Belgrave Road SW1

11 May 1941

By Samantha Tarde

At 1.21am, 11 May 1941, three bombs fell near the corner of Gillingham Street and Eccelston Square on Belgrave Road SW1. The first was a 50kg HE bomb, which landed in front of 1 Eccleston Square. It caused damage to the vaults beneath the pavement but luckily there were no casualties. Several of the local utilities were damaged, specifically the gas main. Major damage occurred to the house on the corner of Eccelston Square and Belgrave Road; the porch was completely demolished, the wall facing Belgrave Road was cracked inwards, and the cornice was badly damaged.

The second bomb was a 100kg HE that landed by the Hotel on the corner of Gillingham Street and Belgrave Road. Although the damage from this bomb was not major, it caused 7 casualties; one ARP Warden and 6 hotel guests. The ceilings and door windows of the hotel were damaged. The third bomb happened to be the largest: a 500kg HE which struck close to 24 Belgrave Road but failed to explode.