History: Blue plaque marks the site of V-1 missile strike that killed 22.
A blue plaque has been installed to commemorate the site where 22 people out shopping on a Saturday morning lost their lives in a Second World War bomb attack.
Walthamstow suffered a total of 776 bombings with dozens of residents killed during the war.
The numbers became so high at one point that the former EMD cinema in Hoe Street was used as a temporary morgue to store some of the corpses.
But one of the biggest attacks came towards the end of the conflict on August 16 1944, a pilotless V-I flying bomb detonated in Central Parade in Hoe Street causing a tragic and devastating effect for the local community.
Just before 10 am, shoppers heard the buzzing noise that signified the indiscriminate bomb’s arrival. The noise meant the engine was still running, and people were safe but when it cut out panic ensued as people rushed into shops and buildings trying to take cover.
This bomb was a direct hit on Hitchman’s Dairy depot and Livermore Draper’s shop.
An account released by former mayor Ross Wyld, who was in charge of the borough’s civil defence strategy, describes the carnage.
“The approach of the bomb was heard and people shopping in the vicinity took such shelter as was available, some dived into shops and doorways, others into an archway.
“By the worst of bad luck the bomb burst practically opposite to this archway collapsing the two floors above and burying people in the debris.
“The incident was complicated by the fact that the bomb dropped just before 10am when shopping was in full swing, and it was not until after midnight that we were able to say just how many people were reported to be missing.”
He said the rescue workers battled throughout the day to recover all the bodies under the constant threat of a wall which was close to collapse.
“A lad of 15 was trapped by debris to the waist, and at the risk of their lives the rescue men, a doctor and the casualty staff officer worked for some four hours before the lad was rescued uninjured, but suffering from shock,” he said.
“The last body, that of an office cleaner, was recovered from the iron staircase buried under the debris at the back of some office buildings.”
Council Leader Chris Robbins, unveiling the plaque at the scene of the devastation on Tuesday (August 28), said:
“These bombings had a huge effect on morale of the British people, by this point everyone thought the war was over.
“They were meant to be a massive change in the direction of the war but fortunately the Allied forces found the missile sites in Europe and ended them.”
Local historian Brian Ward informed the council of the significance of the site 10 years ago and campaigned to get the historic plaque installed.
“I remember the aftermath of the bomb, I was just 7 years old and it happened at peak shopping time on a Saturday morning”, he said.
“The war and the bombs became normal for kids who weren't evacuated, it was all we knew, the burden really fell on our parents and grandparents.
“I remember a great community spirit and everyone pulling together, nearly every family had someone in the services at this point.
“I wanted the plaque to act as a memorial to the people who lost their lives but also to get people walking by today to look up what happened and get interested in this area’s history.”