Hughes Mansions
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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 concentration of Jewish families in the flats can be seen at
The Jewish
genealogical society web site.
This list the names of all the Jewish people who died. As can been seen from this
whole families were wiped out. I wonder if some of them had previously fled the
Nazi terror in Europe only to be killed here ?
Hughes mansions was not re-built and today the site remains undeveloped as a
childrens playground

                      
Link to site with recollections of a survivor
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