London – Lambeth – Imperial War Museum (Damage to Downing Street)

I will, at some point, stop faffing about looking through the Imperial War Museum’s on-line photographic album, but these are interesting photos (well, I think) of damage done to Downing Street on 20 February 1944. A fleet of 200 German aircraft attacked London, killing 600 people and doing damage to numerous Government and residential buildings.

Repairing the damage with ladders. This was towards the end of the bombings in London, the last Luftwaffe air raids were in May 1944.

An annoying hole in the ceiling of the drawing room and that isn’t snow on the ground, it’s glass. The work of a sentryman had to continue though, so they made a path through the glass for him.

The photographer at the time, Captain Horton, noted that although the window was blown out, the photograph of Winston Churchill was left intact.

And thanks to the Imperial War Museum – © IWM H 36080 © IWM H 36081 © IWM H 36087 © IWM H 36091 © IWM H 36092 © IWM H 36088.