People are only just realising why some street railings have a kink in them - and their minds are blown | The Sun

EVER noticed street railings that have a kink in them and wondered why they have that design?

Historian Alice Loxton has taken to social media to explain the reason - and it turns out, it was very significant during World War II.

The author and TV host explained that such railings are a 'vital' part of the war's history.

She said: “These may appear to be ordinary railings but they are actually a vital part of London’s World War II story.

“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 straight-forward - 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.

“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.”

Around 600,000 of the stretchers were made, leading to a surplus following the end of the war.

The stretchers were welded vertically together and fixed on poles, often sunken into concrete on a small wall.

The fences can be recognised by the two "V"s at each end, which raised the stretcher slightly off the ground.

They were made out of steel so they could easily be disinfected after a gas attack.

A CAMPAIGN was launched to save housing estate fences made from Second World War stretchers that carried Londoners injured in the Blitz.

They are a common, if overlooked sight in many developments in the south of the capital.

And the Stretcher Railing Society sought to raise awareness of them in a bid to prevent councils from replacing them.

The society’s founder Rosie Shaw said: "They have a fascinating history that many of us are unaware of. We want to work with councils and conservators to try to preserve these amazing railings which are such an important part of our heritage.

“Some are now rusting, others have bits missing, a few have been badly damaged.

"The goal is to save the ones that can be saved. However, some councils do not know what to do with complex restorations.

“Our long term aim is try to get some kind of funding for conservation work. It would be a great shame if they were allowed to fall into disrepair.”

Abigail Cornick, curator at the Museum of the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, London, which has one of the stretchers in its collection, said: “The fact they were made from a single material meant they could be made quickly and in high numbers."

Today, they can be found at Kennington Park Estate, the Glebe Estate in Camberwell and on estates in Deptford and Dulwich.

Many people thanked Alice for her video, with one saying: “Captivating storytelling thank you Alice.”

Another added: “Thank you very much for your educational videos.”