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World War II Database

26 Jun 1857

United Kingdom
  • Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom presented the Victoria Cross award for the first time at Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
10 Jul 1886

United Kingdom
17 Nov 1887

United Kingdom
2 Nov 1893

United Kingdom
27 Oct 1894

United Kingdom
16 Nov 1896

United Kingdom
7 Feb 1897

United Kingdom
12 Sep 1908

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill married Clementine Hozier at the Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
19 May 1909

United Kingdom
21 Feb 1910

United Kingdom
3 Jan 1911

Photo(s) dated 3 Jan 1911
UK Home Secretary Winston Churchill at the scene of the Siege of Sidney Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 3 Jan 1911
22 Feb 1911

United Kingdom
  • Lord Gort married Corinna Vereker at the Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [John Vereker | London, England | CPC]
22 Jun 1911

United Kingdom
  • King George V of the United Kingdom was crowned. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Haiqi and her crew attended the coronation ceremony of King George V of the United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Haiqi | London, England | CPC]
29 Sep 1911

United Kingdom
23 Jun 1912

United Kingdom
3 Sep 1913

United Kingdom
  • Lord Gort was appointed the aide-de-camp to General Officer Commanding London District Francis Lloyd. ww2dbase [John Vereker | London, England | CPC]
2 Apr 1914

United Kingdom
12 Mar 1915

United Kingdom
  • The British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, signed a secret pact with the Russian Ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom giving Russia the right to post-war control of Constantinople and the Turkish Straits, in return for recognition of British and French aspirations in the remainder of the Ottoman Empire. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 May 1915

United Kingdom
  • The first airship raid was made on London, England, United Kingdom by German Army Zeppelin LZ 38. Bombs fell on the East End of the capital, killing seven civilians and injuring at least fourteen more. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
28 Nov 1916

United Kingdom
  • A German L.V.G. C.II aircraft flown by Deck Offizier R. Brandt dropped six bombs near Victoria railway station in central London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
19 Feb 1917

United Kingdom
  • The US Ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom was briefed by Reginald "Blinker" Hall, head of the top secret Room 40, about the contents of the intercepted Zimmermann telegram. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
20 Mar 1917

United Kingdom
  • Dame Vera Lynn, the popular World War II singer and actress, was born at East Ham, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
25 May 1917

United Kingdom
  • A fleet of 23 German Gotha G.IV bombers commanded by Hauptmann Ernst Brandenburg set out to bomb London, England, United Kingdom, but on reaching the Thames River ran into bad weather and diverted to find an alternative target. The English coastal town of Folkestone was thronged with shoppers when the German aircraft struck. Ninety-five civilians were killed and the air raid cause widespread panic among a populace who now believed that Germany could rain death from the skies over Britain unopposed. The Germans lost two aircraft. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 Jun 1917

United Kingdom
  • At midday German Gotha bombers launched from bases in Belgium bombed London, England, United Kingdom, killing 162 civilians and injuring 432. Daily air raids would continue for a month, largely unopposed by the RNAS and Royal Flying Corps. The effect on civilian morale was considerable and damaging, and worker's productivity levels plummeted. The psychological impact was perhaps as damaging to Britain as the loss of life and physical destruction caused by the falling bombs. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
25 Jan 1918

United Kingdom
  • The first aeroplane to be shot down by a night fighter was a German Gotha brought down by British Captain G. H. Hackwell and Lieutenant C. C. Banks during a raid on London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
14 Jul 1919

Photo(s) dated 14 Jul 1919
Prince Albert of the United Kingdom, Major General Hugh Trenchard, and Colonel C. L. Courtney at the Independent Air Force Dinner, Savoy Hotel, London, England, 14 Jul 1919
11 May 1920

United Kingdom
  • Oswald Mosley married Lady Cynthia Curzon, the daughter of British Foreign Secretary George Curzon, at St James's Palace in London, England, United Kingdom. Their guests included King George V of the United Kingdom and King Leopold III of Belgium. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | CPC]
5 May 1921

United Kingdom
29 Jun 1921

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, Lady Randolph Churchill died at her London home from gangrene that had set in following the amputation of a leg after a fall. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
28 Feb 1922

United Kingdom
  • Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, married Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. The Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth) was one of the bridesmaids. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
19 Oct 1922

United Kingdom
  • A rebellion by Conservative Party Members of Parliament at the Carlton Club in London, England, United Kingdom resulted in a decision to end the Coalition government of Lloyd George. The Prime Minister, who had already lost the support of his influential Foreign Minister, Lord Curzon, was forced to resign, never to return as a major figure in party politics. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
26 Apr 1923

United Kingdom
  • Prince Albert, Duke of York, married the Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
30 Oct 1923

United Kingdom
  • Former British Prime Minister Bonar Law died in London, England, United Kingdom from throat cancer. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
25 Mar 1925

United Kingdom
  • John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television at Selfridges department store in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
21 Apr 1926

United Kingdom
  • Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) was born at Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
8 Jun 1929

United Kingdom
  • Miss Margaret Grace Bondfield (born 1873) became the first woman to hold a (minor) British government post as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour in the Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Jun 1930

United Kingdom
20 Sep 1931

United Kingdom
  • A run on the pound caused by panic in the London Stock Market led to the British national government abandoning the Gold Standard. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
14 Nov 1932

United Kingdom
  • Amy Johnson, flying a de Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth aircraft, took off from London, England, United Kingdom for Cape Town, South Africa. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | London, England | CPC]
13 Apr 1933

United Kingdom
  • The London Passenger Transport Board was established by the British Transport Minister Herbert Morrison (who would later be the Home Secretary during the Churchill premiership). ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
7 Jun 1934

United Kingdom
  • At a large British Union of Fascists rally, attended by 15,000 people who had come to hear Oswald Mosley speak, including some 2,000 Blackshirts acting as stewards, at the Olympia Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom a couple of thousand communist infiltrators heckled to the point where open mass brawling broke out when hecklers were removed by the stewards. This resulted in such bad publicity that the party lost support from many of its influential supporters, who defected away in protest of Mosley's ever more radical and authoritarian methods. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC]
28 Nov 1934

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill warned the House of Commons that should Britain be attacked by hostile forces from the air, as many as 40,000 Londoners would be lost in the first week of war. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
16 Jul 1936

United Kingdom
  • An attempt was made to assassinate British King Edward VIII in London, England, United Kingdom. An Irish malcontent, Jerome Brannigan (otherwise known as George Andrew McMahon), produced a loaded revolver as the King rode on horseback at Constitution Hill, near Buckingham Palace. Police spotted the gun and pounced on him; he was quickly arrested. At Brannigan's trial, he alleged that "a foreign power" had approached him to kill Edward, that he had informed MI5 of the plan, and that he was merely seeing the plan through to help MI5 catch the real culprits. The court rejected the claims and sent him to jail for a year. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
9 Sep 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Non-Intervention Committee met for the first time in London, England, United Kingdom. It was created to prevent personnel and matĂ©riel reaching the warring parties of the Spanish Civil War. ww2dbase [The Spanish Civil War | London, England | AC]
4 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • Battle of Cable Street: In Britain, Sir Oswald Ernald, 6th Baronet, Mosley, led around 2,000 BUF members in uniform in a march through the East End (an area of London known to have a high proportion of Jewish residents and much poverty) in an attempt designed to intimidate local Jews and rally fascist sympathisers. This was a fatal mistake, for waiting for him in Cable Street were around 100,000 counter-demonstrators who had overturned a lorry and piled up bricks as a barricade. The police seeing what was about to happen ordered Moseley and his men to turn away. They did. The police then turned on the anti-fascist demonstrators and in the ensuing fracas more than a hundred people were injured and eighty arrested. This confrontation was just as disastrous to the BUF as the Olympia rally had been. Moderates deserted in droves. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC]
30 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Crystal Palace, which was built in Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom for the Great Exhibition in 1851, was destroyed by fire. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 Oct 1936

United Kingdom
  • The Jarrow Marchers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. This protest was the best remembered of the hunger marches of the depression years. Led by their Labour Party Member of Parliament Ellen Wilkinson (1891-1947), 200 shipyard workers marched to London from Jarrow as a demonstration against the massive unemployment in northeastern England. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
12 Nov 1936

United Kingdom
  • During a debate in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill attacked the British government for its slow progress on rearmament. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
9 Apr 1937

United Kingdom
  • A Ki-15/Karigane aircraft, named "Kamikaze", landed in London. The flight from Tokyo to London broke the world record, while "Kamikaze" became the first Japanese aircraft to fly over Europe. ww2dbase [Ki-15 | London, England | CPC]
11 May 1937

Photo(s) dated 11 May 1937
King George VI of the United Kingdom with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King at the Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom, 11 May 1937
12 May 1937

United Kingdom
  • The coronation of King George VI took place at Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 12 May 1937
Ba Maw in traditional Burmese clothing at King George VI coronation, Westminster Abbey, London, England, United Kingdom, 12 May 1937
17 May 1937

Photo(s) dated 17 May 1937
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret of the United Kingdom appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the king’s coronation day, London, England, United Kingdom, 12 May 1937
3 May 1938

United Kingdom
23 May 1938

United Kingdom
7 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
  • The newspaper Times of London published an editorial suggesting that Czechoslovakia had much to gain in terms of achieving ethnic homogeneity should it allowed Sudetenland to secede. Once again, leader of the Sudeten Nazi Party Konrad Henlein announced that he would cut off communications with the Czechoslovakian government. ww2dbase [Munich Conference and the Annexation of Sudetenland | London, England | CPC]
16 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
22 Sep 1938

Photo(s) dated 22 Sep 1938
Neville Chamberlain preparing to board a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra aircraft for negotiations in Germany, Heston Aerodrome, London, England, United Kingdom, 22 Sep 1938
30 Sep 1938

United Kingdom
20 Nov 1938

United Kingdom
  • Queen Maud of Norway passed away from heart failure at the age of 68 following surgery in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
21 Mar 1939

United Kingdom
  • French President Albert Lebrun visited London, England, United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain attempted to persuade Lebrun to enter into a British-French-Polish alliance to contain Germany; a similar proposal was also sent to the Polish leadership via the British ambassador in Warsaw, Poland, but the Polish responded coolly. On the same day, in Berlin, Germany, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop expressed that if Poland continued to not agree with German demands for Danzig and if Poland continued to resist signing the Anti-Comintern Pact, then the present German-Polish friendship would deteriorate. ww2dbase [The Danzig Crisis | London, England | CPC]
6 Apr 1939

United Kingdom
  • The 30 Mar 1939 British-French-Polish agreement to mutually guarantee each others' borders was signed into a formal treaty in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [The Danzig Crisis | London, England | CPC]
16 Apr 1939

United Kingdom
  • The Soviet ambassador in Britain made the final attempt to form some kind of alliance between the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union to contain German aggression. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
26 Jun 1939

United Kingdom
  • The British Royal Navy and the British Foreign Office reported that Britain could only break the Japanese blockade on the British concession in Tianjin, China by deploying warships to the area. However, given the current tensions with Germany, such a deployment would not be advisable. ww2dbase [Tianjin Incident | London, England | CPC]
15 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
20 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Secretary Halifax met with Swedish businessman Birger Dahlerus in London, England, United Kingdom, telling him to approach Hermann Göring for possible Anglo-German negotiations to avoid war. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
28 Jul 1939

