District Line Railway
10-11 May 1941
By Katlynn Miller
During the very heavy night raid of 10-11 May 1941, One Palace Mews SW1 – adjacent to the South Embankment of the District Line Undergound line - was hit by a single high explosive bomb.The attack, lasting from 11pm 10 May to 5.30am on 11 May, was the last major raid on a British city during the first phase of the Blitz. 711 tons of high explosive were dropped on London by German bombers, along with 86,000 incendiaries. London's transport infrastruture was severely disrupted, including damage to over 30 miles of track on the capital's Underground network.
At One Palace Mews, debris from the collapsed building fell into the embankment of the Underground’s District Line (running west from Victoria to Sloane Square). City of Westminster ARP Records for 13 May 1941 noted structural damage to One Palace Mews at the rear of Ebury Street caused by a single high explosive bomb. No casualties, major damage to the Tube line or fires were reported.
Bomb damage to District Line Tube at rear of Ebury Street
Copyright Westminster City Archives
Incident Report No. 1593A Message Form
Copyright Westminster City Archives
Bomb Map: South Embankment of the District Line Tube
Copyright Westminster City Archives