4/5 November 1940: The London Underground on this day 75 years ago

Fifty-ninth day of the London Blitz.

At 19:04 on Monday 4 November 1940, a 50kg bomb exploded on the pavement outside Lancaster Gate Central line station. The running tunnels, 45 feet (14 metres) below the surface, were shaken and filled with dust, but not damaged, and traffic was not interrupted.^[1][2][3]


A bomb exploded near No. 6 Road at Neasden Depot at 23:12, damaging concrete between Nos. 6, 7 & 8 roads.^[4]

At 04:35 on the 5th, High Explosive bombs fell over the Northern line tunnels between Clapham Common and Clapham North stations. All traffic stopped.^[5]

At 08:00 on the 5th, the following working conditions were reported:

No change in situation. Probable re-opening dates as under:
Trafalgar Square 07/11
Kings Cross to Farringdon 01/01/41
Euston to Camden Town 14/01/41
Clapham Common to Tooting Broadway 14/01/41
Wood Green to Arnos Grove 01/12/40
Finsbury Park to Kings Cross 22/11/40.

Northern line
19:10 01/11. Bomb damage between Euston and Warren Street. Suspended Euston to Warren Street, and now single line working on both tracks between Strand and Warren Street.^[6]

Unexploded Bombs

Category A

Nil.

Category B

1. Latimer Road 21/10.
2. Angel station 15/10.
3. Southfields 30/10 - prevents service between Southfields and Wimbledon.^[7]

---

^[1] Ministry of Home Security, Research and Experiments Department: Registered Papers: Damage to underground railways, drawing 14B [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 192/8]
^[2] 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]
^[3] 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]
^[4] Railway Executive Committee: Files: Form D2, 18:00 04/11/40 to 06:00 05/11/40, sheet 2 [Kew: National Archives, reference AN 2/1105]
^[5] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - October 1940: Damage Appreciation 04-05/11/40, page 2 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/4]
^[6] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - October 1940: Railway Situation Report at 08:00 02/11/40, page 1 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/3]
^[7] Ministry of Home Security, Key Points Intelligence Directorate: Reports and Papers, Daily Reports - October 1940: Railway Situation Report at 08:00 02/11/40, pages 2-3 [Kew: National Archives, reference HO 201/3]

Share