them, apply to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau at 14 High Street, Watford’.

If you lost your gas mask because of a raid or if it was damaged, the Council also offered another one for free.

Watford Borough sustained the most fatalities in south west Hertfordshire. This was caused by the Sandringham Road V1 tragedy in July, 1944, during which 37 people were killed.

In total, Hertfordshire was hit by 4,421 high explosives, 30,500 incendiary devices, 106 V1s and 46 V2s. 256 people were killed and 1,141 injured.