United Kingdom
  • The German embassy in London, England, United Kingdom reported to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany that the British was attempting to start talks with the Soviet Union. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | London, England | CPC]
1 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • German Ambassador to Britain Herbert von Dirksen reported to the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany that the British-Soviet talks did not seem to be proceeding well. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | London, England | CPC]
24 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • The Emergency Powers (Defence) Bill was passed by the British Parliament, which bill was renewed on an annual basis throughout the war. In theory all existing laws were set aside. In future Ministers and departments would issue new regulations as Orders in Council, which would have the force of law. The Government was empowered to enter and search premises; to prosecute and punish offenders, detaining indefinitely and without trial those whose detention "appears expedient"; and to suspend or alter any existing laws. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
31 Aug 1939

United Kingdom
  • Evacuation order for London civilians orders given by the United Kingdom Ministry of Health, to be executed on the next day, with special note stressing that it did not necessarily meant war was inevitable. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
3 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • British Member of Parliament Winston Churchill became the First Lord of the Admiralty, a post he had held during the Great War. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
  • At 1115 hours, British Prime Minsiter Neville Chamberlain announced over radio that because Germany had failed to withdraw troops from Poland by 1100 hours, a state of war now existed between the United Kingdom and Germany. ww2dbase [Invasion of Poland | Neville Chamberlain | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 3 Sep 1939
King George VI of the United Kingdom delivering his radio address announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK, Sept 3, 1939 [staged press photo].Typed script of the radio address King George VI of the United Kingdom delivered announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK, Sept 3, 1939. Page 1 of 2.Typed script of the radio address King George VI of the United Kingdom delivered announcing Britain’s entry into the war with Germany, Buckingham Palace, London, England, UK, Sept 3, 1939. Page 2 of 2.
8 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
  • King George VI of Britain suggested to Lord Hankey, Minister without Portfolio, that the Government might not reject any German peace proposals out of hand, but should instead say that "We are prepared to discuss terms with the German people, but not with Hitler or his regime". ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
9 Sep 1939

United Kingdom
7 Nov 1939

United Kingdom
28 Dec 1939

United Kingdom
  • The British Ministry of Food announced that sugar would be rationed from 8 Jan 1940 and meat from a date still to be fixed. The Minister of Food William Morrison said this would release foreign exchange and provide shipping space for the importation of armaments and raw materials. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
23 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • MI5 debriefed NKVD defector Walter Krivitsky at the Langham Hotel in London, England, United Kingdom. The former Soviet resident agent in Holland would describe over hundred Soviet agents working in Europe, including sixteen who were British subjects. Yet the single officer tasked with investigating the claims failed to spot, among those named, MI6 traitor Kim Philby. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
26 Jan 1940

United Kingdom
  • Believing that Germany would not be able to directly attack Britain, about half of the 750,000 children evacuated from London, England, United Kingdom since Sep 1939 had returned to their homes in the city. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
1 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • In the British House of Commons, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declined to accept a suggestion by Herbert Morrison that a Minister of War Economy should be appointed on the grounds that such a post would do nothing which was not already being done. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | London, England | AC]
22 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • Irish Republican Army bombs injured 12 in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
23 Feb 1940

United Kingdom
  • The citizens of London, England, United Kingdom cheered the officers and men of HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax as they returned from South American waters. ww2dbase [Battle of the River Plate | London, England | CPC]
13 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • Punjabi nationalist Udham Singh assassinated Sir Michael O'Dwyer in Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom in retaliation for Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in India. O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab at the time of the massacre. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Minister Lord Halifax began to ask Finland to return some of the supplies that the British had given to Finland for the Winter War. He retracted the request shortly after Finnish Ambassador to London G. A. Gripenberg reminded him that Finland had paid for the relatively small amount of goods that Britain offered. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
26 Mar 1940

United Kingdom
  • The British War Cabinet debated French Prime Minister Reynaud's proposal of attacking Soviet oilfields at Baku on the Caspian Sea and Soviet shipping in the Black Sea. Agreeing with the British Prime Minister Chamberlain, the proposals were rejected by the cabinet. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
24 Apr 1940

United Kingdom
  • British House of Commons approved a trade agreement with Spain; it was the first since the Spanish Civil War. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
1 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • British government passed a trade union agreement which allowed women to work in munitions factories. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
5 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Norway established a government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
11 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Sir Archibald Sinclair replaces Sir Samuel Hoare as the British Secretary of State for Air. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • The Dutch Royal Family and the Dutch government arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill told American Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy that even if Britain was to be conquered by Germany, the British government would continue the fight from Canada with the Royal Navy. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
15 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • In London, England, United Kingdom, at a British cabinet meeting attended by Winston Churchill, Archibald Sinclair, Lord Beaverbrook, and Cyril Newall, Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding argued the case for expanding the strength of RAF Fighter Command to 52 squadrons for the immediate air defence of Britain. Despite his insistence that no more squadrons should be sent to France orders were still given to send four more squadrons to France. ww2dbase [Hugh Dowding | London, England | AC]
22 May 1940

United Kingdom
  • In London, England, United Kingdom, a Home Morale Emergency Committee was set up to advise the Ministry of Information on how to combat defeatism in Britain. Its chairman was the diplomat, author and wit, Mr. (later Sir) Harold Nicolson, a junior Minister for Information. Another member of the board was the Director of the National Gallery and future Television presenter, Kenneth (later Lord) Clark. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
18 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the "the Battle of France is over... I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin" speech before the House of Commons. "Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'." On the same day, Churchill wrote to the Commander-in-Chief Home Forces asking for ideas for the creation of "Storm Troops" to be "ready to spring at the throat of any small landing or descent"; secretly he intended to use such a force as the basis for Commando raids on the continent. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC, AC]
22 Jun 1940

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, the second evacuation plan by the London County council resulted in over 100,000 children being evacuated to the west. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
  • Charles de Gaulle broadcast a speech from London, England, United Kingdom on the BBC; in this broadcast, he used the term Free French for the first time, while declaring himself the French leader in exile. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | CPC]
  • British Foreign Secretary Halifax had his undersecretary Richard Butler contact Swedish Minister in London, England, United Kindom Björn Prytz for a possible Anglo-German negotiations. Germans intercepted Prytz's report back to Stockholm and concluded that the war with Britain was likely to end by the end of the summer. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
1 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The Free French government-in-exile established its own Military Intelligence Service under Major AndrĂ© Dewavrin - Service de Renseignements. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • Winston Churchill recorded in his diary that during a meeting with the US Ambassador, Joseph Kennedy had stated that Britain was beaten and that Adolf Hitler would be in London by the 15th of August. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
4 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill received his first standing ovation in the House of Commons as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after delivering a speech justifying the attack on French warships. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
14 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Free French leader Charles de Gaulle celebrated Bastille Day at the Cenotaph in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | CPC]
15 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The United States Marine Corps established the Marine Detachment, London in Britain, consisted of the 12th Marine Company. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Resulting from a debate in the British Parliament on 10 July 1940 in which some members had argued that internment of foreign aliens was wasteful of human resources and was bringing Britain's reputation into disrepute, it was announced that internment of enemy aliens would stop immediately except for a few special cases. Over the rest of the year and into the next large number of internees would be released with just a small number, who were still considered to be a danger to national security, remaining caged for the remainder of the war. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
18 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom recognized the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
21 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
22 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • The British War Cabinet approved the 19 Jul 1940 document by Neville Chamberlain to create the new secret Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization. ww2dbase [Special Operations Executive | London, England | TH, CPC]
  • British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Lord Halifax rejected Adolf Hitler's proposal for peace of 19 Jul 1940. "No one here wants the war to go on for a day longer than is necessary. But we shall not stop fighting until freedom, for ourselves and others, is secure." This was a departure from his previous stance, urging Winston Churchill to negotiate a peace with Germany. ww2dbase [Halifax | London, England | CPC]
24 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • Reports of the Lancastria disaster (which was sunken by air attack on 17 Jun 1940 with 1,738 killed) were released in London, England, United Kingdom after Winston Churchill lifted the media ban. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
31 Jul 1940

United Kingdom
  • American ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy relayed to US Secretary of State Cordell Hull another request from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill for destroyers. "If we cannot get reinforcement," Churchill noted, "the whole fate of the war may be decided by this minor and easily remediable factor." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
3 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Two Japanese businessmen were arrested in London, England, United Kingdom. In response to a protest by the Japanese Ambassador, the authorities denied that their arrest was a reprisal for the arrest of British citizens in Japan six days prior. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
11 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • British Commander-in-Chief Middle East Major General General Wavell was in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss the defense of British colonies in Africa and the Middle East. Seeing events in Somaliland and expecting an Italian attack on Egypt, Winston Churchill's War Cabinet made a far-reaching decision to send tanks to defend the vital Suez Canal. Despite the ongoing threat of invasion, 150 tanks (about half the total in Britain), 48 anti-tank guns, 48 field guns, and 20 Bofors anti-aircraft guns were ordered to Egypt. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
15 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • US Assistant Chief of Naval Operations Rear Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, US Army Air Corps Major General Delos C. Emmons, and US Army Brigadier General George V. Strong arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for an informal meeting with British officers. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
20 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • British Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" speech in the House of Commons in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
21 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom House of Commons authorized foreign troops of occupied nations to conduct training in Britain under their own flags. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
22 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Harrow in northwest London, England, United Kingdom received a German bomb at 0330 hours, the first to fall within the borders of the London Civil Defence Area. After daybreak, bad weather once again prevented large German raids. At 0900 hours, German 38-centimeter guns at Cape Gris Nez, France shelled the convoy "Totem" in the Strait of Dover for 80 minutes, but no ships were hit. At 1300 hours, German Ju 88 bombers, escorted by Bf 109 fighters, attacked the same convoy, but were engaged by Spitfire fighters of No. 54 Squadron and Hurricane fighters of No. 610 Squadron; 1 Ju 88, 1 Spitfire, and 1 Hurricane aircraft were shot down, wit the Hurricane fighter shot down by friendly fire. In the evening, the 38-centimeter gun fired again, this time at the city of Dover; British 14-inch gun "Winnie" returned fire. From 1830 hours through the night, German bombers raided British cities, including Aberdeen, Bristol, and Hull. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Winston Churchill visited RAF Kenley in southern London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
24 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
  • Before dawn, the London Blitz began as a misguided group of German bombers of KG1 unloaded their bombs London's Thames Haven oil terminal, which also damaged the church of St. Gile in East End; Göring demanded to know the crews that did this so to punish them. Clear weather allowed the German attacks to restart in size. German bombers arrived in waves against RAF Hornchurch, RAF North Weald, and RAF Manston in southern England; the Germans lost 22 fighters and 18 bombers, while the British lost 20 fighters. At 1600 hours, 50 German aircraft bombed Portsmouth in southern England, killing 100 civilians and wounding a further 300, while damaging HMS Acheron (killing 2, wounding 3) and HMS Bulldog (killing the commanding officer) in the harbor. Overnight, deliberate bombing of London, England, United Kingdom began, hitting north, east, and west of the city. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
29 Aug 1940

