Sixty years after the Victory
Celebrations of 1946, Jim Slade assesses the wartime toll on
the Borough’s population.
Introduction
The present London Borough of
Wandsworth was established in 1965 by the amalgamation of the Metropolitan
Borough of Wandsworth (minus Clapham and Streatham, which became part of the
new London Borough of Lambeth) with the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea.
This article deals with the casualties in the two pre-1965 metropolitan
boroughs, whose populations at the beginning of the air raids were very
roughly: Battersea 132,000 and Wandsworth 343,000. The two metropolitan
boroughs were in the County of London, which was administered by the London
County Council (LCC).
It is over sixty years since the end
of the Second World War, the war in Europe lasting from 3rd September 1939
to 8th May 1945 (VE Day), and to most people alive today, the war, together
with the bombing of London, is now just a part of a chapter in our nation’s
long history. With nearly all of the vestiges of the bombing long since
gone, the places damaged or destroyed in the air raids, where many people
were killed and even more injured, are now impossible for most people to
recognise. In April 1940, a new Branch of the Metropolitan Police called
the Central Casualty Bureau was set up by the Government to record the
numbers of dead and injured caused by air raids in London. The sources of
these numbers were hospitals and mortuaries, which transmitted the
information to the bureau through their local authorities. The first
casualties recorded were on 27th July 1940. The Bureau was closed in
October 1945, and its records are now deposited in The National Archives at
Kew.
It is not known exactly how many
people were killed and injured in the air raids on the two boroughs, but
from the information available from several sources, it is safe to accept
that about 1,800 died and about 8,900 were injured. The records do not
wholly reflect the total number of residents killed in the two boroughs,
since they include a small number of people resident elsewhere but killed in
air raids when visiting Battersea or Wandsworth, and exclude a small number
of residents who died in air raids whilst out of the boroughs. Included
also are a few people who were injured in air raids elsewhere and brought to
hospitals in the boroughs, where they subsequently died of their injuries,
and excluded also are some who were injured in the boroughs, taken to
hospitals elsewhere and died. Nevertheless, most of those recorded as
killed were people who resided in the two boroughs. Whilst we have
comprehensive details about those killed, we do not have similar information
about those injured. From the total number injured of 8,868, estimates have
been made using the types and numbers of air delivered weapons, Metropolitan
Police figures and details from a number of recorded incidents, both in the
two boroughs and elsewhere, in order to produce a guide to the
numbers probably injured in particular bombing periods and geographic
areas. The numbers of injured, where known in a variety of recorded
incidents, have been taken into account when making the estimates.
Casualties under 16 years old are defined as children (boys and
girls). This article does not deal with any air raids other than those that
caused deaths and injuries. The following abbreviations have been used: ‘B.’
the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea, ‘W.’ the Metropolitan Borough
of Wandsworth and ‘e.’ estimate.
The air raids
From 27th July 1940 to 26th April 1944
there were 101 daylight and 253 night raids on London by piloted aircraft.
During that time, 2,729 high explosive bombs and parachute mines together
with about 50,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the two boroughs. The
incendiary bombs caused many serious fires but caused hardly any casualties,
virtually all deaths and injuries from fire were the result of fires started
by explosive weapons. From the night of the 17th June 1944 to
the 6th March 1945, 160 flying bombs fell on the two boroughs.
Also, during that time, eight V2 rockets fell on the boroughs from the 8th
September 1944 to the 6th March 1945. There were two main
periods when London was bombed, broken by a period of few raids:
Period 1 – 1940-41:
17th August 1940 to 23rd
August 1940 (mainly daylight raids, some heavy).
24th August 1940 to 10th May 1941
(night raids called the Blitz, mostly heavy).
11th May 1941 to 28th July 1941 (light
night raids).
Period 2 – 1941-3:
29th July 1941 to 20th October 1943
(irregular light night raids).
Period 3 – 1943-5:
21st October 1943 to 18th February
1944 (light night raids).
19th February 1944 to 24th February
(heavy night raids, the little Blitz).
25th February to 12th June
1944 (light night raids).
13th June 1944 to 29th March 1945 (V1
flying bombs).
