In June 1940 Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, made his appeal for scrap metal, after this "Scrap Metals Week" were organised for different months around the country. It was in the said months that ornamental railings around parks, public buildings and ordinary dwellings were taken for scrap and in a lot of cases, after the war, they were never replaced. Household utensils also were given freely, only later was this generosity regretted when they became impossible to get. The council of Acton began their first week collecting for 'Scrap Week' in February 1940, here is seen one resident of Acton contributing her waste iron. Metal was an obvious requirement for the making of munitions. The British public donated nearly one-and-a-half million tons, enough to build 50,000 tanks. No metal was safe, even in Berkeley Square, built in 1709, is seen losing its historic railings to the drive for salvage. Ornamental railings and gates are removed from residential properties owned by the L. M. S. Railway.
