15 Victoria Street/Abbey Orchard Street

11 November 1940

By Amy Heaney

At 4.22pm on 11 November 1940, a high explosive bomb detonated at 15 Victoria Street SW1, demolishing the building and spilling debris into both Victoria Street and Abbey Orchard Street. The windows of 20 Victoria Street were also damaged in the blast and several roads in the area were closed by the Rochester Row Police.

The first reported casualties of this incident were three animals: one dog killed, one wounded and an injured horse. The horse’s driver was taken to a nearby first aid post. Five and a half hours after the initial blast, rescuers found the first two trapped casualties alive. Another man was pulled from the wreckage at 10:30pm and shortly afterwards further contact was established with other survivors. These last survivors were freed and brought to the hospital around 5am the following morning.