8th September 1944 to 27th March 1945
(V2 rockets).
The Casualties
Period 1
In the night of 17th August 1940 the
first bombs fell in the LCC area in Woolwich and Eltham, but it was not
until about 5.00 p.m. on Saturday, 7th September that the first big daylight
raid took place, causing immense damage to the London docks and surrounding
areas. This was followed at about 8.00 p.m. by a second raid also causing
further massive damage and casualties over a wide area. The first
casualties in the two boroughs occurred during this night raid, causing 14
deaths (B. 11 and W. 3). Further night raids caused moderate
casualties until the night of Monday, 14th October, when an unusually heavy
raid killed 114 people (B. 18 and W. 96). This was the
highest number of deaths in a single day throughout the war on Battersea and
Wandsworth. Many of the deaths (57%) happened when a high explosive bomb
hit the Balham High Road and penetrated the booking hall of Balham
Underground Station, rupturing a large water main, sewers and other services
beneath the road. Torrential water, mud, gravel and rubble poured down the
stairs to the platforms where about 500 people were sheltering, killing 65.
In other incidents that night, another 49 were killed (B. 18 and
W. 31). This was followed by another heavy raid on the 15th October,
killing 35 (B. 12 and W. 23).
During this period three fire stations in Wandsworth were
hit, killing 31 firemen. They were ‘Mitcham Lane’, Streatham, 11 killed on
17th October 1940, ‘Cavendish Road School’, Balham, 14 killed on 6th
November 1940 and ‘West Hill’, Wandsworth, six killed on 16th November
1940. Except for 2nd November, when the weather was bad, London was bombed
every night from 7th September to 13th November, a total of 66 nights. The
night raids continued, causing a fairly steady rate of casualties until the
16th April when 78 were killed (B. 15 and W. 63), and the 17th
April when 54 were killed (B. 39 and W. 15). Even during the
Blitz, people still went to pubs for a brief escape from the
anxieties of the war, and the evening of Saturday 19th April found ‘The
Castle’ in Putney Bridge Road crowded with local people. Late in the
evening it was hit by a high explosive bomb, destroying the building,
killing 48 and injuring 141. These three raids alone produced 180 killed
and e. 400 injured. The
11th May saw the last heavy raid in the first period, which killed 45 (B.
19 and W. 26). From the 7th September 1940 to the 28th July 1941,
there were 975 killed and e. 4,134 injured.
Period 2
From the 29th July 1941 to the 20th
October 1943, a period of two years and two months, there were 25 killed and
e. 85 injured. There were no fatalities in 1942.
Period 3
Since there had been very few raids in
1942 and throughout most of 1943, people had become more confident, perhaps
even complacent, and took full advantage of what little entertainment was
available. This changed dramatically in the evening of Sunday, 7th November
1943 after the third period of air raids had started, when the worst
incident of the war in the two boroughs occurred. An air raid warning was
sounded at about 8.40 p.m., with few people going to air raid shelters. At
9.02 p.m. a lone aircraft released a single 500 kg Stabo high explosive bomb
that hit No. 35 Putney High Street, which is opposite the end of Felsham
Road, causing great damage on the east side of the high street including
Rego the tailors on the corner of Putney Bridge Road. It also started a
serious fire in Perrings bedding shop opposite, on the corner of Felsham
Road. The Black and White Milk Bar was on the ground floor of No. 35, and
upstairs over two shops, including Rego’s, was the ‘Cinderella Dance Club’,
at the time a very popular venue in Putney for young people. In addition to
the many casualties in the dance hall and milk bar, there were a number of
people killed and injured in the High Street, who had been walking or
standing at bus stops. A total of 81 were killed, 46 females and 35 males,
with 248 injured, many of them seriously. Among the casualties were 18
service personnel killed and 26 injured. The youngest killed was Edward
Henry Smith, aged 14, of 196B Fulham Palace Road. This air raid brought
great grief to many families and to Putney, since nearly two-thirds of the
casualties were young people under 23 years of age:
|
62% |
aged from 14 to 22
years old |
– |
50 killed |
e. 154 injured |
|
17% |
aged from 23 to 39
years old |
– |
14 killed |
e. 42 injured |
|
|
aged from 40 to 58
years old |
– |
17 killed |
e. 52 injured |
|
|
|
|
81 |
248 |
There were 10 (B.) more killed
in November, but no casualties in December 1943 and January 1944. Raids
started again on 13th February, 103 (B. 29 and W. 74) being
killed and e. 450 injured over six days (the little Blitz),
from 19th to 24th February.
