The First World War

Southend suffered one of the first air raids on England in the First World War, in May, 1915. A special "Air Raid Supplement" was published by the Southend Standard, with graphic accounts of the Zeppelin raid by LZ 38, commanded by Hauptmann Erich Linnarz. Zeppelins were huge airships, from which incendiary bombs would be dropped by hand onto towns. Many properties in the town were damaged by these incendiary bombs and, later, more conventional bombing raids.

The Palace Hotel was converted to hospital use as Queen Mary’s Royal Naval Hospital throughout the war period. The hospital cared for both British and Belgian wounded and sick. From March 1917 only sailors were admitted. To raise funds for the hospital, special charity events were held, such as "rose days" and "gift days". Up to March 1917 a total of 4,126 British soldiers and sailors had been treated and 169 Belgian soldiers.

In the Estuary, off the Pier, were moored prisoner of war ships, housing captured enemy troops and other "aliens". The ships were the Cunard liners Saxonia, Ivernia and Royal Edward.

Between the Wars

During the 1920s there were several major developments in and around Southend. In 1921 the War Memorial, designed by Edward Luytens, had been unveiled. The new Arterial Road (the A127) was being constructed in the early 1920s. This was a period of very serious unemployment and hardship and, by way of trying to alleviate this hardship, many unemployed men were taken on to help with the new road scheme. The Arterial Road was opened in 1926.

Another major scheme was the building of the Victoria Arcade, at Victoria Circus. This was a complex of arcades or alleyways with shops, rather like an under- cover market. At the centre of the complex of alleyways and shops was a private house, belonging to C.H.J. Talmage. Each of the alleyways had a name, one of the best remembered being the Talza Arcade. The complex opened in 1925. Part of the complex was two storeys high, and on the corner was the "Garons Clock", above one of their shops. Another feature of the Arcade was the Civic News Theatre.

The Second World War

Owing to the position of Southend, at the mouth of the river Thames, and with its pier, the EKCO radio factory and Garrison at Shoebury, it was considered to be a major target for the enemy during the Second World War. From the mid 1930s the town had been preparing for possible invasion, with the formation of defence groups and the organisation of practice black out and invasion exercises. 

In June 1940 allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk; many of local fishing and pleasure boats were used in this evacuation, including the Royal Sovereign, Crested Eagle, Golden Eagle and Medway Queen, Princess Maud, Skylark II and the Southend Britannia. Among the smaller craft were many cockle boats, dredgers and sailing barges.

Following Dunkirk the threat of invasion was increased, and Southend was declared a restricted area. The majority of local school children were evacuated to places of safety (away from the areas most likely to be invaded). Most Southend schoolchildren were sent to Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Southend airport had been a Home Defence Station in the First World War, and several squadrons were stationed there. After the war the land reverted to farm land. In the early 1930s the site was purchased by Southend Council for the building of a permanent airfield. It was operated by Southend Flying Club from 1935. In 1939 the airfield was requisitioned to become a satellite of Hornchurch and 11 Group as RAF Rochford. From January 1941 the airfield became a forward offensive fighter base.

The Kursaal was closed from June 1940. The waterchute basin was prepared as a reserve water supply for the fire brigade. The old cinema building was converted to a factory for the manufacture of waterproof clothing for the troops. The ballroom appears to have been used as a storeroom for the NAAFI. In July 1942 the Southend Home Guard rifle range was opened in Prittlewell, and many of the town’s larger houses in the town were used as Air Raid Warden posts. Many schools (many did keep open) had air raid shelters and trenches in their playgrounds, and shop basements were also used as air raid shelters.

Southend suffered many direct hits from enemy aircraft, some of the most notable casualties being in Southend High Street. 

Also, several enemy aircraft were shot down, one of them being a Heinkel 111, which crashed at Lifstan Way, Southchurch. The pilot and two crew parachuted down (and were captured), but the rest of the crew were killed.

To find out more about bomb damage and other aspects of the war, see the SID database at Southend Museum.

Southend After the War

After the war there was a desperate need for housing, for the returning troops and for people whose houses had been destroyed by bombs. All Councils put in place emergency measures to build houses very quickly, and Southend was no exception. A series of cleverly designed "prefabricated" houses were built; some of these were bungalows, such as those at Manners Way, while others were of two storeys, such as those in Holby Avenue (behind Prince Avenue School). The "prefabs’, such as those in Manners Way, were built with fully fitted kitchens and heating systems. These have been demolished, but many of the two-storey types still remain.

Southend continued to expand after the war, and the 1950s proved to be the town’s heyday as a holiday resort. At the airport Air Charter Ltd started the Channel Air Bridge service to Calais; concrete runways were laid down, and there were regular services to Calais, Ostend, Rotterdam, Guernsey and Paris. The Carvair began flights from Southend to Geneva, Basle and Strasbourg in the early 1960s.

Southend was so popular in the 1950s that quite often there was not enough accommodation for those staying the weekend, and crowds slept out on the beach.

However, by the early 1960s the numbers of visitors began to decline. This was due to a number of factors, chief among them being the introduction of holidays to the Mediterranean. As holidaymakers declined, so the Council decided to redevelop Southend as a more commercial town less reliant on visitors.

The town centre was almost completely demolished and rebuilt. Many fine old buildings were demolished to make way for rather characterless "1960s" architecture. Among the buildings demolished were the Hotel Victoria and the Technical Schools (Municipal College). The Victoria (Talza) Arcade was also demolished, and on its site was built the Victoria Plaza shopping centre. 

Along the west side of Victoria Avenue were built new government office blocks, for VAT and Customs and Excise. Southend’s original police station in Alexandra Street was replaced by a new building in Victoria Avenue. Also, the original Municipal Buildings (the first Town Hall) in Clarence Road were demolished (now a car park) and the new Civic Centre was opened by the Queen Mother in 1967.

Southend High Street was pedestrianised, and a series of ring roads were built. 

It was also this time, in the mid 1960s to early 1970s, that many of the old family firms began to close, among them R.A. Jones, Brightwells, Owen Wallis and Dixons (all in Southend High Street).

The Modern Town

In 1974 Local Government was again reorganised, and Southend lost its County Borough status. Libraries, Education, the Police and some other services were taken over by Essex County Council. A new Central Library was built for Southend, in Victoria Avenue, the old Library building being converted as Southend’s Central Museum.

In 1973 the Kursaal’s amusement park was closed down, and the land sold off for building. The Kursaal buildings closed in 1986. In 1976 a serious fire broke out at the end of Southend Pier, totally destroying the superstructure. Some years previously regular paddle steamer services had ceased and now, in the late 1970s, the pier’s train service also ceased to run. It was not until 1986 that a new train service was inaugurated on the pier, opened by Princess Anne. 

In 1995 disaster struck again, with the destruction by fire of the pier’s bowling alley.

Another round of local government reorganisation saw Southend created a Unitary Authority in 1998. Some of the aspects lost to the County Council in 1974 were returned, among them education and libraries. 1998 also saw the reopening of the Kursaal buildings after a multi-million pound redevelopment.