If you’ve ever been to London, you might have noticed that some of the street railings are a bit bent. You might think it’s just a quirky design, but it’s actually a big part of British history from World War II.
In a TikTok video, historian Alice Loxton explained that these aren’t just any old railings – they’re a key part of London’s story during the war.
Alice, who goes by the username @history_alice, explained: “They are the emergency stretches used by Air Raid officers to carry wounded civilians during the Blitz.”
“Thousands of stretchers were produced for the war effort. They were made from a single material making them cheap to manufacture.”
“The design too was straightforward – two poles flanking a stretch of wire mesh – this meant they were very easy to clean, particularly in the case of a gas attack. The bend in the poles allowed them to be picked up and carried easily too.”
She continued: “Now during the war, many of London’s railings were removed so that the metal, it was claimed, could be used for the war effort.”
“So, many streets suddenly had no railings at all, with short metal stumps left behind, so it made sense when they tried to rebuild the city and tidy up the damage to reuse the old ARP stretchers.
“So it’s quite incredible to think these railings, which you might walk past without giving them a moment’s notice, a moment’s thought, once upon a time were perhaps responsible for saving hundreds of lives.”
She added: “During the war, lots of London’s railings were taken away so the metal could be used for the war effort.”
“So, many streets suddenly had no railings at all, with short metal stumps left behind, so it made sense when they tried to rebuild the city and tidy up the damage to reuse the old ARP stretchers.
“So it’s quite incredible to think these railings, which you might walk past without giving them a moment’s notice, a moment’s thought, once upon a time were perhaps responsible for saving hundreds of lives.”
The video has racked up more than 24.4K likes and is still going strong, with loads of people really surprised by this amazing bit of London’s past.
One person said: “That is so friggin cool and so interesting. So much history and sadness in those railings.”
Another wrote: “I used to live in a house that had these and I didn’t know its history.”
