1941 Old Palace School bombing
The Old Palace School Bombing on 20 April 1941 caused the largest single loss of life of firefighters in the history of the United Kingdom.
The Old Palace School in Poplar, London was being used as an Auxiliary Fire Service sub-station during The Blitz of World War II. 34 firefighters, 21 of whom had been sent from Beckenham in south London to assist their East End colleagues, were present in the station when it was hit by a parachute mine. All 34 men and women were killed and the school was destroyed.[1][2][3]
Lansbury Lawrence Primary School was built on the site of the Old Palace School. The bombing is commemorated by a plaque on the school grounds inscribed with the following words.
In memory of the 13 London firemen and women and 21 Beckenham firemen killed on the night of 19th April 1941 when a bomb destroyed the old school being used as a sub-fire station. This is the largest single loss of Fire Brigade personnel in English history. Details of this tragic incident were recorded in the wartime diaries of Mr W. Somerville, an off duty member of the Homerton crew. It is to him and the many thousands of men and women that made up the A.F.S. and N.F.S. 1939-1945 that this plaque is also dedicated.
| Rank | Name | Station | Age | Home address |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fireman | Percy Charles Aitchison | AFS Beckenham | 27 | Copse Avenue, West Wickham, Kent |
| Fireman | Ronald Mark Bailey | AFS Beckenham | 25 | Links Road, Tooting, Surrey |
| Fireman | Alan Charles Barber | AFS Beckenham | 26 | Fairford Close, Shirley, Croydon, Surrey |
| Fireman | Earnest Reginald Beadle | AFS Beckenham | 32 | Birkbeck Road, Beckenham, Kent |
| Fireman | Kenneth John Bowles | AFS Beckenham | 30 | Beckenham Road, West Wickham, Kent |
| Fireman | John Coleman Barrell | AFS London | 35 | North Street, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex |
| Fireman | Patrick Joseph Campbell | AFS London | 31 | Bannister House, Homerton, London |
| Fireman | Harry John Carden | AFS Beckenham | 29 | Mounthurst Road, Hayes, Bromley, Kent |
| Fireman | Robert John Deans | AFS Beckenham | 28 | The Grove, West Wickham, Kent |
| Firewoman (Telephonist) | Hilda Dupree | AFS London | 21 | Warwick Road, Walthamstow, Essex |
| Fireman | Frank James Endean | AFS Beckenham | 36 | Aviemore Way, Beckenham, Kent |
| Fireman | Cecil Farley | AFS Beckenham | 43 | Linden Leas, West Wickham, Kent |
| Fireman | George John Joseph Hall | AFS Beckenham | 30 | Warwick Road, Anerley, Kent |
| Messenger | Bertie James Frederick Harris | AFS London | 17 | Brabazon Street, Poplar, London |
| Fireman | Leslie Thomas Healey | AFS Beckenham | 32 | Greenview Avenue, Shirley, Surrey |
| Despatch Rider | Ernest Herbert Henly | AFS London | 19 | Grange Cottage, Silver Street, Kington Langley, Chippenham, Wiltshire |
| Fireman | Sydney Bartholomew Jones | AFS London | 31 | Harrogate Road, Hackney, London |
| Fireman | Albert Victor Kite | AFS Beckenham | 36 | Village Way, Beckenham, Kent |
| Fireman | John Francis Mead | AFS London | 29 | Christie Road, Hackney, London |
| Fireman | Vernon Joseph Middleditch | AFS London | 31 | Hunters Lane, Darlington, County Durham |
| Fireman | Alfred Edward Minter | AFS Beckenham | 46 | Aylesford Avenue, Beckenham, Kent |
| Fireman | Norman Richard Charles Mountjoy | AFS Beckenham | 30 | Ash Grove, West Wickham, Kent |
| Fireman | Frederick George Parcell | AFS Beckenham | 32 | Love Lane, South Norwood, Surrey |
| Fireman | Martin Charles Parfett | AFS Beckenham | 31 | Pickhurst Rise, West Wickham, Kent |
| Firewoman | Winifred Alexandra Peters | London Fire Brigade | 39 | Canton Street, Poplar, London |
| Fireman | William Charles Plant | AFS Beckenham | 26 | Sultan Street, Beckenham, Kent |
| Fireman | Cyril Bertram Porter | AFS London | 31 | Clinton Road, Forest Gate, Essex |
| Fireman | William Thomas Rashbrook | AFS London | 36 | Chatsworth Road, Clapton, London |
| Leading Fireman | Leonard Roots | AFS Beckenham | 31 | Avenue Court, Avenue Road, Anerley, Kent |
| Fireman | Albert Alfred Saville | AFS London | 35 | Harrowgate Road, Hackney, London |
| Station Officer | Richard William Sinstadt | London Fire Brigade | 46 | Beccles Drive, Barking, Essex |
| Fireman | Edgar William Vick | AFS London | 38 | Eden Way, Beckenham, Kent |
| Leading Fireman | Walter John Woodland | AFS Beckenham | 41 | Links Way, Eden Park, Beckenham, Kent. |
| Leading Fireman | Herbert Charles Wotton | AFS Beckenham | 30 | Upper Elmers End Road, Beckenham, Kent |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Old Palace School, Auxiliary fire service sub station, London, 19th April 1941". Fire Brigades Union. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Air Raiders' Severe Attack". East London Advertiser. 26 April 1941. p. 1.
Firemen killed when sub-station was hit
- ^ "Ten Die In Bombed A.F.S. Post". The Daily Mirror. 21 April 1941.
A school used as an A.F.S. station was split in half by a heavy bomb. Already six firemen, two telephonists and two young messenger boys have been extricated - dead.
- ^ "In Loving Memory - Old Palace School Bombing". Old Palace School Bombing. Retrieved 10 June 2022.