One hundred and seventy-three people were crushed to death in what was to become known as the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster.

Witnesses talk about the worst civilian tragedy on the Home Front as BBC One Daytime marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War with a week of special programmes.

The crowds were fleeing an air raid which never happened. Alf Morris was 13 years old and, buried up to his waist in bodies, would have died with his friends if it had not been for a female air raid warden who saw him and pulled him out. He kept his silence about that night for more than 50 years.

Also featured are the moving stories of two couples whose love letters to each other throughout the war prove that the pen really is mightier than the sword.

The programme also takes a look at some iconic posters of the time and tells the story of evacuee Howard Bradley, who left Teeside for the idyllic Lake District – although his stay was to end tragically.