Leonard Bentley
Piccadilly Circus
This is a Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd postcard showing Piccadilly Circus from Shaftesbury Avenue near the junction with Denman Street on the right. The subject of the postcard is the American Red Cross Club at 23, Shaftesbury Avenue on the corner of Denman Street. This spot was also known as “Rainbow Corner” and was the second world war version of the “Eagle Hut” at the Aldwych in world war one. It operated from 11th November 1942 until 9th January 1946 with another premises in Coventry Street. The postcard was published in April 1944 and it has a quote from Winston Churchill on the reverse, “Let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead”. The club was previously Monico’s Restaurant and a Lyon’s Corner House, it took three months for the conversion to the club which had canteens, showers, games rooms, dance hall and a valet service. The staff were mostly volunteers and the club was visited by American celebrities living in London including Adele Astaire the sister of Fred who had married into the English aristocracy and became Lady Charles Cavendish. The club closed in January 1946 with a ceremony attended by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of FDR.
Piccadilly Circus
This is a Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd postcard showing Piccadilly Circus from Shaftesbury Avenue near the junction with Denman Street on the right. The subject of the postcard is the American Red Cross Club at 23, Shaftesbury Avenue on the corner of Denman Street. This spot was also known as “Rainbow Corner” and was the second world war version of the “Eagle Hut” at the Aldwych in world war one. It operated from 11th November 1942 until 9th January 1946 with another premises in Coventry Street. The postcard was published in April 1944 and it has a quote from Winston Churchill on the reverse, “Let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead”. The club was previously Monico’s Restaurant and a Lyon’s Corner House, it took three months for the conversion to the club which had canteens, showers, games rooms, dance hall and a valet service. The staff were mostly volunteers and the club was visited by American celebrities living in London including Adele Astaire the sister of Fred who had married into the English aristocracy and became Lady Charles Cavendish. The club closed in January 1946 with a ceremony attended by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of FDR.