8/9 September 1940: The London Underground on this day 70 years ago
8/9 September 1940: The London Underground on this day 70 years ago [Wed 08/09/10]
Second day/night of the London Blitz.
Enemy activity during the day was, "intermittent, with no apparent object in view," but from 19:45 until around 05:00 the next morning, the capital again came under concentrated attack - "particular attention was paid to communications, i.e. railways, roads, etc."[1]
At 23:06 High Explosive (HE) and Incendiary Bombs fell on Wimbledon station, setting an arriving District line train on fire.[2]
Just south of Mornington Crescent station, a cluster of three 250kg HEs landed on the junction of Harrington Square and Hampstead Road at 03:35, cratering the roadway. At this location the Northern line runs 60-75 feet (18-23 metres) directly under Hampstead Road, and the shockwaves from the bombs shook tunnel segments, knocked cables off the wall hangers, and displaced the current rails in both tunnels for a length of 75 feet (23 metres).[3] [4] Traffic resumed on 11 September.[5]
At 04:39 an HE hit Bow Road station on the East London line, blocking the track.[6]
[1] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 1 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
[2] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 5 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
[3] Ministry of Home Security, Research and Experiments Department: Registered Papers: Damage to underground railways, revised drawing 4 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 192/8]
[4] Ministry of Home Security, Research and Experiments Department: Notes on damage to railway tunnels by high explosive weapons, Section 1 - Tube railways. Author Dr. EWJ Phillips, page 5 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 196/11]
[5] Ministry of Home Security, Air Raid Precautions (ARP GEN) Registered files: AIR RAIDS, Incident Reports, Tube incidents statistics [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 186/2419]
[6] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 5a [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
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Second day/night of the London Blitz.
Enemy activity during the day was, "intermittent, with no apparent object in view," but from 19:45 until around 05:00 the next morning, the capital again came under concentrated attack - "particular attention was paid to communications, i.e. railways, roads, etc."[1]
At 23:06 High Explosive (HE) and Incendiary Bombs fell on Wimbledon station, setting an arriving District line train on fire.[2]
Just south of Mornington Crescent station, a cluster of three 250kg HEs landed on the junction of Harrington Square and Hampstead Road at 03:35, cratering the roadway. At this location the Northern line runs 60-75 feet (18-23 metres) directly under Hampstead Road, and the shockwaves from the bombs shook tunnel segments, knocked cables off the wall hangers, and displaced the current rails in both tunnels for a length of 75 feet (23 metres).[3] [4] Traffic resumed on 11 September.[5]
At 04:39 an HE hit Bow Road station on the East London line, blocking the track.[6]
[1] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 1 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
[2] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 5 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
[3] Ministry of Home Security, Research and Experiments Department: Registered Papers: Damage to underground railways, revised drawing 4 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 192/8]
[4] Ministry of Home Security, Research and Experiments Department: Notes on damage to railway tunnels by high explosive weapons, Section 1 - Tube railways. Author Dr. EWJ Phillips, page 5 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 196/11]
[5] Ministry of Home Security, Air Raid Precautions (ARP GEN) Registered files: AIR RAIDS, Incident Reports, Tube incidents statistics [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 186/2419]
[6] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - September 1940: Damage Appreciation 08-09/09/40, page 5a [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/2]
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Labels: Blitz 70, London Underground, The London Underground at War
posted by Nick Cooper at
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