United Kingdom
7 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • The Luftwaffe bomb St. Mary's Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom which was caring for wounded soldiers, killing two nurses and five patients. Nurse Agatha Joan Credland was buried in an unmarked grave in her home village of Sturton by Stow. Seventy-six years after her death the local historical society were able to find her burial site and a memorial service was held in the village attended by around 40 family members along with many local residents. A headstone, funded by West Lindsey District Council, would be erected at the location. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 7 Sep 1940
German He 111 bomber in flight northbound over Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom at 1700 hours on 7 Sep 1940, photo 1 of 2Two Do 17Z-2 bombers of German wing Kampfgeschwader 3 over Beckton Gas Works, flying southward toward Woolwich Arsenal, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 Sep 1940German He 111 bomber in flight northbound over Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom at 1700 hours on 7 Sep 1940, photo 2 of 2
8 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1200 hours, 20 German bombers escorted by 30 Bf 109 fighters flew for London, England, United Kingdom, but the group was intercepted by British fighters; 3 German bombers and 1 German fighter were shot down at the cost of 4 British fighters. At 1930 hours, 30 German bombers dropped incendiary bombs on London, causing fires for the purpose of marking target zones for bombers that would arrive during the night. The night time raid saw bombs dropped on East End in London once more; 3 of the German night raiders were shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Meanwhile, the British War Cabinet was convinced that the German invasion of Britain would take place very soon. The warnings passed to local Home Forces commanders led to many church bells across England being rung as some commanders thought the invasion had already started; some of them went as far as blowing up bridges. Finally, on this day, the British government declared the National Day of Prayer. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 8 Sep 1940
Smoke rising from the Surrey Docks, London, England, United Kingdom, 8 Sep 1940, the morning after the opening night of “The Blitz” bombings as seen from London Bridge. Note Tower Bridge silhouetted against the smoke.
9 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • A large German raid crossed the English Channel at 1700 hours and flew toward London, England, United Kingdom in two pincers. Unexpectedly, a British "Big Wing" formation came to intercept, shooting down 29 bombers and 21 Bf 109 fighters and prevented most of the German bombers from reaching London. The British lost 20 fighters (6 pilots killed) in the battle. Overnight, London was heavily bombed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
12 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted German activity to small reconnaissance flights over Britain during the day. Overnight, 50 bombers attacked London, England, United Kingdom. St. Paul's Cathedral was hit by a bomb which failed to detonate; Royal Engineers Lieutenant R. Davies and Sapper J. Wylie were later awarded the George Cross for defusing this bomb. On this night when two of the German bombers were shot down, London searchlight and anti-aircraft gun crews attempted to improve their coordination. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
  • Lieutenant Robert Davies' company of the British Royal Engineers successfully removed an unexploded one-ton bomb from the southwestern corner of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England, United Kingdom and then brought it to the countryside to detonate it. Davies and fellow sapper George Wylie were awarded the George Cross medals. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
13 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Peter Roderick became the first baby to be born in an air-raid shelter at the height of a German air raid on London, England, United Kingdom. His sister, Doreen, then aged five, later recalled: "There was no midwife. My dad and gran delivered him with just a little torch." ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
14 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • At 1530 hours, 150 German aircraft crossed the coast for London, England, United Kingdom; another 100 approached at 1800 hours. Most bombers were unable to reach their targets due to British fighter opposition. Overnight, there was little bombing of London. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
15 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille scored his fourth kill, a British Hurricane fighter, over southeastern London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | London, England | CPC]
19 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Bad weather restricted aerial activity during the day, thus the Germans only launched reconnaissance missions. 5 Ju 88 bombers dispatched on reconnaissance missions were lost, including one that was forced to land at RAF Oakington at 1500 hours due to engine trouble. Overnight, London, England, United Kingdom was bombed several times between 2000 hours and midnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
20 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Three waves of German Bf 109 fighters totaling over 100 aircraft flew across the English Channel for London, England, United Kingdom; they successfully lured out British fighters and shot down 7 of them (killing 4 pilots) at the cost of 2 of their own. Overnight, London was attacked by German bombers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
25 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • The British government conceded public defeat with a declaration to the press that the use of London tube stations as air raid shelters has been officially recognised. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
27 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Hans-Joachim Marseille shot down his 6th kill, a British Hurricane fighter, over London, England, United Kingdom. In doing so, he abandoned his duty as wingman to flight leader Staffelkapitän Adolf Buhl, and Buhl would happen to be shot down in combat in this engagement. ww2dbase [Hans-Joachim Marseille | London, England | CPC]
28 Sep 1940

United Kingdom
  • Nearly half a million mothers and children began evacuating London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
8 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Czech-born fighter ace Sergeant Josef Frantisek of No. 303 "Warsaw-Kosciuszko" Squadron RAF was killed when his Hurricane crashed whilst landing at RAF Northolt at Ruislip near London, England, United Kingdom. At the time of his death Frantisek had a score of 17 kills and had been awarded the British Distinguished Flying Medal. Posthumously he was commissioned lieutenant, and awarded a Bar to his DFM, the Czech Military Cross, the Polish Cross of Valour (with three bars) and the Polish Virtuti Militari. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 8 Oct 1940
Londoners taking shelter in an underground train tunnel during the â€Blitz,’ London, England, United Kingdom, 8 Oct 1940.
15 Oct 1940

Photo(s) dated 15 Oct 1940
A London bus after falling into a massive bomb crater in the center of Balham High Road, London, England, UK, Oct 15 1940.
16 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • Two ARP rescue workers who helped themselves to ÂŁ16 they found in a bombed-out house were each jailed for 12 months at the Old Bailey in central London, England, United Kingdom for looting. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
23 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • The only example of the Hertfordshire aircraft crashed near RAF Hendon in London, England, United Kingdom, killing all 11 aboard, including Air Vice-Marshal Charles Blount. ww2dbase [DH.95 Flamingo | London, England | CPC]
26 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
28 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
31 Oct 1940

United Kingdom
  • According to a British Air Ministry pamphlet published in 1941, this date was the official end of the Battle of Britain, but bombings on London, England, United Kingdom would continue. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
3 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
7 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • US diplomat Tyler Kent, a cipher clerk at the American Embassy in Britain, was convicted of espionage by the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey, London, England, United Kingdom and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
  • King George VI became Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Army. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
14 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • Neville Chamberlain's funeral was held at Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, or Westminster Abbey, in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Neville Chamberlain | London, England | CPC]
19 Nov 1940

United Kingdom
  • The four spies captured in Kent, England, United Kingdom on 3 Sep 1940, found unsuitable for use as double agents the four spies appeared for trial before Mr. Justice Wrottesley in a secret hearing at Court One of the Old Bailey in London. Three of the spies (Charles van den Kieboom, Carl Meier and Jose Waldberg) were found guilty under the Treachery Act and later executed. The fourth defendant, Sjoerd Pons, managed to convince the jury that he had had no intention of aiding the enemy, and was acquitted, only to be re-arrested by MI5 as he left the Court and interned until the end of the war, subsequently being deported back to his native Netherlands. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
29 Dec 1940

United Kingdom
  • 244 German Luftwaffe bombers dropped 30,000 incendaries on the historic city center of London, England, United Kingdom, destroying the London Guildhall and eight Wren churches. St. Paul's Cathedral, however, was saved by clergymen who successfully prevented the flames on the roof from spreading. In the aftermath the Government ordered that "fire-watchers" be stationed on all factories, offices, and shops to act as spotters to provide early warning. This order proved to be very unpopular with Trade Unions. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 29 Dec 1940
St. Paul
14 Jan 1941

United Kingdom
  • A memorial service for Amy Johnson was held at the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Amy Johnson | London, England | CPC]
12 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Secretary and Chief of Imperial General Staff left London, England, United Kingdom for Cairo, Egypt to coordinate military assistance to Greece. They were also trying to create an anti-Axis agreement, which would soon be rebuffed by Yugoslavia and Turkey. ww2dbase [Balkans Campaign | London, England | TH]
13 Feb 1941

United Kingdom
  • Canadian Military Policeman James McCallum from Quebec was sentenced to death (later commuted to life imprisonment) for the murder of barman Morris Sholman during an armed robbery of the Coach and Horses pub in Covent Garden, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
2 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom severed diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
8 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • West Indian jazz band leader Ken "Snakehips" Johnson, his musicians and many dancers were killed by a direct hit from a German bomb on the popular CafĂ© du Paris night club in London, England, United Kingdom. A total of 34 were killed at the club, while a further 80 were injured. The club had been thought to be relatively safe as it was located underground. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
9 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • German aircraft bombed London, England, United Kingdom overnight, damaging Buckingham Palace and destroying the underground nightclub CafĂ© De Paris; 80 patrons were killed at the latter. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
19 Mar 1941

United Kingdom
  • 370 German Luftwaffe aircraft bombed London, England, United Kingdom, killing 750. Several freighters and auxiliary anti-aircraft ship Helvellyn were sunk or damaged in London docks. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
3 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill warned Joseph Stalin (via the Soviet ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom) German troop movements into Poland detected by British intelligence. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | London, England | CPC]
17 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • King Petar II of Yugoslavia arrived at London, England, United Kingdom via Athens, Greece. ww2dbase [Petar II | London, England | CPC]
  • The bombing of London, England, United Kingdom which began on the previous date ended before dawn. 1,179 were killed. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
19 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • 712 German bombers conducted a heavy raid on London, England, United Kingdom starting in the evening hours. Although the primary target was the London docks, the Old Place School in Poplar, East London, which was being used as a sub-fire station, was struck by a stray bomb, killing 13 London firefighters of both genders and 21 male Beckenham firemen; it was the largest single loss of firefighters in British history. The bombing continued past midnight. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
20 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
  • The bombing of London, England, United Kingdom which began on the previous date ended before dawn; 449 were killed. Via a speech made in Ireland, Irish Prime Minister Eamon De Valera protested the German bombing of Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom; "they are our people", he said, "we are one and the same people, and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows". ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
28 Apr 1941

United Kingdom
10 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers mounted what would turn out to be the last major raid on London, England, United Kingdom. Low tide on the River Thames made firefighting difficult as it was harder to draw water, thus fires caused more damage than usual. The Houses of Parliament were among the buildings damaged during this night. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
16 May 1941

United Kingdom
  • German bombers conducted what would turn out to be the last major raid against London, England, United Kingdom, as most Luftwaffe units were being transferred to the Eastern Front. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | TH]
11 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
  • Sir Staffrord Cripps, the British envoy to Moscow, returned to London for consultation, but his departure left a suspicious Joseph Stalin assuming that Winston Churchill (who he distrusted) might be preparing some Byzantine move designed to leave the Soviet Union isolated to face any possible Nazi invasion. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
23 Jun 1941

United Kingdom
  • The Southern Railway Central Station in London, England, United Kingdom, damaged by German bombing over the night of 21 to 22 Jun 1941, was cleared of debris and returned to full operational status. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | CPC]
8 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • A Soviet military mission arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
10 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Traitor George Armstrong was hanged at Wandsworth prison in London, England, United Kingdom following his conviction for communicating with, and offering assistance to, the German consul in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
12 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Four days after the Soviet military mission arrived in London, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union signed an agreement of mutual assistance, noting that neither country would negotiate a separate peace with the Axis powers. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
15 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • The US Marine Corps activated the Marine Detachment at the American Embassy in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
18 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • The Soviet Union signed a friendship treaty with the Czechoslovakian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill decided to share military intelligence gained by deciphering the German Enigma-encoded messages with the Soviets, but the Soviets would not be told how the intelligence was gained; instead, they were told that the intelligence was gained through a spies in Berlin. ww2dbase [Enigma Code Broken | London, England | CPC]
20 Jul 1941

United Kingdom
  • Brendan Bracken was named the British Minister of Information. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
5 Aug 1941

Photo(s) dated 5 Aug 1941
Search and rescue dog Rip atop a pile of rubble after an air raid on Poplar, London, England, United Kingdom, 5 Aug 1941
15 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • German parachutist Josef Jakobs, captured in Britain on 1 Feb 1941, was executed by firing squad at the Tower of London in England, United Kingdom at 0715 hours. He was the last person to be executed at that site. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
24 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill broadcast, on the BBC, his "Crime without a name" speech which told the listening public of the mass murders that are being committed by German police and SS units against the civilian populations in the overrun Soviet territories. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
31 Aug 1941

United Kingdom
  • A mixed-gender anti-aircraft battery with 200 men and an equal number of women was established, with great public interest, in Richmond Park, London, England, United Kingdom. The women were the first to take a combat role in Britain. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Sep 1941

