1. An estimated 30,000 children passed through Watford Junction in the three days commencing September 1 as Britain prepared for war.

2. The area’s first victim of the air raids lived at the White Hart, Bushey. It is believed she died of a heart attack prompted by the alarm, known as “Moaning Minnie”.

3. Watford FC played Luton twice on Christmas Day 1940. They drew 2-2 with the Hatters at home in the morning, and then went down 4-1 at Kenilworth Road in the afternoon.

4. In Rickmansworth a statue depicting a lion crushing the German eagle was removed and hidden in the cellars of Basing House for fear of what invading forces might do to the town if they saw it.

5. In August late 1940 incendiary bombs fell on Moor Park Golf Course, the first of many to fall on south west Hertfordshire during the war.

6. South West Hertfordshire suffered more fatalities than any other Hertfordshire community.

Bomb damage at a grocers in Scots Hill, Croxley Green. Picture: Three Rivers Museum

7. The first V1 to strike locally hit Mill End at three minutes to midnight on June 15, 1944. It damaged 309 houses and caused between 14 and 17 casualties, none fatal.

8. The biggest bombing disaster to hit the area came when a V1 fell on Sandringham Road, Watford, on Sunday, July 31, 1944, killing 37 men, women and children.

A scene of devastation after a V1 struck homes in Sandringham Road, Watford, killing 37 people. Picture: Watford Museum.

9. German spy Karel Richard Richter was executed at Wandsworth prison in December 1942. He had landed near London Colney, close to the North Orbital. A lorry driver tipped off police following a conversation with the German spy, who was arrested and found to be carrying a compass, English maps and some food.

10. American ambassador Joseph Kennedy and his family stayed at Wall Hall in Aldenham before returning to the USA in 1941.

11. The most famous member of the Home Guard was Jimmy Perry, who later ran the Palace Theatre before drawing on his experiences of the war in Watford to write the TV hit, Dad’s Army.

12. It is believed Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce) featured the Watford Town Hall clock in one of his propaganda broadcasts that always began “Germany calling”. It is said he questioned why the clock was two minutes slow, a claim that was uncannily accurate.

It never happened but this realistic exercise shows the storming of Watford Town Hall. Picture: Watford Library

13. Harry Williamson, a photographer for Grevilles and, by arrangement, the Watford Observer was an agent in counter-espionage.

Photographer Harry Williamson worked with MI5 in feeding misinformation to the enemy. Picture: Bob Nunn

14. In 1942 a crossbred bull terrier belonging to the Whiteleys of Watford became one of the first dogs to be loaned to the Government to be trained for casualty and sentry work.

In the first few days of the war 40,000 pets were put down to save on food. This one survived the cull and went on to be loaned to the Govenrment for war work. Picture: Watford Library

15. A high speed Morse “squirt” transmitter was developed by the Special Operations Executive at Watford capable of sending 350 words per minute as opposed to the normal 25. This baffled the enemy, who were not only unable to decode the signal, but the duration of the transmission was so short they were unable to home in on and locate the sender.

16. The Royal Observer Corps chose Watford as the headquarters of the 17th group, which covered London and most of the Home Counties north of the Thames and parts of Surrey and Kent. Their operations room was above Watford Post Office in Market Street. In August 1943 it moved to a purpose-built HQ in Cassiobury Drive, just down from the subsequent Essex Arms, the building later occupied by a veterinary surgeon.

17. Bovingdon Aerodrome housed the largest numbers of the Eighth Army Air Force Group and the OSS (forerunner of the CIA) used the transport station regularly.

The Air Force Group's HQ was at Bushey Hall. Picture: Bushey Museum

18. American officers asked the licensee of the Wellington Arms in Watford not to serve black American troops. Licensee Harry Kent, then retired as Watford FC’s longest serving manager, told them it was his pub and he’d serve who he wanted.

19. The most dramatic local confrontation involving US troops took place in Lower High Street after an American soldier struck a Watford girl. Local inhabitants remonstrated with him and Canadian soldiers joined in the free-for-all in which shots were fired and seven were taken to hospital with stab wounds.

 A more cordial scene as American troops take a breather outside the now defunct Three Horseshoes pub at Pudds Cross, Bovingdon. Picture: US Army

20. On March 29 1945, in Rickmansworth, A.J. Higby signalled the last alert siren at 8.50am and a few minutes later, the all clear. The warning had come almost 1,000 alerts after the first one and was just three minutes longer.

Time to celebrate the end of war in Europe. A street party on VE Day in Alexandra Road, Kings Langley. Picture: David Spain

Copies of Watford in the 20th Century Volume 2 are still available from our offices here at Observer House and online

If you are interested in Nostalgia you may like to read  33 things you may not know about Watford... This is based on Watford in the 20th Century Volume 3, which covers the 60s and 70s and is still available at selected outlets, here at Observer House, or online

In addition, 40 things you may not know about Watford... is based on Watford in the 20th Century Volume 1, which focuses on the years 1900 to 1939. This is also available to buy online