Pre-Fab Shops

There would not have been much rubble in Corporation St apart from the Rex, and perhaps the Sellrights shop had just opened in one of the new temporary shops. Anyhow it is not a fake.

Kaga, Prof. The Telegraph reports the council agreeing to build the pre-fab shops in December 1940 and reports in January 1941 that they are building in Corporation Street.

Prof, Argon. Yes, they did build quite fast those temp shops, they needed them badly, but there was still rubble about. I didn't say the photo was fake, but needed more explaining. I know the clothing rationing only started a few weeks after the raid. but in 41 even the rats were eating the carpets. But in 41, dressed like that?

As it appeared in Life Magazine, I suspect it was staged and posed

Kaga. Looking at the photo on Coventry's cinemas by NeilsYard, no. 521, where the temporary shops were built in Corporation Street had not been developed in 1939, and so could account for no bomb rubble.

That was exactly my point Argon! It was a newly developed street and not built up until the temporary shops had gone,quite some time after the war ended. Edited by member, 2nd Jun 2019 9:18 pm

Argon, Prof. Easter week 1941 we had two bombing raids, the Coventry Hospital, and Spon End got hit badly. I was under the impression that Corporation St in between got hit, somewhere near where the Belgrade is now.

Well done Anne I think that that newspaper confirms the date of the shop. It could still be that the photo was created to give the best possible advertising image effect, say a model in a special outfit. Seems to me that I have seen actresses dressed like the lady in the photo in 1930;s films.

There are quite a few adverts in the newspapers for that year for smart clothes like that and as I said my grandmother remarried in 1941, looking quite smart with a strange looking fur thing over her arm and a fancy hat. Possibly clothes made to do but I still think that women liked to look nice to cheer themselves up. The lady could have been a model for the picture, but I would imagine any female staff in the shop would have been pretty well dressed as well. It had got to be 1941 as the shop was only in Corporation Street for that short period.

Anne, "the strange looking fur thing over her arm" sounds like a fox-fur which would then still have been a fashion item.

Annewiggy, The older women wore what looked like a thick scarf but fur; young teenage girls wore, I think it was called, a 'stole', this fitted over the shoulders the same as a coat but came down and just covered the bust. My sister had one until she went in the forces. Real hand warmers, but they took a lot of coupons so families had to rally round - weddings, it was everyone's clothing book on the table, and snip snip. In 1939 like everyone else the clothing firms had to turn to wartime and uniforms etc. But look back, tons of clothes got burnt or destroyed in the bombing, so all towns were in short supply 1941 time for some time. Stockings were none existent, so women painted seams on the back of the legs. Anne, you have the back papers, I think April 1941 was cold wet and miserable? Everyone helping at the hospital bombing that April wore an overcoat.

This is my Nan and stepgrandad on their wedding day, 5th July 1941. I think she looks very smart, as she always did but I am not sure about the fur. I think it had a head on it, how anyone could wear that I don't know but I suppose it was accepted then. Uncle Eric looks a bit like Charlie Chaplin, he looked better when he got older! They were married at the Register Office and I think the picture may be at the back of the Chace Hotel. Edited by member, 4th Jun 2019 2:38 pm

Annewiggy, Lovely - very smart lady, bet she pinched some of her family's coupons. Special day called for special help all round. Can see where you get the smiling face from. The fur was mainly for show, can't remember ever seeing one worn although many of my aunts had them. The weather was kind too. Yes, a very lovely photo for what was going on all round. To me, now there is the spirit of Coventry, not the buildings.