United Kingdom
  • Canadian Lieutenant-General Arthur Grasett MC, DSO (1888-1971), the former General Officer Commanding in Hong Kong, suggested to the Chiefs of Staff in London, England, United Kingdom that with the addition of two or more battalions, the colony's garrison would be strong enough to resist, for an extensive period, any Japanese seige. He further affirmed that Canada might be prepared to provide the battalions. ww2dbase [Battle of Hong Kong | London, England | AC]
29 Oct 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill visited the Harrow School in London, England, United Kingdom, which he attended in his younger days. In a speech there, he gave the advice "Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
7 Dec 1941

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill had lunch with Duchess of Marlborough Alexandra Mary Cadogan and her son Marquess of Blandford John Spencer-Churchill. He had dinner with US Ambassador John Gilbert Winant and W. Averell Harriman; after dinner, they learned of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor in the US Territory of Hawaii. He would later write that he "slept the sleep of the saved and thankful", relieved that the United States was finally in the war, and Britain was no longer alone. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
8 Dec 1941

United Kingdom
  • United Kingdom declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • The French government-in-exile in Britain declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • The Dutch government-in-exile in Britain declared war on Japan. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
13 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The Allied conference in London, England, United Kingdom pledged to punish Axis war criminals after the war. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
21 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • The German Luftwaffe resumed bombing London, England, United Kingdom and a number of southern British ports. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
27 Jan 1942

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill opened a three-day Parliamentary debate in London, England, United Kingdom on the course of the war. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
5 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • Australian high commissioner in London Stanley Bruce sent a cable to Prime Minister John Curtin, recommending Peter Drummond to succeed Air Chief Marshal Charles Burnett as the Chief of the Air Staff of the RAAF. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
19 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • Major changes were made to the British War Cabinet. Sir Stafford Cripps became Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons. Mr. Clement Atlee became Secretary for the Dominions and Mr. Oliver Lyttleton was appointed Minister of State with special responsibilities for all branches of production. Outgoing Ministers of the Cabinet were Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Kingsley Wood and Mr. Arthur Greenwood. ww2dbase [Clement Attlee | London, England | AC]
20 Feb 1942

United Kingdom
  • A Douglas DC3 aircraft of the USAAF landed at RAF Hendon bringing Brigadier General Ira Eaker and six of his fellow officers; their orders were to prepare the way for the entry of the US Army Air Force into the "European Theatre of Operations". ww2dbase [Ira Eaker | London, England | AC]
8 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • An annoyed Winston Churchill, not satisfied with Cairo's reasons for not attacking at Gazala, summoned the British C-in-C Middle East back to London, England, United Kingdom to "confer with him about the situation". ww2dbase [Claude Auchinleck | London, England | AC]
9 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • Admiral Harold Stark, formerly the American Chief of Naval Operations, was appointed as Commander of the United States Naval Forces in European waters with his headquarters in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Harold Stark | London, England | AC]
16 Mar 1942

United Kingdom
  • Soviet ambassador in London, England, United Kingdom expressed wish for a second front in Europe. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Apr 1942

United Kingdom
  • In a speech at a meeting with Franklin Roosevelt's representatives in London, England, United Kingdom, General Alan Brooke on behalf of the Chiefs-of-Staff Committee insisted that it must be essential to hold the Japanese and to ensure that there should be no junction between them and the Germans that could gravely threaten Allied oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. ww2dbase [Alan Brooke | London, England | AC]
20 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Minister for Foreign Affairs, met with Winston Churchill in London, England, United Kingdom and demanded to be told the date of the Second Front when British troops would again land in Europe. Churchill tried to explain that the time was not appropriate for an attack against fortress Europe (Dunkirk was still fresh in his mind and he had no desire to repeat the performance) until Britain was strong enough in arm, men and assault craft for such an ambitious operation. Angrily Molotov declared that he was not satisfied with Churchill's excuses and threatened to come to terms with the Germans unless the Allies came to the assistance of the Soviet Union immediately. ww2dbase [Vyacheslav Molotov | London, England | AC]
26 May 1942

United Kingdom
  • The United Kingdom and the Soviet Union signed a treaty in London, England, United Kingdom, with terms including the agreement that neither party would seek a separate peace with Germany, a 20-year alliance, the refusal to join any treaty against one another, and the pledge not to interfere in each other's internal affairs. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • The King, Queen, and Princesses of the United Kingdom and the heads of a number of Allied countries attended a United Nations Day ceremony. The flags of 22 states were honoured during a march past Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom by representatives of the British armed forces, civil defence organisations and war workers. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | AC]
25 Jun 1942

United Kingdom
  • Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and was appointed the Commander of US Forces in Europe. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | London, England | TH]
  • In the Palace of Westminster in London, England, United Kingdom, Winston Churchill's critics, led by Sir John Wardlaw-Milne, embarked on a vote on no-confidence in the Prime Minister. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
6 Aug 1942

United Kingdom
  • Alan Brooke declined Winston Churchill's offer of the appointment to head Middle East Command, telling the Prime Minister that there would be no time to reorganise the Imperial General Staff and that he had no knowledge of desert warfare. Secretly he confided in his diary that he felt he would serve better by remaining in his present post in order to exercise some control over the Prime Minister's wilder schemes and, also, to prevent Claude Auchinleck from thinking that he had come out on purpose to work his way into the latter's shoes. ww2dbase [Alan Brooke | London, England | AC]
14 Sep 1942

Photo(s) dated 14 Sep 1942
Hugh Dowding with an aide and several British fighter pilots outside the Air Ministry headquarters at the Adastral House (now Television House), London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Sep 1942
22 Sep 1942

Photo(s) dated 22 Sep 1942
Female worker at the B. T. H. factory in Neasden Lane, Willesden in London, England, United Kingdom writing messages on a Covenanter tank of British Guards Armoured Division, 22 Sep 1942
23 Oct 1942

United Kingdom
  • Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for a three-week visit as guest of King George VI. ww2dbase [Eleanor Roosevelt | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 23 Oct 1942
King George VI, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Queen Elizabeth, in London, England, United Kingdom, 23 Oct 1942
3 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • Merchant seaman Duncan Scott-Ford was hanged at Wandsworth prison in London, England, United Kingdom following his conviction for selling information to the enemy. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
17 Nov 1942

United Kingdom
  • British Admiral Max Horton was appointed Commander-in-Chief Western Approaches Command with his Headquarters at Northways, North London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz of the Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom urged Pope Pius XII to denounce German atrocities against the Jews. ww2dbase [Pius XII | London, England | CPC]
7 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • British murderer Harry Dobkin is hanged at Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom. Dobkin had murdered his wife whose mutilated body he had dumped in a badly damaged Baptist chapel near where he was a fire watcher, in the hope that she would appear to be another unidentified victim of the Blitz. He confessed to his crime after examination of the remains indicated death by strangulation. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
20 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • German fighter-bombers made a surprise daylight attack on London, England, United Kingdom during which bombs were dropped on a school in Lewisham killing 39 children and five teachers. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
  • The German Luftwaffe was forced to abandon any further hit-and-run fighter-bomber raids on London, England, United Kingdom after five Fw 190 aircraft were lost within half an hour to the RAF Manston based Typhoon fighters of Wing Commander Roland Beamont's No. 609 Squadron. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
24 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • Glyndwr Michael, homeless and suffering from mental illness, was found dead in an abandoned warehouse in King's Cross, London, England, United Kingdom after consuming rat poison which contained phosphorus; it was unknown whether he had committed suicide or simply ate what he thought was thrown-away food laced with the poison for the purpose of pest control. The discovery of his remains was reported to MI5 per previous request for such a body. ww2dbase [Operation Mincemeat | London, England | CPC]
27 Jan 1943

United Kingdom
  • Firewatcher Harry Dobkin was hanged at Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom after being found guilty of the murder, by strangulation, of his wife, Rachel. Evidence at his trial was one of the earliest in which identification of the body, which he had concealed under a slab in a bombed Baptist church, had been made possible by forensic photography and dental records. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
9 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • Radiodiffusion Nationale Belge (Belgian National Radio), made its first broadcast from London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
18 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • In the British House of Commons 121 Ministers of Parliament (97 Labour members and including former prime minister David Lloyd George in his last ever vote in the House) condemned the Government for its failure to back the Beveridge Report. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
21 Feb 1943

United Kingdom
  • The Red Army's 25th anniversary was celebrated in London, England, United Kingdom with a massed gathering at the Albert Hall. Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden represented the government while other notable celebraties present included Dame Sybil Thorndike and Commander Ralph Richardson RNVR. ww2dbase [Anthony Eden | London, England | AC]
3 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • British anti-aircraft gunners used a new rocket projectile for the first time during an air raid on London, England, United Kingdom. Civilians descending into a new tube station at Bethnal Green to take cover became panicked by the unfamiliar sound and, believing they were being bombed, stampeded down the stairs. In the crush someone stumbled causing others to fall. Those behind, not being able to see what was happening below continued to press forward, and soon 300 bodies were piled up. Tragically 173 people were crushed to death or suffocated. For the sake of public morale, news of the tragedy was suppressed for another two years. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
10 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Group Captain Sidney Bufton replaced Air Commodore J. W. Baker as the Director of Bomber Operations at the Air Ministry in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
11 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • The royalist Yugoslavian government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom reported that German forces had executed 1,250 Serbians in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Oswald Mosley and Diana Mosley received Norah Elam and Dudley Elam while in imprisonment in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | CPC]
22 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Two captured German generals spoke of plans for long range missiles in a room in Kensington Park Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom, not realizing that the room had been bugged. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
31 Mar 1943

United Kingdom
  • Replying to a question from Member of Parliament Richard Stokes, the Air Minister, Sir Archibald Sinclair, told the British House of Commons that Bomber Command's targets were always of a military nature, but that bombing of military targets would necessarily involve bombing areas in which they were situated. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | London, England | AC]
16 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • The first night fighter attack on London, England, United Kingdom, carried out by thirty Focke-Wulf 190 aircraft, turned into a farce. Only two bombs hit the city, and four German pilots got lost, thought that they were over France and landed at West Malling RAF fighter base in Kent where three were taken prisoner and one was killed crash-landing. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | London, England | AC]
21 Apr 1943

United Kingdom
  • An attempt was made to assassinate General Charles de Gaulle when the Wellington bomber flying him to Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom was sabotaged at RAF Hendon. The pilot detected the elevator controls had been cut just before take-off and aborted the flight. At the time, the incident was hushed up and blamed on German intelligence but de Gaulle never flew by plane in Britain again. ww2dbase [Charles de Gaulle | London, England | AC]
12 May 1943

United Kingdom
  • Polish Jewish leader Samuel Zygelbojm committed suicide in London, England, United Kingdom as an expression of solidarity with the Jewish resistance fighters in Warsaw. "By my death I wish to make my final protest against the passivity with which the world is looking on and permitting the extermination of the Jewish people", he wrote in his suicide note. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
5 Jun 1943

Photo(s) dated 5 Jun 1943
UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 5 Jun 1943; he had just returned from the US after a meeting with Roosevelt
14 Jun 1943

Photo(s) dated 14 Jun 1943
An Iranian, a Chinese, and two British officers in conversation during the United Nations Day Parade, London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Jun 1943
14 Jul 1943

Photo(s) dated 14 Jul 1943
French Commandos celebrate Bastille Day on the parade grounds of Wellington Barracks, London, United Kingdom, 14 Jul 1943. Note the Thompson sub-machine gun.
19 Jul 1943

