The V1 struck the crowded Lewisham town centre (outside current "Lewisham centre" on map )at 09.41 on Friday the 28th July 1944. It exploded in the crowded market area after impacting on the roof of a street level air raid shelter outside Marks and Spencers.
Major damage was caused to the shops which also include Woolworths and Sainsburies and devastation was caused to the market at this point,
59 people died in this tragedy and a further 124 were very seriously injured.Hundreds of others suffered less serious injury.
Casualties occurred in the shops, in the basement cafe of Woolworths and on passing buses. The Post Office was also badly damaged.This was the worst single V1 incident in South London. The blast area was particulary large and extended upto 600 yards in each direction. This is probably indicative of the larger and more powerful warheads that were used by the Nazis later in the attacks.In total about 100 shops were very badly damaged and flats,shops and houses suffered varying degress of damage across a wide area. The High Street in this point was completely re-built after the war on both side of the road.
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