Local Legends

Refugees from Russia to the East End

Barnet and Millie came to the East End of London as refugees at the end of the 19th century. They were Russian Jews who had fled the terrible persecution or "programs" that were taking place in Russia and other parts of Europe. When they arrived in London they must have been very poor for they would have brought very few of their belongings with them.

The Billigs found shelter with their Jewish friends in the Whitechapel area of the East End. Their home was a small flat above a newsagent's shop, almost on the corner of Brick Lane. Very soon after they arrived their son Levi was born. Then in 1901, little Hannah arrived. The family grew to four boys and four girls, but two boys died very young.

Millie Billig, the hardworking mother.

Millie Billig, like every good Jewish mother worked long hours in the home, cooking, cleaning and washing and making sure she gave her children the very best that could manage. She would go shopping in Brick Lane where Jewish butchers and bakes sold good "Kosher".

Books for the children.

At home, Barnet and Millie made sure their children took advantage of opportunities in their adopted country. Hannah and her brothers and sisters were not allowed to play out in the street, like some of the other children. Barnet Billig encouraged his children to read. He bought them books and soon their front room looked like a library!

Barnet Billig, the loving father.

Barnet Billig worked hard to take care of his family and give them the best he could. At first he was a newsagent and earned his living rolling handmade cigarettes. He was later employed as a cigar maker. This was not a well paid job and Barnet must have had to work long hours to earn enough money to feed his growing family.

A family to be proud of.

We can only imagine Barnet and Millie Billig's happiness in later life as four of their children including Hannah and David became doctors. Levi was to become a famous Arabist scholar and lecturer. Another sister was a nurse.

Hannah Billig - star pupil.

When Hannah was eleven years she won a scholarship to Myrdle Street Central School in Stepney. How proud her parents were when Hannah brought home her reports. She was nearly always the top of the class. She was the star pupil of Myrdle Street School, and not surprisingly, she won a scholarship to go to London University.

Hannah becomes a doctor.

After graduating from University, Hannah enrolled at the Royal Free Hospital in Grays Inn Road, and later worked at the London Hospital. She qualified as a doctor in 1925. There were not many lady doctors at this time, as many people still thought it was not a "proper" job for a woman to do. Also, it was felt to be a waste of time training a young woman to be a doctor, when she would only give it all up when she got married and had children. But Hannah's family and friends were delighted when she was offered a post of Jewish Maternity Hospital in Underwood Street, just five minutes' walk from Hunbury Street! Hannah too was pleased that was now able to help her friends and neighbours in Whitechapel and Bethnal Green.

Hannah sets up as a Doctor in Cable Street.

After two years work in the Hospital, Hannah decided it was time to set up practice on her own. In 1927, she opened a small clinic at Watney Street, close by to Cable Street. At this time she was living with her parents in Burdett Road. Within a short time, she had patients coming to her from all over Wapping and Stepney. A few years later, in 1935, she moved her surgery to 198 Cable Street.

Day in the Life of an East End Doctor.

Hannah worked long hours at her surgery in Cable Street. There was surgery in the morning, and home visits at mid-day. After a short afternoon break, the evening surgery would begin, and it was often ten o’clock at night before the last patient was seen, and the door to the waiting room closed. Frequently, too, she was called out in the middle of the night to attend to someone who had taken ill, or to deliver a baby who would not wait till the morning! Besides her own practice, Dr Billig was also on call, as a Police Doctor. Sometimes she was called in the middle of her surgery, but her patients did not seem to mind. They just settled down and wait for her return, for they knew that the doctor would attend to them all in turn. Every patient was greeted as an old friend, and Hannah would enquire after everyone, and listen to all the family news and gossip. In this way she would find out if there was more to the patient’s illness than they would admit to.

Dr Hannah’s Children.

Hannah loved children and always had time for them. She remembered how her father encouraged her to read, and she did the same for the Cable Street children. She would ask them to bring books over to her house, and would read aloud with them. Children in turn loved to be with Hannah, who was very short, and rather plump. In her younger days she was quite beautiful, and people often wondered why she never married. Perhaps it was because she worked so hard and tirelessly, she just did not have time for herself. It was hard for a married woman to continue with her career, and women teachers and nurses often gave up working once they got married.