United Kingdom
4 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
  • Orde Wingate arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and met Winston Churchill, with their meeting extended onto the dinner table. By evening Churchill knew he would be taking Wingate to the Quadrant Conference to discuss the acomplishments of the Chindits with US President Franklin Roosevelt. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | Orde Wingate | London, England | CPC]
26 Aug 1943

United Kingdom
  • The French Committee of National Liberation headed by General de Gaulle, which was based in Britain, was recognised by Britain, the United States and Russia. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
6 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • Reginald McKenna passed away in London, England, United Kingdom. He had been Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith's Home Secretary, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, during the early part of the Great War, before becoming the Chairman of the Midland Bank in 1918. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
23 Sep 1943

United Kingdom
  • King George VI cabled Chiang Kaishek, informing the Chinese leader that Louis Mountbatten would soon be dispatched to Chinese to discuss an Anglo-American-Chinese joint offensive against Japanese forces in Burma. ww2dbase [George VI | London, England | CPC]
2 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill cabled Chiang Kaishek, informing the Chinese leader that Louis Mountbatten would soon be dispatched to Chinese to discuss an Anglo-American-Chinese joint offensive against Japanese forces in Burma. This followed another message dated 23 Sep 1943 from King George VI regarding the same topic. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
21 Oct 1943

United Kingdom
  • Dudley Pound passed away from brain tumor at the Royal Masonic Hospital in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Dudley Pound | London, England | CPC]
17 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • The British government announced that Sir Oswald Mosley, well-known British fascist, was to be released from imprisonment due to health reasons, to public protest. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | TH, CPC]
20 Nov 1943

United Kingdom
  • British Fascist Sir Oswald Mosley and Lady Diana Mosley were released from imprisonment. They would stay with Lady Diana's sister Pamela Mitford after their release, followed shortly after by a stay at the Shaven Crown Hotel in Shipton-under-Wychwood. He then purchased Crux Easton, near Newbury, England, United Kingdom, with Diana. He and his wife became the subject of much media attention, but the war had ended what remained of his political reputation. ww2dbase [Oswald Mosley | London, England | AC, CPC]
29 Jan 1944

United Kingdom
1 Feb 1944

Photo(s) dated 1 Feb 1944
Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 1 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 6 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 5 of 7Bradley, Ramsay, Tedder, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Leigh-Mallory, and Smith at a SHAEF conference in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Feb 1944, photo 2 of 7
See all photos dated 1 Feb 1944
9 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
18 Feb 1944

United Kingdom
16 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
  • British civilian Oswald Job was hanged at Pentonville Prison in Islington, London, England, United Kingdom for spying. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
24 Mar 1944

United Kingdom
4 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Going against precedence, British Foreign Office banned foreign embassies located in Britain from sending coded messages, and stated that diplomatic pouches were subject to censorship, with the exception of British allies. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
27 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Canadian and New Zealand prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
28 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • The South African and Rhodesian prime ministers arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
29 Apr 1944

United Kingdom
  • Australian Prime Minister John Curtin arrived in London, England, United Kingdom for the Imperial Conference. ww2dbase [John Curtin | London, England | TH]
1 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • The Yugoslavian partisan leader Tito's mission arrived in London, England, United Kingdom to discuss cooperation with the Allies and gained official recognition. ww2dbase [London, England | TH]
11 May 1944

United Kingdom
  • In an address delivered to both Houses of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster in London, England, United Kingdom, Mackenzie King, Prime Minister of Canada, stated that Canada's fight would be a fight to the finish and that the Canadian people would not relax until the monstrous conspiracy of the Fascist Powers to dominate and enslave the world had been eliminated. He further declared that once the war in Europe was ended, Canadian forces would join the other Allies for the final assault on Japan. ww2dbase [Mackenzie King | London, England | AC]
7 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
14 Jun 1944

Photo(s) dated 14 Jun 1944
A V-1 buzz bomb falling into the Covent Garden area of London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Jun 1944, the second day of the V-1 assault on London.
16 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • For two days after the first V-1 flying bomb exploded in London, none were fired, leading the defence and intelligence committees in the UK to believe that those of the 13 August 1944 had been rangefinders and experiments. To-day this idea was shattered by 224 being fired from their launch sites across the British Channel. The Germans did still have guidance and reliability problems but over twenty-two exploded in South London. Due to the nature of the bomb gliding down the blast damage was greater than bombs dropped at altitude by bombers. In Mayplace Avenue, Crayford, nine people were killed and many seriously injured and in Beckenham seven bombs hit within a couple of hours killing over ten, the worst incident at Maple Grove. In all the Borough had over 200 houses badly damaged, together with gas mains and electricity supplies cut. Other V-1 flying bombs exploded throughout the south-eastern counties. Some of the Germans called it "Day of Vengeance". ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | TH, CPC]
18 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
20 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The airfield at Biggin Hill, south-east London, England, United Kingdom had now become the centre for the defence of South London. 700 balloon personnel including 170 WAAFs were stationed there. Early in the morning one of the recently raised balloons brought down a V-1 flying bomb that exploded in an orchard. Tempest V aircraft pilots from 3 Squadron at RAF Newchurch in Kent brought down 9 bombs and the New Zealand pilots of 486 squadron who shared the airfield brought down a further 3. An American pilot 1st Lieutenant D. W. Johnston of 356th Fighter Squadron of 358th Fighter Group USSAF flying a P-47 aircraft brought down one over the British Channel; he was returning to his base at High Halden, Kent from a fighter/bomber raid against rail traffic in occupied France. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
21 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The southern boroughs of London, England, United Kingdom suffered multiple V-1 flying bomb strikes during the day. The bombs started to arrive at 0525 hours when one exploded in Bexley close to the river Thames; it killed four people and wrecked 7 houses. Bombs followed in Addington Road, West Wickham where 65 houses were damaged and Queens Road in Beckenham where 3 were killed. Pilot Officer N. P. Gibbs of 41 Squadron at RAF West Malling shot down his second in two days over Beachy Head on the Channel coast. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
22 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • V-1 flying bombs continued to fall on London, England, United Kingdom. A V-1 bomb killed 11 residents of Clapham in Stockwell Park Road, two hours later another impacted nearby killing one of the emergency workers. The worst incident was in Peckham killing 23 of the women working in an under garment factory in Nunhill Lane. 3 Squadron brought down another 9 bombs, one pilot was very upset when the bomb he shot down hit a cottage and killed the elderly couple living there. The New Zealanders of 486 Squadron were getting the hang of having to dive from high to get enough speed to catch up with the V-1 bombs; they brought down 9 in the sky above Hastings, Sussex. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
25 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 bomb struck the eastern side of Victoria Station, London, England, United Kingdom as the train crews were arriving in the early morning; 17 were killed, including six men on fire watch. A further 8 Londoners were killed when V-1 bombs landed in Deptford and 7 fatalities occurred in Kepler Road, Clapham. A pub, The Freemason's Arms, and 50 houses were badly damaged in Camberwell. Nine V-1 bombs were shot down by 3 Squadron RAF and 10 by 486 Squadron (RNZAF). During the evening the flying bombs were aimed at Southampton, most landed on or around the Isle of Wight. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
26 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The first V-1 bomb to drop on London, England, United Kingdom on this day hit Elfin Road in Camberwell at 0130 hours, killing three and demolishing 18 houses. The US Naval Armed Guard Service vessel William A. Jones brought down a bomb whilst on patrol off the French Normandie coast. One US Naval Officer said "We never could get used to those buzz bomb attacks. Kinda like an artillery shell: as long as you can hear them you know that you are OK. When the noise of the buzz bomb stopped you had an instant cure for haemorrhoids." The Mosquito XIII night fighters of 96 Squadron from RAF Ford were getting used to the method of attacking the bombs and brought down six between 0030 and 0334 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
28 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • In Britain, damage to South London was severe due to V-1 bombs hitting four of the main railway stations and lines, parts of the Underground railway were also closed due to the damage. The Chiefs of Staff were forced to meet to discuss options to them. One idea raised was to guarantee the immunity of specified German cities from bombing if the bombardment was stopped. Another was to consider using napalm or poison gas against the launch sites. General Dwight Eisenhower promptly vetoed the ideas as did Chief of Imperial General Staff General Sir Alan Brooke. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
29 Jun 1944

