By Rebecca Drew
INCREDIBLE colourised pictures have brought World War Two Britain’s famous Blitz spirit to life to remind the country how it’s always reacted in the face of terror.
From a milkman doing his round through a trail of destruction to men assessing the damage caused by an air raid on Elephant and Castle road in London, these images encapsulate Britain’s strength.
Other light-hearted photographs show smiling families celebrating Christmas in a festively decorated underground shelter and people gathered together in Aldwych underground station for a night.
The pictures were colourised by electrician, Royston Leonard from Cardiff, Wales who does colourisation as a hobby.
“The Blitz was a very hard time when life still carried on around the country,” said Royston.
“The pictures show that community is all that matters, not buildings or material things.
“Their message is that the more people try to destroy us, the more we will smile and carry on.”
The Blitz lasted for eight months from September 1940 to May 1941. The raids by Nazi Germany killed 43,000 civilians.
Royston says that his passion for colourisation has helped him improve his photography skills.
“I have learnt so much from colourising, I feel it has helped my photography along the way,” he said.
“The message is already there for all to see in the pictures themselves but I do feel that colourisation helps the younger generation to understand that what happened was real.
“I love giving more life to the pictures and I think that colour improves the story that the photographs tell.”