The raids by V1 flying bombs on London
started in the night of the 13th June when a single V1 exploded in Bow. The
real assault commenced in the night of 15th/16th June, and the first three
deaths occurred in Battersea on Saturday, 17th June. On Sunday, 18th June
the boroughs suffered 101 killed (B. 24 and W. 77) and e.
595 injured. This was the second highest number of deaths in a single
day throughout the war on Battersea and Wandsworth. At about 9.15 a.m., a
V1 damaged by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and exploded at the junction of
the Upper Richmond Road and Charlwood Road, Putney, killing 36 and injuring
25. (From the writer’s own recollection of this particular incident,
together with the very high number of injured to killed usually produced by
V1s, this number appears to be greatly understated.) This specific incident
was responsible for the highest number of deaths caused by a single V weapon
in the boroughs, in period 3. The raids continued through June and July,
declining by the end of August. Although the number of raids was falling,
29 were killed on Monday, 17th August at Lavender Hill. From 17th June to
31st August, V1s killed 503 (B. 163 and W. 340) and injured
e. 1,826.
At 6.40 p.m. on 8th September the first V2 exploded in
Chiswick. Between this date and 27th March 1945, 513 V2s fell on London,
only eight exploding in the two boroughs. The final serious incident of the
war was caused by a V2 at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday, 19th November at Hazlehurst
Road, Tooting, where 28 were killed and 83 injured. This event caused the
highest number of deaths by a V2 in the boroughs in period 3. From the 7th
November 1943 to the 6th March 1945, there were 832 killed and
e 4,649
injured.
The first person killed in Battersea
was Ernest Clark, aged 41, at 28 Rawson Street on 7th September 1940, and
the last was Benjamin George Beasley, aged 81, at 53 Petergate on 30th
January 1945. The youngest killed was Mary Barbara Carpenter, aged 3 weeks,
on 16th October 1940 at 146 Meyrick Road, and the oldest was Fanny Willett
Cooter, aged 88, on 29th October 1940 at 3 Howie Street. In Wandsworth, the
first person killed was Margaret Anna Kennedy, aged 17, of 70 Bowland Road
who was killed at 26 Nelson’s Row on 7th September 1940 and the last was
John William Wallis, aged 3, at Nutwell Street on 6th March 1945. The
youngest killed was David Alan Harding, aged 4 weeks, on 25th March 1944 at
50 Churchmore Road, and the oldest was Harry Ogilvie, aged 92, on 19th
November 1944 at 30 Hazlehurst Road. By chance, the incidents having the
highest number of casualties caused by each type of weapon, all happened on
a Sunday! On Sunday, 7th November 1943, a high explosive bomb at Putney
High Street killed 81, on Sunday, 18th June 1944 a V1 at Upper Richmond Road
Putney killed 36, and on Sunday, 19th November 1944 a V2 killed 28 at
Hazlehurst Road in Wandsworth.
Conclusion
Because of the high building density
in the two boroughs and Wandsworth receiving more V1s than any other borough
in London, the casualties, particularly injuries, were higher than those
suffered in some other boroughs in London. During period 1, because a
majority of the air raids took place at night, most workplaces were
unoccupied, venues for entertainment very restricted and many people took
shelter, the number of casualties was minimised. The early part of period 2
saw a relaxation of attitude and venue restrictions, which was reflected in
the large numbers of killed and injured at Putney High Street on Sunday the
7th November 1943. When the V1 flying bomb and subsequent V2 rocket raids
started, the casualty rates greatly increased. This was because the raids
took place during the day and night and consequently many people,
particularly during the day, were often at work or shopping, and so did not
take shelter as had been the case during the Blitz of
1940-41. Since the V1 warhead contained 848 kg (1,870 lbs) of high
explosive and exploded on impact, the area of damage was considerable, and
therefore the casualty rate was very much higher than before. The V2 had a
slightly smaller warhead than the V1 and also produced many casualties, but
generally not as many as caused by V1s. The skills and very often the
bravery of the rescue and medical services meant that an overwhelming
majority of those seriously injured and taken to hospital later recovered;
nearly all deaths occurred at the site of an incident.