United Kingdom
  • The borough of Penge in south-east London, England, United Kingdom received four V-1 flying bombs or "Divers" as they were now being called by the military. The first three explosions did considerable damage to houses but caused no casualties, the fourth however, fell behind an anti-aircraft gun site and killed a soldier and destroyed the Nissen huts where Z rockets were going to be stored. The afternoon and evening saw over seven explosions causing loss of life in the south London area. The Folkestone and Hythe anti-aircraft batteries brought down eight into the sea during the day. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
1 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • V-1 flying bombs destroyed 60 houses and killed three residents in Brixton, south London, England, United Kingdom. Another 10 fatalities were caused during the morning in Gibbs Square, Upper Norwood and Lunham Road, Gypsy Hill, both also in London. In the afternoon the Colindale Hospital in Hendon was hit resulting in 5 airmen, 4 WAAFs and a civilian nurse being killed. The death toll rose in the afternoon with hits on the Goat public house, Bermondsey (18 killed) and over 250 seriously injured when the Corporation Refuse Destructor chimney was brought down on houses. A total of 61 people in South London perished during the day. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
2 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The V-1 flying bomb assault on London, England and the south-eastern counties of the United Kingdom continued during the early hours with 30 deaths and much damaged property. The bombs continued to arrive throughout the morning, one bomb hitting a US Army camp. Sergeant Ed Bearefoot was trapped for over 3 days beneath the rubble, his two friends who had been in the room with him died shortly after the blast. Allied fighter aircraft were now getting to know how to dive onto the V-1 flying bombs in order to shoot them down. The speed of the bomb was faster than all but the latest Spitfire and Tempest fighters and the pilots had to dive from height in order to gain speed and get their shots in. New aircraft were being brought to the area and many anti-aircraft guns were taken to the coastal areas where the bombs passed overhead. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
3 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 64 US Army servicemen and 10 civilians were killed in their living quarters when, at 0747 hours, a V-1 bomb hit the building at Turk's Row in Chelsea, London, England, United Kingdom. A further 54 soldiers were seriously injured. Another V-1 bomb exploded in Sandling Park in East Kent, the bomb had been brought down by a fighter and exploded in the lines of the Canadian 6 Tank Regiment, six soldiers were wounded. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | London, England | HM]
4 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • American servicemen were again killed, and six women of US Army Women's Army Corps were wounded, by a V-1 flying bomb hitting their accommodation in Bexley, south-east London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
5 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 22 Heinkel bombers of German III/KG3 flew sorties during the night and launched V-1 flying bombs. The bomb all fell in the south London area in Britain, causing considerable damage to property and killing over fifteen residents. The British were seeing that more damage was caused by these flying bombs than by the bombs dropped by bombers. This was due to the fact that they often glided down in shallow dives and blew up on the ground, the blast of 1,870 pounds of Amatol or Trialen often destroyed over 20 houses and took the roofs off many more. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
8 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 bomb landed and exploded on Greenwich Police Station in London, England, United Kingdom; several people were trapped in the wreckage of the West London station, no deaths occurred. However, an early arriving bomb killed 6 people in Oakdale Road, Streatham, south west London. Polish pilot, Flying Officer Tadeusz Karnkowski, 316 (Polish) Squadron, after shooting down two V-1 bombs tried to tip over a third with his wing tips, the manoeuvre was successful but also damaged his Spitfire fighter and he was forced to crash land on the runway at RAF West Malling. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
9 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The South Metropolitan Gas Company's gasholder in Kennington, south-east London, England, United Kingdom received a direct hit from a V-1 flying bomb causing a huge explosion and a large amount of damage to local houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
10 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 30 sorties were made by the Heinkel bombers of III/KG3 carrying V-1 flying bombs against Britain. A British naval anti-aircraft battery brought down one of the aircraft. The falling V-1 bombs caused deaths in the southern London boroughs of Battersea and Clapham where six people were killed in the Underground Station. The Royal navy Fleet Air Arm Pilot Sub Lieutenant D. P. Davies, whilst returning from an anti-shipping patrol in his Avenger Mk. 1 aircraft, saw a V-1 bomb and his TAG L/Airman Fred Shirmer brought it down at 700 yards, only firing 20 rounds; Shirmer received a mention in dispatches. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
11 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • London, England, United Kingdom received many V-1 bombs and over 38 deaths were reported. The worst incident, killing 14, was at Annerley Road in Crystal Palace, south-east London. At Public House, The Paxon's Arms was hit close by in Clapham, 11 people in the pub were killed. At Deptford, south-east London, 11 dock workers were killed, with cranes and workshops destroyed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
13 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In the United Kingdom, General Frederick Pile and Air Marshal Roderic Hill held a meeting to discuss the best way for the British Royal Air Force and the anti-aircraft batteries to deal with incoming V-1 bombs. Two distinct areas for fighters were created, one over the sea in front of the guns and the other inland behind them; these zones were created partially because the gun batteries along the coast were to be supplied with the secret radio proximity fuzed shells that would pose an equal threat to nearby friendly aircraft as to the V-1s. There were many fatal V-1 bomb impacts over south London during the day; the worse was when the Tiger's Head Inn in Lewisham was hit killing 16 and injuring 40. Five members of a family were killed in the Park Hotel in Bromley, they were due to be evacuated that afternoon. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
15 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 7 people were killed outside London Bridge railway station in London, England, United Kingdom by a V-1 bomb that also demolished a block of apartments. First Lieutenant Donald M. Raine of 412th Fighter Squadron of USAAF 373rd Fighter Group, flying his P-47 fighter, brought down the first of his squadron's V-1 bombs over the village of Kingsnorth in Kent. Pilots were becoming nervous about the bombs they shot down hitting houses and civilians. The Air Ministry put the defence of London as a priority. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
16 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • The Polish government-in-exile in London, England, United Kingdom published a paper which laid claim to the German territory of East Prussia and the Free City of Danzig; the paper also reasserted the territory that the Germans called "Polish Corridor" was to remain within Polish borders. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • Three V-1 flying bombs impacted in quick succession in Brixton, London, England, United Kingdom, hitting Ramsey Road (5 killed), Brixton Road (2 killed) and at Lubbock Street in nearby Battersea (16 killed). The Church of St John in Bermondsey was hit; this church had been badly damaged during the Blitz of 1940 and repairs had been completed. The church was used as an emergency aid station; two workers were killed when the roof collapsed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
18 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Heinkel aircraft of III/KG3 flew 14 sorties to launch V-1 flying bombs against London, England, United Kingdom; all aircraft returned safely. Meanwhile, another German squadron was working up to operational level at Gilze-Rijen. The borough of Beckenham in London was the scene of the worst bomb incident of the day when the bus station was hit; 18 were killed including 2 soldiers, the petrol supply tanks at the depot exploded adding to more damage and injuries to firemen. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
19 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Over 45 V-1 flying bombs were shot down by fighters from the RAF squadrons situated in the Counties of Kent and Sussex in Britain, whilst more were shot down into the sea by coastal anti-aircraft batteries. Two Polish Squadrons (306 and 315) accounted for 14 of them, with Flight Sergeant J. Zaworski PAF (306 Squadron) scoring 3 kills within 2 patrols. However more damage was caused by bombs getting through the defences; Wandsworth in south west London and Peckham in the south east had bombs causing fatalities and over 50 houses were condemned after damage assessment. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
21 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 7 people were killed at 0654 hours when a V-1 flying bomb struck Blenheim Close, Penge, south-east London, England, United Kingdom; over 150 houses were badly damaged. Injured staff at the ice cream factory in Lambeth meant that the factory was unable to supply ice to hospitals. Another Mosquito aircraft was lost when 248 Squadron intercepted enemy aircraft whilst hunting V-1 flying bombs, three Dornier bombers were shot down but the aircraft of Flight Sergeant Walter Scott and his observer Flight Sergeant John Blackburn was hit by return fire and crashed into the sea. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
24 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In the early morning five aircraft-launched German V-1 flying bombs impacted on London, England, United Kingdom, the most serious being in Canterbury Terrace in the borough of Kilburn at 0440 hours, killing 16 residents. III KG/3 had launched 11 in total; the other six blew up in the counties of Essex and Hertfordshire. The Tempest V fighters of the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) of the RAF brought down seven bombs after dark two of which fell onto the military camp at Offham in Mereworth Woods and Gravelly Bottom; No service personnel were hurt but damage to vehicles and offices was severe. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
25 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • Sorties were flown by aircraft of III KG/3 again during the night, in all 18 aircraft took off to launch V-1 flying bombs on England, United Kingdom. One aircraft, Heinkel He 111 5K+GT of 9 Staffel flown by Unteroffizier GĂĽnter Rohne, hit a high communication mast near Eindhoven in the Netherlands and blew up; there were no survivors. London and the counties of Hertfordshire and Essex were again hit but only light casualties were reported. 96 Squadron RAF lost a Mosquito XIII aircraft and the crew when the aircraft failed to return to RAF Ford. It was thought that the plane was hit by friendly fire when returning from the anti-diver patrol. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
27 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • 24 people were killed when a V-1 flying bomb fell onto Church Road in Beckenham, London, England, United Kingdom; it impacted by the road and graveyard by the St George's Church and caused major damage and unearthing graves. Others fell in Norwood elsewhere in London, killing 6 and bringing down houses. A stray flying bomb impacted near the town of Mosstofta in Sweden, causing little damage and no casualties. It was unclear where this bomb was launched from; it could have been from a training flight by III KG/3 or from the research area at PeenemĂĽnde, Germany. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
28 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the worst V-1 flying bomb incidents happened at 0935 hours when a bomb hit the crowded shopping centre in Lewisham, London, England, United Kingdom. It landed on the roof of a street level shelter outside a Marks & Spencer department store. It caused major damage to the store and the Woolworths next to it. Many were killed in the Woolworth's basement restaurant area and passing buses were ripped apart. 51 people were killed instantly and others in hospital later. The blast zone of this bomb stretched for 600 yards in all directions. The day was made worse when another 45 were killed in Kensington High Street in central London. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
29 Jul 1944

United Kingdom
  • In south London, England, United Kingdom, two surface air raid shelters were partly destroyed when a V-1 flying bomb impacted at the junction of Hollyoak and Dante Roads in Elephant and Castle; twenty houses were rendered uninhabitable. There were no casualties with this bomb, however another exploded nearby killing five and damaging almost 200 houses. Further south a V-1 flying bomb crashed and blew up near the town of Sevenoaks in western Kent after being shot down by a fighter, as often happened in the countryside, after the explosion schoolboys took parts for souvenirs. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
2 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb caused the deaths of 12 residents of Pendle Road in the borough of Streatham, South-west London, at 0510 hours, a second bomb impacted on Gypsy Road in Upper Norwood, killing 3, one of whom was an elderly lady awaiting evacuation from the area. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
3 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • RAF Hendon north of London, England, United Kingdom was hit by a V-1 flying bomb in the early hours; it demolished a barrack block and 5 accommodation huts where 5 airmen were killed and over 25 wounded. The area around Maidstone in Kent in southern England received V-1 flying bombs throughout the morning, one of them fell after snagging the wires of a barrage balloon; it killed 5 workmen on the railway and another 7 had to be hospitalized. First Lieutenant Jack Robinson USAAF of 416th Fighter-Bomber Group flying a P-47 aircraft shot down a V-1 flying bomb; this episode was watched by civilians on the ground near Ashford, Kent who cheered as the bomb veered away and exploded in woodland. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
Photo(s) dated 3 Aug 1944
As seen from the Fleet Street rooftops, a V-1 Flying Bomb strikes near Kings Way or Drury Lane with the Law Courts towers in the foreground, London, England, United Kingdom, 3 Aug 1944. Photo 2 of 2.
4 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
5 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Louis Mountbatten arrived in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Louis Mountbatten | London, England | CPC]
  • A V-1 flying bomb brought down by a Tempest aircraft landed in Malling Road, Snodland in north Kent, England, United Kingdom; the explosion brought down 10 houses in the village and killed 12 people in them, a further 16 were badly injured; two doctors, both badly injured whose surgery facility was within one of the houses, carried on treating the casualties. Another serious incident happened in East Dulwich in south-east London when the Co-Operative department store in Lordship Lane was hit; 23 people died and many injured; a Salvation Army headquarters was damaged where 29 people were seriously injured when the roof fell in. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
6 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb caused massive damage when it exploded in Carrington Road in Dartford, London, England, United Kingdom; 20 homes were wrecked and another 700 houses needed repair; ten people died and 20 hospitalized. Balloons brought down four flying bombs around the town of Sevenoaks in Kent, England; the success was a testament to the skill of the balloon crews in placing them at the correct height and in areas that did not threaten dwellings if the bombs were brought down. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
7 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A V-1 flying bomb blew up in Underhill Road, East Dulwich in south east London, England, United Kingdom, 4 residents were killed. Three V-1 bombs, brought down by fighters, crashed into the outskirts of Ashford, Kent, England causing damage and one death. The fighter pilots were now taking efforts to avoid their targets impacting on built up areas but the problem remained of the bombs flying erratically once hit. 316 Squadron (Polish) brought down 8 flying bombs, following on from the 9 kills made the previous day. Warrant Officer Czeslaw Bartlomiejczyk shot down four in the space of five minutes when he got behind the V-1 flying bombs flying in single file over the English Channel in his Mustang III fighter. Flight Officer Henry "Dixie" Dean flying the new RAF jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, brought down a V-1 flying bomb over the village of Rorbertsbridge, east Sussex. 616 squadron now had a dozen of the jet fighters and 33 pilots training with them. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
12 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
14 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
17 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Anti-aircraft gunners using proximity fuzed shells at Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom brought down 27 flying bombs during the day, all landing in the sea close to the beaches. The batteries at nearby Hythe accounted for a further 16, also due in large part to the proximity fuzes. As usual the number of bombs being launched meant that some got through to the London area. One bomb landed only yards from where one exploded four days earlier killing another 3 residents. The worst incident was at Rotherhithe Street in Bermondsey where 17 were killed and more than 60 injured. Later in the afternoon 16 residents of Mossbury Road in Lavender Hill south London were killed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
20 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Three V-1 flying bombs caused 16 deaths in the area around Twickenham Road, Feltham and Studeley Road in Stockwell, both of London, England, United Kingdom. Pilot Officer John Bilodeau RCAF (129 Squadron) flying Mustang III FB395/DV-Y fighter appeared to spin out of low cloud and crash into the sea, this was the squadron's first loss of a pilot whilst combatting the flying bombs. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
21 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • Willesden in north-west London received its second V-1 flying bomb in two days, the latest impacting in College Road where 20 were killed and many injured another. 29 lives were lost and 58 hospitalized in Wharnecliffe Gardens, Marylebone in south-east London. The anti-aircraft battery in Dover had their best day, shooting down over 36 bombs over the sea and beaches. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
23 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • At 0801 hours a V-1 flying bomb exploded at Oakleigh Road, Brunswick Park, East Barnet, London, England, United Kingdom, killing 33 and injuring a further 212 people. The bomb impacted on the Standard Telephone and Cable factory. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
24 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • A heavy anti-aircraft gun position in Annerley Road, Penge, London, England, United Kingdom took a direct hit from a V-1 flying bomb, killing all 7 of the gun crew. The anti-aircraft guns along the coast had another good day thanks to their proximity fuzed shells taking account of over 65 flying bombs, many before they reached the mainland. The spectacle of seeing the bombs get hit and explode had become somewhat of a daily routine along the coast, many of the impact sites were visited by curious boys on their cycles before any home guard unit got to them. Parts of the bombs were being collected as trophies, a spark plug being the big prize. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | VT Radio Proximity | London, England | HM]
29 Aug 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the last V-1 flying bombs to fall on south-east London, England, United Kingdom glided down in a shallow dive at 1440 hours, its wing collided with the steeple of Eltham's Parish Church; the subsequent blast killed 2 and injured 50 more. 200 houses were badly damaged by blast in the town of Lydd, a village on the Romney marshes in Kent in southern England. Flight Lieutenant D. F. Ruchwaldy, 129 Squadron RAF shot down 4 V-1 flying bombs as he crossed the English Channel; the first over Dungeness and two more in mid-Channel. As he approached the French coast he sighted a fourth and gave chase and opened fire, he then came under friendly fire from a Royal Navy vessel; the bomb blew up and he flew through the blast. Upon landing he claimed the last bomb, saying that the Navy's shooting was not up to much and the could not possibly have hit the thing. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
1 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
6 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • The British government issued a communique after a meeting of the Chiefs of the Imperial Staff saying that the V-1 flying bombs to this date had killed 5,817 people, and with 22,870 slightly wounded another 17,086 hospitalised. It finished by adding that the enemy had been completely driven out of static launch sites and that a small-scale attempt was still being made to launch by aircraft. "Except possibly for a last few shots, the Battle of London is over-we have beaten Hitler's secret weapon, the V-1, which was to have terrorised Britain into making a negotiated peace." ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
7 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • British Member of Parliament Duncan Sandys, Winston Churchill's son-in-law who had been made responsible for coordinating the defences against the V-1 flying bombs, confidently predicted that "Except fot a few shots, the Battle for London is over". It was not within a day the V-2s (the second of Adolf Hitler's secret weapons) would begin to fall on the British capital. ww2dbase [Battle of Britain | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | AC]
12 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • One of the four German V-2 rockets launched on this date hit Chrysler vehicle works in Mortlake Road, Kew, southwestern London, England, United Kingdom. 8 were killed, 14 were wounded, and property damage was significant. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
14 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • Three German V-2 rockets hit Britain. One of them hit the center of Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom at 0455 hours, killing six immediately and another one later from wounds. The resulting crater was 50 feet wide and 10 feet deep. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
19 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • Prime Minister StanisĹ‚aw MikoĹ‚ajczyk of the Polish government-in-exile sent a message to Franklin Roosevelt, Carl Spaatz, Anthony Eden, and others requesting a repeat of the 18 Sep airdrop operation to supply resistance fighters in Warsaw, Poland. Despite the fact that the Home Army fighters received less than half of the crates dropped, they were desperately short on supplies. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | London, England | CPC]
28 Sep 1944

