Firstly, I'd just like to apologise for not posting yesterday, but I was busy, and wasn't able to get around to it. Secondly, I didn't think it was that important, as today is actually the seventy-fifth anniversary of a particularly sad event.
During the Second World War, air raids were very much a part of everyday life for many Britons, particularly those who lived in London and the south-east. In the capital itself, stations on the London Underground soon became used as air raid shelters. At first, this was strongly discouraged, but with thousands of Londoners packing into the stations on a nightly basis, efforts to keep the stations clear were destined to fail.
One of the reasons for the concern was that, in the case of a direct hit, there could be many more casualties than would occur if it were just a small local shelter. On 17th September, 1940, it became clear why...
The London Blitz was just ten days old, and locals had already started seeking refuge in the many tube stations around London. Strangely enough, High Barnet station was closed to the public due to a delayed-action bomb being dropped in the sidings, and several stations in the vicinity of Wood Lane and Shepherd's Bush were out of action for similar reasons.
At around 11.40pm, a single high-explosive bomb hit Marble Arch station. The bomb pierced the roof, dropped between two girders, and exploded in the tunnel. Because of the enclosed space, the blast was magnified, and caused more damaged than would have been expected. The explosion claimed twenty lives, and there were over forty others injured.
While this was not the worst incident on the underground during th conflict, it was a sign of things to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment