Mabel Agnes Oldrini

  Research Notes:

Information provided ny Hornsey Historical Socity:

The Hornsey Journal of 1 September 1944 included a death notice for "Miss
Mabel Oldrine" age 86 from a very old Highgate family - sister of Mrs Moss
Blundell also of Highgate.

The Hornsey Journal of 25 August 1944 mentioned the bombing but, because it
was wartime, they were required to be very oblique about the precise
location. The following are three extracts.

".... a flying bomb made a direct hit on a guest house"

"Miss Violet Alice Duval with six other guests was entombed for many hours
and were found dead when rescue workers eventually tunnelled through the
debris."

"Other houses in the street which were at the back of a damaged court house
were also damaged."

We have in our archives the Diary of Air Raid incidents kept by Thomas King,
the Hornsey Borough Engineer. He was in charge of the Control Room ordering
material and deploying repair gangs to make safe and weatherproof houses hit
by the German bombs.

Talbot Road Incident No 16.(23/8/44)
"A bomb fell at 4.50. Report received from Post 7.A. about 05.00 giving
location as North Hill/Broadlands Road provisionally. In the absence of
more definite information rang Depot 2 to see if they know the position, but
they said they did not. They had sent out no services. In the absence of
further information I sent out two Light Parties and one Heavy Party from
Depot 2 up North Hill to find the incident.

First definite report was received about 05.05 from Mr Todd who gave the
location as 26/28, Talbot Road; these two houses being demolished. About 5
houses on either side are badly damaged at the rear and will probably have
to be demolished. Four houses are partially demolished in North Hill,
including Gardener's garage and Messrs. Bignell's seed stores.

Bell called four Heavy Rescue Parties almost at one. There were only three
available in the Borough; therefore brought two in from outside, one from
Wood Green and one from Tottenham; one stood by at Highgate Depot and the
other one went to the incident. These were released at nine o'clock."

  Noted events in her life were:

• Occupation: lady nurse, at the time of the census in April 1891. ⁶ She was then working in the household of Gilbert Belcher, Rector of Chaldon, Surrey

• Occupation: shorthand typist, at the time of the census in March 1901. ⁷ By that time she was living in three rooms at 59 Redcliffe Road, Kensington, London with a friend, Christine Little, also a shorthand typist. Her age was given as 37 although she would have been 42 at that time.