United Kingdom
  • During a speech in the House of Commons, Winston Churchill condemned Bulgaria, reminding the members that Bulgarians have been responsible for many war crimes in Greece and Yugoslavia, and that (as far as Great Britain was concerned) they were not welcome as co-belligerents, until they demonstrate atonement for their former misdeeds. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
5 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Major General Orvil Anderson, US Eighth Air Force deputy commander for operations, informed the Polish government-in-exile that US bases in the Soviet Union were now closed, and there would be no more American missions to drop supplies to Polish resistance fighters. ww2dbase [Warsaw Uprising | London, England | CPC]
7 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • More German Heinkel bombers carrying V-1 flying bombs were shot down. One V-1 flying bomb escaped the fighters and anti-aircraft guns and flew into a balloon cable over the village of Fawkham near Gravesend, Kent, England, United Kingdom and demolished several houses. There were 17 fatalities and 54 injured, 20 of them seriously when another fell at the Park Road/Barrington Road. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
15 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A total of 9 V-1 flying bombs were air launched over the East Anglian coast of Britain. One got through the defensive cordon and came down in the London Borough of Southwark at the junction of Athenlay Road and Fernholm Road killing 8 residents. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
20 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
26 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Palmers Green Station in North London, England, United Kingdom at 1845 hours; detonating next to a stationary train, it seriously injured 15 people, while 38 suffered minor injuries. Elsewhere, another rocket hit Ilford, London, killing 8, seriously injuring 15, and lightly injuring 20. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • On attachment to 68 Squadron RAF for night fighter training, First Lieutenant Sam Peebles USN and his navigator Ensign Dock Grinndal USN chased three V-1 flying bombs that went into thick cloud but, sighting a fourth, they dived to follow and got to 200 yards range at only 400 feet above the sea. "We had reached 350 mph and gave it a short burst, the engine stopped, and it exploded and shook the Mosquito a little", he put in his report. A V-1 flying bomb that had evaded the defences came down on the railway line at Palmer's Green Station in Enfield in London, England, United Kingdom, causing the line to be closed for a day and slightly injuring some railway workers. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
28 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • Deptford, one of the most heavily hit London boroughs by V-1 flying bombs was hit again; the bomb crashed into Milton Court Road, killing one and injuring others. Flight Lieutenant Ernie Williams flying a Tempest V fighter (EJ590/SD-L) shot down his tenth and final V-1 flying bomb. ww2dbase [London, England | HM]
29 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
30 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
31 Oct 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Swedish Yard of Surrey Commercial Docks in Bermondsey, London at 0256 hours, damaging several wheat containers. Another rocket hit the Royal Victoria Dock at Earlham Grove, West Ham in the afternoon. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
  • V-1 flying bombs struck Britain. Fifteen people were killed in the south eastern counties and a further three were killed in West Ham, London. At 0650 hours a V-1 flying bomb struck the Marie Hotel at Coulsdon, London; the hotel was used as an old people's private hotel; seventeen of the residents were killed and ten more seriously injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
1 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit Eglington Road in Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom at 0210 hours, killing 7 people. At 0510 hours, another rocket hit Friern Road in Camberwell, London, killing 24 and injuring 17. A third rocket hit Shardeloes Road in Deptford, London at 1830 hours, killing 31, seriously injuring 62, and lightly injuring 90. Two other rockets hit London that day, though causing little damage. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
2 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • Four German V-2 rockets hit London, England, United Kingdom on this date. One of them hit outside of a mental hospital at Banstead, killing 3 and seriously injuring 11. Another hit Deptford, killing 31. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
4 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
8 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • The second largest cinema in England, the Gaumont State Theatre in Holloway, north London, England, United Kingdom, was hit by a V-1 flying bomb. The cinema's frontage and restaurant were blown out, only the main walls and part of the foyer were left undamaged. However, the most serious incident of the day was at Rochester, North Kent, in which a V-1 flying bomb impacted at at 2045 hours on the junction of Grafton Avenue and Gerrard's Avenue, killing 8 and seriously wounding 17. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 1 | London, England | HM]
10 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • British government lifted the ban on reporting rocket attacks on Britain after Prime Minister Churchill announced to the Parliament that British cities had been under rocket attack "for the last few weeks"; German V-2 rocket attacks had in fact started on 8 Sep 1944, or more than two months prior to Churchill's announcement. On the same day, a V-2 rocket hit Goulson Street in Stepney, London, England United Kingdom, killing 19, seriously injuring 97, and lightly injuring 323. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
11 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
12 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
13 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • Civil air service was restored to London, England, United Kingdom for the first time since Sep 1939 when Railway Air Services began flight operations on a Croydon-Liverpool-Belfast route. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
19 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit a car park at Southborough Lane, Bromley in southeast London, England, United Kingdom, across from a crowded pub, at 2115 hours. 23 were killed and 63 were injured. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
22 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
24 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
25 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
  • A German V-2 rocket hit near the intersection of High Holborn and Chancery Lane, Holborn, London, England, United Kingdom at 1115 hours, killing 6 and injuring 292. At 1225 hours, another V-2 rocket hit across the street from the Woolworths store in Deptford, London, destroying the store and many nearby building, killing 160 and injuring 199 (77 seriously). ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
26 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
30 Nov 1944

United Kingdom
7 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
12 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • Dwight Eisenhower arrived in London, England, United Kingdom and secured Winston Churchill's agreement on Eisenhower's strategy for the war in Europe for the foreseeable future. ww2dbase [Dwight Eisenhower | London, England | CPC]
26 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Islington, London, England, United Kingdom at 2126 hours, killing 68 and seriously injuring 99. The rocket left two craters, one 40 feet wide and 12 feet deep, the other 10 feet wide and 4 feet deep. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
29 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
31 Dec 1944

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit near the intersection of Stroud Green Road and Stapledon Hall Road in Crouch Hill, London, England, United Kingdom at 2340 hours, killing 15 and seriously injuring 34. 15 homes were destroyed by this attack. This rocket was the 382nd, and the last, rocket to hit England in 1944. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
3 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
4 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
5 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
8 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the junction of LMS and Met. railway lines behind 114 Iverson Road between West End Lane and Kilburn High Road in Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom at 1630 hours. 2 were killed, 64 seriously injured, and 57 lightly injured. The rocket destroyed 14 houses, badly damaged 152 houses, and lightly damaged 1,600 houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
12 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
13 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
15 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
18 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • Prime Minister Winston Churchill, in a speech before the House of Commons, announced that "US troops have done almost all the fighting (in the Ardennes) suffering losses equal to those of both sides at the Battler of Gettysburg". This was interpreted by many as a direct and insulting attack on the abilities of Bernard Montgomery and the British fighting forces in Europe. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
19 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
20 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • Three German V-2 rocket hit London, England, United Kingdom. The first hit Potters Bar at 1100 hours, killing 21. The second hit Calton Road in East Barnet at 1315 hours, killing 12. The third hit Tottenham at 2000 hours, killing 23. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
26 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
  • An air burst from a German V-2 rocket over Cotswold Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom caused widespread damage. Another rocket hit Clapham, London at 1045 hours, seriously injuring 25 and lightly injuring 42. Another rocket hit Croydon, London in an open space without causing any injuries. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
27 Jan 1945

United Kingdom
2 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
7 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
8 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the Super Cinema in Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom at 1245 hours; 13 were killed and 64 were seriously injured, and 86 were lightly injured. Another rocket hit Tavistock Place in St Pancras, London at 1608 hours; 31 were killed and 54 were seriously injured; the Central London Opthalmic Hospital and the Medical School of the Royal Free Hospital were damaged. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
10 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Silvertown in North Woolwich, London, England, United Kingdom just across the River Thames from the Harland and Wolff shipyard offices; many workers at Harland and Wolff were injured. Another rocket scored a direct hit on the Bascule Bridge in Woolwich at 1115 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
11 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
14 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
16 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
19 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Bawn's factory at Blackhorse Lane in Walthamstow, London, England, United Kingdom at 1420 hours. It wrecked 12 houses, damaged 500 houses, killed 18, seriously injured 53, and lightly injured 150. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
20 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
24 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
  • Major Geoffrey Hutchinson, Member of Parliament representing Ilford in London, England, United Kingdom, wrote to the Secretary for Air for assistance with recent German rocket attacks on Ilford. This letter yielded no significant results. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
26 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
27 Feb 1945

