Stella Remembers
Stella Startup
Stella Startup
Stella's National Identity card
Stella Startup
National Identity card
Stella Startup
Living in Westminster
By Stella Startup
I was born on 20 December 1917 at 113 Page Street, Westminster. [Following the great flood in 1928] we moved to new flats across the road ... then to another block of flats – Edric House, 2nd Floor.
In 1939 war was declared. The same morning the air raid warning sounded and we went down to the ground floor flat of my mother’s friend for safety. We heard a plane had been shot down and the German pilot had come down by parachute at Clapham.
During the war my sister and I used to go out dancing at Covent Garden. The opera house had a dance floor supported by the stalls seats. When the dancing finished we came home by tube, lots of people sleeping on the platform at the station.
Life went on and we got used to going down to the shelters, which were attached to the flats. Daytime we carried on and after a while every office had firewatchers. I did overnight duty at the top of the tower on our building. I still pass it when I go out now.