“Tell them I’m on my way”

When she first started her work in Cable Street, Hannah could not afford a car. In fact, very few people had cars in the East End. Hannah would ride around on her bicycle, with her black doctor’s bag strapped to the carrier. When she arrived at the block of flats, she would call out for the children nearby, “Come and help me carry my bag upstairs, and tell them I’m on my way.” The children felt very proud to be chosen to carry the doctor’s bag.

Later on, Hannah was able to buy a car, so she could get to her patients quickly. Her car was a bullnosed Morris Cowley, and she would often take children for a drive when she went visiting the sick. Often when she visited patients at home, she would herself drive to the chemist to buy the medicine they needed.

“Can we afford a doctor?”

When Hannah started her work at Wapping, she soon realised that many of the people who lived there were very poor and could not afford to pay the doctor’s fees. In the 1920’s and 1930’s there was no National Health Service, and doctors charged their patients for consultation and medicines – home visits cost even more. Some people did not call the doctor out unless they were very ill.

Hannah “always in the hurry”

But Hannah did not care whether her patients could pay her or not. She treated everyone who came to her, and did her best to make them well again. She was always in a hurry to get to her next appointment and soon people began to recognise the little lady with the big blue eyes, who never walked, but always seemed to be running.

“Will you treat my Doll?”

One day, a little girl named Pamela came to the surgery with her doll. She asked a doctor for medicine to make her doll better. Dr. Hannah examined the doll and gave Pamela a tiny bottle of medicine to take home. Little Pamela treasured the bottle of medicine, but one day decided find out what was in it. She discovered it was cod liver oil.

War-time in Wapping.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, Hannah found she had a lot to do. She was the doctor in charge of the Air Raid Shelters in Wapping, and would go around tending the sick and injured even while the bombs were dropping.

Hannah is injured

On the night of Saturday 13th March 1941, Hannah was called out to attend some people at Orient Wharf in Wapping, who has been injured in a bomb blast. As she was busy helping the wounded, there was an explosion and Hannah was blown out the steps of the shelter. As soon as she got to her foot again, Hannah realised that her ankle was badly injured. She quickly bandaged it up, and set off to help get the others out of the rubble. For four hours Hannah and her colleagues worked tending to injuries and seeing the wounded got to hospital. Only later did she discover that she had actually broken the ankle in her fall down the steps.

Hannah awarded the George Medal

For her courage and bravery, Dr. Hannah Billig was awarded the George Medal. This was the highest honour given to civilians and was the equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Hannah was told that she would receive her medal from King George VI. She spent days practising how to curtsey and walk backwards (which you are told to do after meeting the King, so you don’t turn your back to him, which is not considered very polite). The people of Wapping were very proud indeed that their own doctor has been honoured. They began referring to her as “The Angel of Cable Street.”

Captain Hannah in the Army

In 1942 Hannah decided to join the Army so that she could do more to help in the war. She joined Indian Army Medical Corps, with her rank of Captain. Soon she was on her way in India. She went to Calcutta, the capital city of Bengal.

Famine in Bengal

In 1944 a terrible calamity occurred in Bengal. Up to now the supply of food in India had not been affected by the War. There was no shortage of food, as there was in Britain. But much of the grain, such as wheat and rice was being exported from India to help Britain. Farmers in Bengal, finding they were getting very good prices for their grain, sold all they could, without keeping any for themselves. That day the crops failed and the farmers turned to the government to help. But so much grain had been shipped overseas, the government, too, had no reserve stock. Soon, thousands of starving farmers and peasants were flocking to the city of Calcutta in search of food and work.

Tending wounded soldiers.

Hannah spent many months in Assam tending to the sick and wounded soldiers who had retreated from Burma when the Japanese had invaded that country. There was also refugees fleeing the Japanese Army, and she was kept very busy. One day Hannah received a lovely surprise. Her younger brother David, who was also a doctor and had joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, and was posted to India. Imagine their joy at meeting each other so many thousands miles from home!

Captain Hannah Billig awarded the MBE.

Hannah now found her services were needed to care for the hundreds of thousands of sick and starving mothers and babies who were gathering in Calcutta. She worked tirelessly with these poor unfortunate victims of the war. Once again, her courage and hard work were recognised, and in the 1945 New Year’s Honours List, Captain Hannah Billig was awarded the MBE.

