The Day I Gasped For Air

Gigi  was a 1958 American musical-romance film directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Maurice Chevalier & Hermione Gingold sang in the musical film GiGi "I Remember It Well." 

In the early 50s, I experienced the worse fog/smog in the history of London and "I remembered it well!"

St Paul's Cathedral London, 1952. The original church on this site was founded in AD 604.

It's so easy to take our clean air and water for granted. Living in London in the early 1950s, we were a long way from having both clean air and water, and now I understand why my mother would always warn me "before drinking the water let the water run awhile." We wouldn't drink the lead from our lead pipes. To think we were slowly being poisoned by our own drinking water! And now my friends, if you think I'm a little crazy, blame the water.

Today We Take for Granted Clean Water

In the months of November, and December of each year, we aptly call it the fog season. In December 5 - 9, 1952, London experienced what became known as the Black Fog, The Killer Fog. The fog in question was so thick. It was a yellowish, greenish, blackish sort of fog. No wonder it was called 'Pea Soup Fog!

Arial View of London, 1952 

Pedestrians Crossing a Street, London 

London City Policeman on Duty. The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile 

House of Parliament and Westminster Bridge which opened in 1862

A young boy listening to the radio which we called the wireless.

My mother banned (not the phased she used) me from leaving the house during the fog my biggest flaw here, which was not always listening to my mother, and believe me when I say it was impossible to see a few yards from our window, it truly was. As always, I went out and got lost within a few yards of my front door. Fortunately, my mother heard me choking because the air was so thick with pollution, soot, poisonous sulfur, and dioxide gas, that she was beside herself.

Pea Soup Fog, London, 1952 

The news reported that over 4,000 people had died in London as a direct result of the smog, and 100,000 more became ill from its effects. More recent research suggests that the total number of fatalities was considerably greater, about 12,000 (mainly the elderly and children) and 200,000 suffered illnesses. No wonder my mother was so protective of me.

Before the fog came, Londoners tended to accept pollution as part of their city life. Not anymore! The Clean Air Act in 1956 was passed by the House of Parliament. New York did the same a few years later.

Sir Winston Churchill absolutely did the right thing as regards to The Clean Air Act in 1956, don't you think?

During the fog, The Thames River was declared biologically dead, an environmental disaster. However, after decades of cleaning up the river, today it has turned into a success story. London does, however, still earn its nickname as "The Big Smoke" - that means it always needs to do more. A story for another day.

A young couple walking home. London, 1952.

The Tower of London has become an iconic symbol of London.

A nostalgic image of central London during 1952.

A modern image of House of Parliament, located in central London. The first royal palace was built on the site in the 11th century, and Westminster was the primary residence of the Kings of England

Hard times: Two Londoners struggling with the fog, 1952.

In 2010 The River Thames won the largest environmental award in the world – the $350,000 International River-prize. I lived by the Thames and yes I am a proud Londoner

A joyful group of young boys in London during their week off from School