United Kingdom
7 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Trundleys Road at Folkestone Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom at 0300 hours, killing 52 and seriously injuring 32. Two blocks of homes were destroyed. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
8 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • Private Karl Hulten, who had deserted from the US 501st Airborne Regiment and subsequently committed a series of crimes in Britain, was hanged at Pentonville Prison. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
13 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • In a statement to Parliament, Sir James Grigg, the British Secretary of State for War, praised the achievements of the British Army over the previous months but announced that it will be necessary for another call up, for military service, men from civilian life (including from those previously in reserved occupations) in order to continue the war against Japan once Germany has been defeated. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
15 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
16 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit at Albert Road in Leyton, London, England, United Kingdom at 0638 hours, killing 23 and seriously injuring 18. Another rocket hit Willesden near Hampstead, London at 0230 hours, damaging 200 houses. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
17 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit 212 Finchley Road near Borough Central Library in Hampstead, London, England, United Kingdom. Aside from the library, 1,000 homes, the telephone exchange, the lighting station, Council's Work Depot, Warden's Post No. 16, and Women's Voluntary Service offices were damaged. Another rocket hit the Rippleway sidings in Barking, London at 2230 hours. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
18 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
21 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit the Packard factory in London, England, United Kingdom at 0939 hours, destroying it and damaging 13 factories and 662 houses; it killed 32, seriously injured 100, and lightly injured 460. Another rocket hit Primrose Hill in St Pancras (though officially listed as in Hampstead), London, damaging the reservoir and injuring 14 people. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
25 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Whitfield Street in St Pancras, London, England, United Kingdom in the late afternoon, killing 9 and seriously injuring 46. The Whitfield Memorial Chapel at Tottenham Court Road was badly damaged. In the evening, at 2300 hours, another rocket hit Broadfield Square in Enfield, London, killing 7 and seriously injuring 100. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
27 Mar 1945

United Kingdom
  • German V-2 rocket hit Ilford, London, England, United Kingdom. It was to be the last rocket to strike this suburban district of London. To date, 117 Ilford residents were killed by rockets, while 349 were seriously injured. A second V-2 rocket hit Hughes Mansions, Stepney, London, killing 134 and injuring 49. ww2dbase [V-Weapons Campaign | Vergeltungswaffe 2 | London, England | CPC]
17 Apr 1945

United Kingdom
  • In an address to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid tribute to the late US President Franklin Roosevelt concluding with "in Franklin Roosevelt there died the greatest American friend we have ever known, and the greatest champion of freedom who has ever brought help and comfort from the new world to the old." ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
2 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • British government announced that London, England, United Kingdom was now a "Go Home" area, ending the nearly six-year evacuation. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
  • In a report to the House of Commons the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the unconditional surrender of the German land, sea and air forces, commanded by Colonel-General Heinrich von Wietinghof-Scheel, Commander-in Chief South-West Command and Commander-in Chief of Army Group C. The instrument of surrender signed at the Allied Forces Headquarters at Caserta on Sunday afternoon, 29 Apr 1945, by two German plenipotentiaries and Lieutenant-General W. D. Morgan, Chief of Staff at Allied Forces Headquarters would see the surrender of all German forces in Northern Italy to the Isonzo River, in the North-East, and the Austrian provinces of Salzburg, Vorarlberg, anf the Tyrol plus portions of Carinthia and Styria, Hostilities would end at 12 o'clock GMT on Wednesday, 2 May 1945. ww2dbase [Germany's Surrender | Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
7 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • The Selfridges Department Store on Oxford Street, London, England, United Kingdom revealed that over the previous 2-3 weeks there had been a considerable public demand for Welcome Home Flags. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 7 May 1945
Winston Churchill with his Chiefs of Staff at a luncheon at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945, photo 1 of 2Chinese Army junior officer celebrating with British soldiers, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945Winston Churchill with his Chiefs of Staff at a luncheon at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, 7 May 1945, photo 2 of 2
8 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • A memorial service was held at the St Martin-in-the-Fields church in Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom for all those lost aboard the flight that also claimed the life of Peter Drummond. ww2dbase [Peter Drummond | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 8 May 1945
The British Royal family and Prime Minister Winston Churchill responding to the cheering crowds on the surrender of Germany, Buckingham Palace balcony, London, England, United Kingdom, May 8, 1945.
11 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • Sergeant Jack Hinton of New Zealand 2nd Division received the Victoria Cross from King George VI at the Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom for bravery exhibited while fighting in Kalamata, Greece on 28 Apr 1941. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
13 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • The British Royal Family and Allied military leaders attended a thanks-giving service at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
23 May 1945

United Kingdom
  • In Westminster, London, England, United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Churchill resigned and formed a caretaker administration in which the Labour Party refused to serve. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
26 Jul 1945

United Kingdom
  • The results of the 5 Jul 1945 election in the United Kingdom was revealed, yielding a Labour Party victory over Winston Churchill's Conservative Party, 394 seats to 188 seats. As Churchill prepared to be replaced by Clement Attlee, many of his war time ministers had also lost their seats, including Air Minister (and later Prime Minister) Harold Macmillan. Throughout the world, there was much sympathy for the great wartime leader. The New York Daily News called him "The greatest Englishman of his time and one of the greatest of all time". ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | AC]
Photo(s) dated 26 Jul 1945
British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and King George VI of the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom, 26 Jul 1945
31 Jul 1945

United Kingdom
  • British King George VI approved the appointment of Field-Marshal Sir Harold Alexander as Governor-General of Canada. He will succeed the Earl of Athlone who has held the office since 1940. ww2dbase [Harold Alexander | London, England | AC]
8 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
20 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
  • British Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin announced to the Parliament that the treatment of Thailand would depend on Thailand's willingness to cooperate with Allied authorities and its willingness to rebuild the entire region's economy. ww2dbase [Ernest Bevin | London, England | CPC]
29 Aug 1945

United Kingdom
5 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
  • The London-based newspaper Daily Express published Wilfred Burchett's account of post-atomic-bombing Hiroshima, Japan under the title "The Atomic Plague". ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
7 Sep 1945

United Kingdom
  • A Monetary Agreement was signed by the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
14 Sep 1945

Photo(s) dated 14 Sep 1945
German He-162 Volksjäger on public display after the war in Hyde Park, London, England, United Kingdom, 14 Sep 1945
4 Oct 1945

Photo(s) dated 4 Oct 1945
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit the site of the last V2 to fall on London on Mar 27, 1945 at Vallance Road, Stepney, in the East End, London and 134 people were killed, mostly Jewish refugees, Oct 4, 1945
10 Oct 1945

United Kingdom
  • The British Colonial Secretary in Malaya provided the British House of Commons in London detailed plans for the Malayan Union. ww2dbase [London, England | CPC]
1 Nov 1945

United Kingdom
13 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • William Joyce's treason conviction was upheld by Lords William Jowitt, Hugh Macmillan, Robert Wright, Gavin Simonds, and Samuel Porter of the British House of Lords, with Porter dissenting. ww2dbase [William Joyce | London, England | CPC]
19 Dec 1945

United Kingdom
  • The traitor Jon Amery, founder of Heinrich Himmler's British Free Corps, convicted of High Treason, was executed at Wandsworth Prison, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 Jan 1946

United Kingdom
  • William Joyce was executed by hanging at the Wandsworth Prison in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [William Joyce | London, England | CPC]
27 Apr 1946

United Kingdom
8 Sep 1946

United Kingdom
  • About a thousand people converged on Kensington High Street in London, England, United Kingdom intent on taking over empty properties for desperately needed accommodation. In a typically British response the Women's Voluntary Service provided hot drinks to the demonstrators while even the police supplied tea and coffee from Kensington Barracks. The Press were sympathetic too as were much of the public, some of whom actively assisted the squatters by passing food and drink through windows. The police picked up and distributed food parcels and blankets, money, food, chocolate and cigarettes were collected for the families. Student from London University marched throughout the streets in support. After Prime Minister Clement Attlee refused to meet with a delegation a frightened government threaten to employ force to evict the squatters, but the protest eventually ended when it was announced that squatters could lose their rights to a place on the Council Housing queue if they persisted in occupation. ww2dbase [Clement Attlee | London, England | AC]
8 May 1947

United Kingdom
  • Harry Gordon Selfridge died at the age of 83 from bronchial pneumonia in the district of Putney in London, England, United Kingdom. The American founder of the London luxury department store was pennyless, but he created an idea that revolutionised shopping forever. Selfridge believed the customer was always right and provided restaurants and attentive salespeople to keep customers in his shop for longer. But the Depression and his lavish spending and gambling habits meant he owed a quarter of a million pounds by 1940. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
14 Nov 1948

United Kingdom
  • Prince Charles (later Prince of Wales) was born at Buckingham Palace, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
3 May 1951

United Kingdom
  • The Festival of Britain opened in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [London, England | AC]
24 Jul 1951

Photo(s) dated 24 Jul 1951
Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding laying the foundation stone at the Battle of Britain Memorial Chapel at RAF Biggin Hill, London, England, United Kingdom, 24 Jul 1951
15 Jun 1952

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1953

Photo(s) dated 1 Mar 1953
Josip Tito, Winston Churchill, and Anthony Eden in London, England, United Kingdom, 1 Mar 1953
26 May 1953

United Kingdom
  • Edmund Herring personally led Australian troops in guarding Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom during the queen's coronation ceremonies. ww2dbase [Edmund Herring | London, England | CPC]
23 Jun 1953

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill suffered a stroke in the evening at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
10 Jul 1953

United Kingdom
  • Edmund Herring was made a Knight of the Order of Saint John at Buckingham Palace in London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edmund Herring | London, England | CPC]
14 Oct 1954

United Kingdom
1 Mar 1955

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill made "The Deterrent - Nuclear Warfare" speech before the House of Commons of the British Parliament. It was to be his last major speech at the House of Commons. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
4 Apr 1955

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill held what was to become his last formal dinner at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom. His guests included Queen Elizabeth II, her consort Prince Philip, and many high government officials. ww2dbase [10 Downing Street | Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
Photo(s) dated 4 Apr 1955
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Clementine Churchill greeting Queen Elizabeth II as she arrives for dinner at 10 Downing Street, London, England, United Kingdom, April 4, 1955. Churchill resigned the following day
10 Nov 1958

United Kingdom
27 Jul 1964

United Kingdom
  • Winston Churchill visited the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the last time. ww2dbase [Winston Churchill | London, England | CPC]
15 Jan 1965

United Kingdom
24 Jan 1965

United Kingdom
30 Jan 1965

Photo(s) dated 30 Jan 1965
Winston Churchill
27 Aug 1969

United Kingdom
  • While in exile in London, England, United Kingdom, U Nu declared that he was legally the Prime Minister of Burma, challenging General Ne Win in Yangon, Burma who held the title with backing of the military. ww2dbase [U Nu | London, England | CPC]
14 Dec 1970

United Kingdom
12 Feb 1981

United Kingdom
17 Jun 1981

United Kingdom
22 Aug 2004

Photo(s) dated 22 Aug 2004
Bernard Montgomery
8 Nov 2012

United Kingdom
  • The Princess Royal of Britain unveiled a bronze bust of Noor Inayat Khan at Gordon Square Gardens, London, England, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Noor Inayat Khan | London, England | CPC]
24 Dec 2013

United Kingdom
  • Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an unprecedented Royal Pardon expunging Alan Turing's 1952 indecency conviction. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | London, England | DS]
15 Jul 2019

United Kingdom
  • The Bank of England announced that Alan Turing will be on the United Kingdom's new ÂŁ50 note. ww2dbase [Alan Turing | London, England | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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US President Harry Truman, General Dwight Eisenhower, and General Omar Bradley at the Pentagon building moment after Bradley had been sworn in as the Chief of Staff of the US Army, Virginia, United States, 7 Feb 1948


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Winston Churchill, 1935


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