Battersea received fewer high
explosive bombs, mines and V weapons than Wandsworth, but suffered more
casualties per air delivered weapon than Wandsworth did. For every high
explosive or mine death in Wandsworth, there were 4.74 deaths in Battersea
(i.e. 1.65÷0.35). Similarly for each V weapon death in Wandsworth, there
were 1.65 deaths in Battersea (i.e. 5.21÷3.16) (see the table ‘Numbers
Killed and Injured per Air Delivered Weapon’).
Appendix
Air Delivered Weapons
|
|
Batt.
|
Wands. |
Total |
LCC Area Comparison |
|
High Explosive Bombs and Mines. |
201 |
2,528 |
2,729 |
45,350 |
|
Flying Bombs (V1s). |
36 |
124* |
160 |
2,341 |
|
Rockets (V2s). |
2 |
6 |
8 |
513 |
|
|
239 |
2,658 |
2,897 |
48,204 |
|
Incendiaries. |
e. 3,700 |
|
e. 50,000 |
e. 830,000 |
|
Total all types |
3,939 |
48,958 |
52,897 |
878,204 |
|
|
7.4% |
92.6% |
100.0% |
|
*The number
exploding in Wandsworth of 124, was exceeded only by Croydon in Surrey,
which had the highest number of 142.
Killed 1940 to 1945
|
|
Men |
Boys |
Women |
Girls |
Total |
% |
|
Battersea |
218 |
42 |
239 |
32 |
531 |
29.0 |
|
Wandsworth |
540 |
81 |
636 |
44 |
1,301 |
71.0 |
|
Total |
758 |
123 |
875 |
76 |
1,832 |
|
|
|
41.4% |
6.7% |
47.8% |
4.1% |
100.0% |
|
|
48.1% |
51.9% |
Ages of Those
Killed.
|
|
Batt. |
Wands. |
Total |
|
|
M. |
F. |
M. |
F. |
M. |
F. |
Total |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
% |
|
% |
|
66-92 |
28 |
39 |
74 |
123 |
102 |
11.6 |
162 |
17.0 |
264 |
14.4 |
|
51-65 |
63 |
59 |
135 |
144 |
198 |
22.5 |
203 |
21.3 |
401 |
21.9 |
|
36-50 |
71 |
72 |
169 |
164 |
240 |
27.3 |
236 |
24.8 |
476 |
26.0 |
|
22-35 |
36 |
47 |
110 |
142 |
146 |
16.6 |
189 |
19.9 |
335 |
18.3 |
|
16-21 |
19 |
23 |
44 |
57 |
63 |
7.1 |
80 |
8.4 |
143 |
7.8 |
|
9-15 |
19 |
15 |
37 |
30 |
56 |
6.4 |
45 |
4.7 |
101 |
5.5 |
|
0-8 |
23 |
17 |
52 |
20 |
75 |
8.5 |
37 |
3.9 |
112 |
6.1 |
|
Total |
259 |
272 |
621 |
680 |
880 |
100.0 |
952 |
100.0 |
1,832 |
100.0 |
Killed and Injured 1940 to 1945
|
|
Batt. |
Wands. |
Total |
|
|
K. |
I. |
K. |
I. |
K. |
I. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
% |
|
High Explosives and Mines |
333 |
e. 390 |
890 |
|
|
66.8 |
e. 5,282 |
59.6 |
|
V1s and V2s |
198 |
e. 811 |
411 |
e. 2,775 |
609 |
33.2 |
e. 3,586 |
40.4 |
|
Total |
531 |
e. 1,201 |
1,301 |
e. 7,667 |
1,832 |
100.0 |
8,868 |
100.0 |
Killed & Injured per Year
|
|
Batt. |
Wands. |
Total |
|
|
K. |
I. |
K. |
I. |
|
|
I. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
% |
|
1940 |
186 |
e. 218 |
468 |
e. 2,577 |
654 |
35.7 |
e. 2,795 |
31.5 |
|
1941 |
97 |
e. 113 |
227 |
|
324 |
17.7 |
e. 1,359 |
15.3 |
|
1942 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
1943 |
17 |
