| Last updated : 26/4/2008 |
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| V1's and V2's Beckenham |
| The Borough of Beckenham (now part of the Borough Of Bromley) suffered very badly from V1 attacks and to a lesser extent from V2's. In all 69 V1's and 5 V2's have been found in official records. About 138 people were to die in the borough and major destruction to housing and other buildings occurred. |
| Beckenham suffered several very serious incidents : 44 died at Clockhouse, 18 at Elmers End bus garage and 12 at Fairfield Road. In addition to this there were numerous domestic incidents which are listed in the log. Some areas of Beckenham,attracted V1's again and again. The Queens Road area suffered 5 attacks and the Cator Park area 5 V1's and 2 V'2.s The area around St Georges Church was very badly damaged by 2 V1's. This can be clearly seen from the line of 60's re-development on Albermarle Road and also the park and car park that has been created in St Georges Road at the heart of the devasted area. Fairfield Road is still undeveloped and forms part of the LIDL supermarket car park, after being devastated by a single V1 in January 1945. In one respect Beckenham reversed the trend for some other boroughs in that the V2's caused less casualties per incident than the V1's. Several Of the V2's fell on sports grounds and one in an area of low density housing in Eden Park The only V2 that caused fatalities was the Crystal Palace Park Road incident where 9 died |
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| This is The Beckenham Road in Victorian days looking towards Penge.The picture is taken from the corner of Chaffinch Road. The overbridge of the Beckenham to Crystal Palace railway can been seen in the background.The "Clockhouse" V1 fell on a restaurant about half way up on the left hand side. The picture below was taken in 2004 and is from more or less the same point. Both sides of the road have bee transformed (though I wonder if the trees on the right are the same). Note also the 60's office building behind the railway bridge, This is on the site of the V1 which hit the Beckenham road and Mckenzie Road 30th June 1944.This part of Beckenham must have resembled a battle field |
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| Fairfield Road Beckenham after the Flying bomb 5th January 1945. Note that the surface brick built air raid shelters have stood up well to the blast.Christ Church behind was badly damaged but must have been repaired fairly quickly after the war as my Aunt was married there in 1952. The Photo below was taken in 2004 and shows that much of the site has remained undeveloped and it used as a car park. The Church has been repaired but the signs of re-building are clear to see. The rows of housing on the left and right were once terraced and have now become semis. |
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| This is taken in St Georges Road looking towards Albemarle Road.This area was devastated by two V1's on 2nd and 27th July. The far side of Albemarle Road was developed with a rather grim office block in the 60's (now derelict) The rest of the area was cleared and remains as a town centre park and car park(behind the photographer) |