Whilst searching out one piece of information it ever amazes me how I can so easily be slapped the face by another. Equally frustrating is how with the constant updating of trends and search terminology upon the world wide web can so easily hide information that could at one time be so easily retrieved by a three-minute perusal of the textbooks in any public library.
My mind had been quite unnecessarily focused upon the London Blitz, the period between November 1940 and February 1941 when virtually unending day and night bombing raids were leveled against the very heart of London by the German Luftwaffe, resultant in a total of 43,000 civilian deaths, and one in six London citizens being made homeless in those five months alone.
My reasoning for that particular wander down memory lane was I suppose that my maternal grandmother had lived within the boundaries of the raids without exception during the entire period, refusing to be forced out of her abode by such villainous activity, belligerently continuing to downplay the experience till her very passing with a surreal mix of outright terror and pride.
The new piece of data that quite bemused me so, was simply that London during the Covid 19 has seen more deaths than from the terrible fire storms of the Blitzkrieg. My perplexion comes from a full recognition and understanding of the terrible blight those mere five months painted upon the great metropolis for all the intervening years, impressed unfailingly upon the collective memories of all who have ever graced her vaunted streets.
To my shame my memory is not all it might be, and my library far less voluminous than was, so I am obliged like many another soul to rely upon records to elicit details that once nestled quite happily in my noodle or within reach of my fingertips. The most available resource is of course the web, containing every piece of garbage ever known, invented, or imagined since time took to spinning. It is a most inclusive library, with one unfortunate insoluble disadvantage over the brick-and-mortar variety. Not one librarian, to curate, catalogue, or sort chaff from grain.
Daily Abstract Thoughts 