e. 33 |
98 |
e. 538 |
115 |
6.3 |
e. 571 |
6.4 |
|
1944 |
209 |
|
499 |
e. 3,245 |
708 |
38.6 |
e. 3,994 |
45.1 |
|
1945 |
22 |
e. 88 |
9 |
e. 61 |
31 |
1.7 |
e. 149 |
1.7 |
|
Total |
531 |
e. 1,201 |
1,301 |
e. 7,667 |
1,832 |
100.0 |
8,868 |
100.0 |
Numbers Killed & Injured per Period
|
|
Batt. |
Wands. |
Total |
|
|
K. |
I. |
K. |
I. |
K. |
|
I. |
|
|
Period |
|
|
|
|
|
% |
|
% |
|
1 - 27/7/40 to 28/7/41 |
282 |
e. 330 |
693 |
e. 3,804 |
975 |
53.2 |
e. 4,134 |
46.6 |
|
2 - 29/7/41 to 20/10/43 |
12 |
e. 14 |
13 |
e. 71 |
25 |
1.4 |
e. 85 |
1.0 |
|
3 - 21/10/43 to 27/3/45 |
237 |
e. 857 |
59 |
e. 3,792 |
832 |
45.4 |
e. 4,649 |
52.4 |
|
Total |
531 |
e. 1,201 |
1,301 |
e. 7,667 |
1,832 |
100.0 |
8,868 |
100.0 |
Numbers Killed
and Injured per Air Delivered Weapon.
|
|
Batt. |
Wands. |
Total |
LCC Area Comparison |
|
Killed |
|
|
|
|
|
By High Explosive Bombs etc. |
1.65 |
0.35 |
0.45 |
0.48 |
|
By V1s and V2s |
5.21 |
3.16 |
3.63 |
2.80 |
|
Total |
2.22 |
0.49 |
0.63 |
0.62 |
|
Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
By High Explosive Bombs etc. |
e. n/a |
e. n/a |
e. 1.94 |
1.31 |
|
By V1s and V2s |
|
|
e. 21.35 |
12.96 |
|
Total |
e. 5.03 |
e. 2.88 |
3.06 |
2.08 |
Bibliography and sources
Commonwealth War
Graves Commission Roll of Honour.
Loobey,
Patrick & Mills, Jon The Boroughs of Wandsworth & Battersea at War
(1996).
The Metropolitan
Police.
Wandsworth
Museum Incident Map of District B, Putney/Wandsworth (compiled by
Geoffrey Haines, Deputy District Warden, c.1945).
Wandsworth
Museum Where The Bombs Fell (map).
Ziegler, Philip
London at War (1995).
Wandsworth Historical
Society
Wandsworth Historian – Spring
2006
The sobering reality of the civilian
casualty figures in Battersea and Wandsworth in the Second World War leads
off the latest issue of the Wandsworth Historian. The magazine also
contains an article correcting some misunderstandings about the ownership of
a mansion in Battersea High Street in the late eighteenth century, whilst an
amusing poem celebrating the opening of the Shakespeare Theatre in Battersea
in 1896 is given fresh life with a modern explanation of its many literary
references.
All this and more in the Spring 2006 issue
of the Wandsworth Historian, the Journal of the Wandsworth Historical
Society. Copies are available price £3.00 from the Wandsworth Museum, 11
Garratt Lane, London SW18 4AQ (020 8871 7074), and from the Wandsworth Local
History Service, Battersea Library, 265 Lavender Hill, London SW11 1JB (020
8871 7753).
Editor’s
note:
For further information, please contact Neil Robson on 020 8874 6341 or
ngrobson@tiscali.co.uk - 26 April 2006
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