| At the very end of the V Weapon attacks in March 1945 a terrible disaster happened when a rocket struck Hughes Mansions , a block of flats in Stepney |
| HUGHES MANSIONS STEPNEY |
| Hughes Mansions consisted of three tenement style blocks which had been built in the 1920's in Vallance Road Stepney. In the mid 20th Century many areas of East London still had high concentrations of Jewish families and Hughes Mansions was no exception to this. On the 25th March 1945 at 07.20 a V2 Rocket struck the buildings. This was the day before the Jewish Passover festival. In the devastation which followed 134 people died. This was the second worst V weapon tragedy with a fatality rate only exceed by the devastation at New Cross the previous November. What makes this tragedy particularly poignant is that it was the last day of the V2 attacks, although not the last missile. The last one fell the same day in Orpington killing one person. The part of Hughes mansions that was destroyed was not re-built and today the site remains undeveloped as a childrens playground |
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