| Last updated : 26/4/2008 |
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| V1's and V2's London SW16 Streatham and Norbury |
| Streatham and Norbury were front line suburbs in the battle of the Flying Bombs. The SW16 post code was to be battered by 41 V1's but escaped from any V2 Rockets. As a result of the V1 Flying Bombs 77 people were killed. As an outer suburban area, some of which was still fairly large houses the death rate per missile at 1.88 was somewhat lower than it was in the more crowded inner London areas, although still a dreadful loss. Streatham's worst incident was on the 3rd August 1944 when 12 people were killed by a V1 which struck in the Pendle Road area and caused widespread damage across a number of roads. As was common in other areas V1's had an unpleasant tendency to fall in clusters. Thus The Pollards Hill area was to receive 6 V1's within a small radius. These killed a total of 5 people and caused serious damage some houses being blast damaged again and again. Norbury Crescent also suffered badly with 3 V1's which killed a total of 12 people. Two of these fell on consecutive days, the 4th and 5th of July 1944. Most of Streatham and Norbury's Flying Bomb scars have been healed with time. In places though tell tale signs appear. Close inspection of the area around Streatham Station reveals post war re-building and repairs. In other places such as Lewin Road 1960's flats plug a gap in the line of Victorian Houses. At the end of Lewin Road is an most unusual thing these days....a totally undeveloped Flying Bomb site at the junction with Streatham High Road. It is now surrounded by advertising hoardings. |