The first V2 rocket to strike London hit Chiswick in west London in September, 1944.
Specials
10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…7. First V1 rocket to strike London…
The first V1 rocket attack on London took place in June, 1944, and resulted in six deaths and 30 injuries.
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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…6. Stainer Street Arch bombing…
This simple blue plaque memorial in Southwark commemorates a bombing on the night of 17th February, 1941, in which some 68 people were killed.
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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…5. The Stairway to Heaven Memorial, Bethnal Green…
This unique memorial commemorates the worst civilian tragedy of World War II in the UK – the disaster at Bethnal Tube station in east London.
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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…4. Following the Leader (Memorial to the Children Killed in the Blitz)…
This unusual – and rather poignant, if overlooked – memorial, located on the side of a housing block in Lambeth, is a sculptural relief depicting a series of children.
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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…3. Coronation Avenue bombing…
Weeks after the start of the Blitz, on 13th October, 1940, a bomb struck a residential housing block and the air raid shelter located in Stoke Newington.
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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…2. Kennington Park air raid shelter…
More than 100 people died when, on the night of 15th October, 1940, a bomb destroyed an air raid shelter located in Kennington Park in Lambeth.
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While no official death toll was announced at the time, it’s now believed that 104 people died in the bombing. Forty-eight bodies were recovered and buried in Streatham Cemetery while the remainder still lie under the park.
The majority of those killed were women and children with the youngest just three-months-old. The oldest known victim was 75.
While Lambeth’s civilian dead are commemorated in a memorial at Lambeth Cemetery dedicated in 1952, in early 2000s the Friends of Kennington Park raised funds for a permanent memorial to those killed in the tragedy in the park.
The memorial, which was designed by Richard Kindersley and is located in the South Field close to the Tinworth Fountain Gate, is an upright stab of Caithness stone brought from Scotland standing 2.6 metres tall.
It is inscribed with a quote from poet Maya Angelou – “History despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived but if faced with courage need not be lived again.”
While another inscription around the edge of the stone commemorates the more than “50 men, women and children” who died during the bombing, a nearby interpretation board puts the toll at more than 100.
WHERE: Kennington Park, inside the Tinworth Fountain Gate, Kennington Park Road, Lambeth (nearest Tube station is Oval); WHEN: Usually 7.30am until 15 minutes before sunset; COST: Free; WEBSITE: www.lambeth.gov.uk/parks/kennington-park
10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…1. Balham Underground Station…
This month, the UK and other nations marked 80 years since VE (Victory in Europe) Day. London suffered greatly during the Blitz and later rocket attacks, so we thought it appropriate to take a look at some key memorials around the city.
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10 historic London docks…A recap…
Before we move on here’s a look back at our most recent Wednesday series…
10 historic London docks…10. East India Docks…
These docks located in Blackwall were among the large number of docks built in the first half of the 19th century and were, as the name suggests, established by the East India Company.
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10 historic London docks…9. Millwall Dock…
Located on the southern end of the Isle of Dogs, Millwall Dock opened in March, 1868.
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10 historic London docks…8. St Saviour’s Dock…
Located in an inlet where the River Neckinger enters the Thames just to the east of Tower Bridge, this dock has been used since the early middle ages.
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10 historic London docks…7. Royal Docks…
This series of three inter-connected docks in London’s east were once the largest enclosed docks in the world (they’re still the largest enclosed docks in the UK).
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10 historic London docks…6. St Mary Overie’s Dock…
This small but historic London dock is located at Bankside on the south bank of the Thames.
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10 historic London docks…5. The London Docks…
Once the largest enclosed docks in the world, the London Docks were constructed in Wapping in the early 19th century.
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10 historic London docks…4. West India Docks…
A complex of three docks located on the Isle of Dogs, the West India Docks were founded more than 200 years ago and in recent decades have been redeveloped as the financial centre of Canary Wharf.
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10 historic London docks…3. Greenland Dock…
The oldest riverside wet dock in London (and for many years the largest), the origins of the expansive Greenland Dock in Rotherhithe go back to the late 17th century.
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10 historic London docks…2. St Katharine Docks…
Located just to the east of the Tower of London, St Katharine Docks were opened in 1828 following the demolition of more than 1,000 houses along with a brewery and what was left of the medieval St Katharine’s Hospital.
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10 London mysteries – A recap…
10 London mysteries…10. Who was Jack the Ripper?
Linked to the brutal slayings of at least five women in the later half of 1888, the identity of Jack the Ripper is London’s most infamous mystery and one which continues to fuel speculation – and make headlines – more than 130 years later.
Exploring London 