Hannah “too busy” to go to Buckingham Palace.

This time, however, Hannah felt that she could not go though with all the bowing and curtseying again. She wrote to Buckingham Palace, thanking the king for the honour, and explained that she was very busy. She could not find the time to go to Buckingham Palace, so could they please post the medal to her instead!

Hannah plans her retirement

Dr. Hannah Billig continued to look after her patients at her Cable Street surgery. She also had to take care of her elderly mother, who came to live with her. Occasionally her sister, Dr. D’Arcy would help her, so that she would be able to take short holidays. She often went to Israel and unknown to many of her patients, she had a secret wish. She dreamed of the day when she could return to the land of her Jewish forbears. The new state of Israel had been formed when hundreds of thousands of Jews, fleeing the terrible atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis, had sought shelter in the land of Palestine Sadly, her brother Levi, an Arabic scholar and lecturer at the Hebrew University had been assassinated by an Arab terrorist in his home. David, her younger brother had also settled in Israel and Hannah wanted to be near him. She bought a plot of land in the seaside town of Caesarea in Israel, where she built herself a cottage, with a beautiful garden.

National Health Service-free medical care for everyone

In 1946 Dr. Hannah Billig came back to her patients in Cable Street. But life after the War was very different. There was still a lot of hardship, with rationing still in force, but there was now a great change. The National Health Service was set up, meant that people did not have to worry when they or their children became ill. Medical bills were taken care of by the government. The worry of “Can we afford the Doctor?” was suddenly taken away.

Farewell to the Angel of Cable Street

In 1964 she decided it was time to retire, and settle down on Israel. The people of Stepney were sorry to lose Hannah, who was not only their doctor, but their friend and confidante. Parties and dinners were held all over the borough in her honour, as people bade farewell to “The Angel of Cable Street.” Dr. Frank O’ Shiel, who was the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney said, “Dr. Billig taught me a lot of what I know today. She has three outstanding qualities-she is kind, courageous and adventurous. When Hannah was asked why he had chosen to work in Cable Street, she said, “There was such proverty in the area, I felt I was needed there.” She added, “Those were days of unemployment and mass proverty, when many people could not afford to visit the doctor.”

“The Salt of the Earth”

Dr Billig saw her patients whether they could pay her or not. “It was my duty,” she said. When asked what she thought of the people of Stepney, she replied, “they are wonderful – the salt of the Earth.” She also remarked that it would be a great wrench to leave the people. “I have known a great many of them for three or four generations, and have entered into their family life.”

Healing the Arabs and Jews

Stepney's loss became Israel's gain, once she had settled in Caesarea, Hannah found that she could not stay at home doing nothing. There was work to be done in Arab villages and Jews settlements all around her home. She was soon busy attending to the mothers and babies at the clinic in Baka-el-Garbiya nearby, the children soon come to love the "little lady with the big blue eyes."

The Angel of Cable Street dies

For twenty years DR Hannah Billing worked tirelessly for her patients in Caesarea, but sadly, the day came when she found that she could work no longer. She retied to a sheltered home for the aged, and on 11th July 1987," The Angel of cable street" died peacefully at the age of eighty- six. She was buried in Hadera Cemetery, and on her grave are the words (in Hebrew):

“In loving memory of Hannah who devoted her life to healing the sick in England and in Israel.”

Community Health

Although people had to pay for the doctor and for medicines up to 1948, the government did have programs of community health or preventive medicine. Children were inspected in schools for head lice and skin disorders and treated. Free disinfectant was given out to people to be used in drains and toilets to help prevent the spread of germs and diseases.

Do you remember this rhyme?

Miss Molly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick, sick, and she called for the doctor to come quick, quick, quick. The doctor came with his bag and his hat and he knocked at the door with a rat-a-tat-tat. He said, "Miss Molly here's a pill, pill, I'll be back in the morning with my bill, bill, bill!"

The National health service

The National Health Service came into operation on 5th July 1948. It promised free health care from the cradle to grave, with treatment offered to everyone who needed it, not just those who could afford it. Where previously, medicine, dental care and spectacles were luxuries for many East End families now medicines were provided free of charge and visits to the dentist were also free, as were glasses.

Grandma’s Remedies