Bombs, beer and babies: Meet the last publican of Carshalton’s lost pub

EXCLUSIVE Time gentlemen, please!! This former drill sergeant knew how to get respect from his customers at the popular Kings Arms in Carshalton High Street. Mr Harlow (pictured above) was the publican at the old pub which stood where Co-op supermarket currently is.

Sadly, during the Blitz of October 1940, a bomb was dropped on the pub, which damaged the building beyond repair.

Mr Harlow lived with his family in the building to the left of the pub. Richard, or ‘Dick’, was a popular man and enjoyed many happy times at the Kings Arms – having been there for over 15 years. He was a drill instructor before taking over the pub. This is someone responsible for the welfare of young army recruits.

On that fateful night, Mr Harlow’s daughter-in-law and grandson were staying on-site too. And through these misfortunate events, his 3-week-old grandson was thrown from the first floor to the debris below. The cot was left sticking out of the bedroom as seen in the centre of the photo below.

We spoke to Mr Harlow’s great granddaughter, Ulla, who lives in the state of Delaware, US. She said: “My grandmother was living upstairs as she had recently had her baby. She was holding him as the bomb hit and he disappeared out of her arms.

“A stranger found my dad, at the time just 3 weeks old, in the street below – barely a scratch on him.”

Mr Harlow was said to be devastated by the loss of his pub, and the local paper reported that he “never got over the shock”. He died just a few years after the night of the blitz at the age of 74.

We’d like to thank Ulla Harlow for allowing us to share her family’s story and for the use of these fascinating images.

More on the bomb in Carshalton High Street, courtesy of the Honeywood Museum.

The photo of the bombed-out pub also helps us date the art deco building to the left of the pub – more about that here. We hope you enjoyed this post. Please login and leave your feedback below.