Campaign launched to save London fences made from repurposed WWII stretchers

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A group of London history buffs has launched a campaign to save fences in south London made from repurposed World War II stretchers at risk of being pulled down as they age and rust.

About 600,000 metal stretchers built to treat the injured during wartime air raids were later recycled as fence panels around council housing estates in the English capital.

A group called The Stretcher Railing Society has formed to preserve the fences, which are made of railings and wire mesh, arguing they are historical artefacts.

"They are an incredibly important part of our history. They were used nationally, but I only know of them in estates in London where they were turned into railings," the society's Rosie Shaw said.

"And sadly over the years they're not in great condition and they're slowly starting to disappear.

"Now there's more than a handful, but not a huge number of estates where they still survive.

"And now really is the moment before they all disappear and they're gone."

Ms Shaw said the group was collating a map of the remaining fences with help from the public.

"We'd like to work with the councils to make sure that none are disappearing, and we're also looking at making an application to Historic England to try and get some nationally protected," she said.

"We'd really like try and save them."

After the war, the stretchers were the perfect size and shape to weld together and form fence panels. But more than half a century on, many are rusted and damaged.

The Museum of the Order of St John in London has one of the original stretchers in its collection.

"At the end of the war they had a huge surplus of these stretchers that were just no longer required in day-to-day life for civilian responses to first aid requirements," museum curator Abigail Cornick said.

"Some remained in use for a very long time and may still be in use now, but a huge number were used around housing estates — particularly in south London."

Fence railings were removed at the beginning of World War II to provide much-needed materials for the manufacturing of munitions.

"Because they're really just made of one material — metal — and they have two component parts, the rails and then the wire mesh in the middle," Ms Cornicks said.

"It meant it was must easier to manufacture them in great numbers quickly because of the limited processes and the single material.

"They were also very fit for purpose because they were much easier to clean than the traditional wood and canvas stretcher."

Some of the historic fences fall within the Southwark Council area, where councillor Mark Williams said he hoped to meet with the campaigners.

"Although there is no formal protection in place for these unusual forms of fencing, they do form a fascinating piece of local history, which is why the council works to preserve them where we can," Mr Williams said.

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