World War 2 reshaped the Woodgrange estate like no other period in its 150 year history. Records of bomb damage in London indicate that the area was hit on ten separate nights during the Blitz (1940-41) and on three occasions during the V1 and V2 bombing raids in 1944 (Fn 1).
The bombs transformed
the estate's appearance, particularly at its western end, as a casual glance
today will show.
For all of
the bombing raids and the scale of the destruction, surprisingly few civilian
deaths were recorded, according to West Ham's WW2 register.
Sept 8 – Hampton; 9 – Osborne; 23 – Hampton; 28– Windsor;Oct 4 – Hampton;Dec 3 – Claremont
Jan 21 – Osborne;Mar 8/9 – 3 x Claremont; 19 – Hampton;Apr 17 – Woodgrange Methodist church and Claremont and Osborne.
Woodgrange estate bomb hits during V1 and V2 raids
Jan 30 – Claremont;Feb 24 – Windsor;Jul 5 – Osborne.
Deaths were recorded on only two of the nights of bombing during the Blitz and on none during the V1 and V2 raids towards the end of the war.
The estate’s first civilian war deaths occurred on the night of 4 October 1940, when Hilda Humphries and Joyce Humphreys, both aged 23, were killed at 73 Hampton Road. We know little more about the sisters, as they did not appear to be living at the address on the night of the National Register, recorded just a year earlier in September 1939.
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| 73 Hampton Road today - constructed after 4 October 1940 bomb |
The bomb clearly destroyed the building, as the house there today is a replacement and of post-war construction. It stands out in contrast to the area's late Victorian dwellings.
The most
devastating night of bombing for the estate was on 17 April the following year,
when bombs destroyed the Methodist church on Woodgrange Road and hit the
adjacent Claremont and Osborne Roads. A considerable bomb site was created, the
uses to which it was put are considered below. It was the last night of the
Blitz to hit the estate.
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| Woodgrange Methodist church after bomb damage of 17 April 1941 |
Five of the
estate’s civilians were killed on the night of 17 April. Other people with home
addresses outside of the estate may well have been killed, too.
The Register
of Civilian Deaths records that Rosetta and Ruth Cohen of 3 Claremont Road,
Lucy and William Bruce, next door at number 5, and Myer Cash, opposite at
number 6, were all killed that night.
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| West Ham's Book of Civilian Dead - courtesy of Newham Archives |
The 1939 National Register records that number 3 was occupied by six members of the Cohen family, all in the rag trade. Sisters Rose (aged 33) and Ruth (aged 17) were both single and a hand embroiderer and dress machinist, respectively.
Neither the
Bruce family nor Myer Cash were shown to be living at their 1941 address at 5
and 6 Claremont on the night of the Register.
We have no
details of which houses were bombed on each street during the bombing raids, but
some of the hits were clearly serious, as indicated by some post war infill
buildings on both Windsor and Claremont Roads.
Deaths were recorded on only two of the nights of bombing during the Blitz and on none during the V1 and V2 raids towards the end of the war.
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| A block of post WW2 bomb damage replacement flats on Claremont Road |
Temporary
Fire station on Claremont Road
Following the
bombs of 17 April, a considerable bomb site was created. Originally, a plan was
made to replace the damage with allotments, as part of the Dig for Victory
campaign. This was later revised, and a temporary fire station was erected in
preparation for any future raids on the immediate area (Fn 2). It was
constructed between the bombed-out Methodist church and number 23 Claremont,
which survives, as the first on Claremont Road.
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| Diagram showing layout and dimensions of temporary fire station on Claremont Road |
The diagram
above shows a fire engine room, a dormitory, an office/store, and a watch room,
where phone calls about incidents were received and firefighters were ready to
respond.
The buildings
were temporary and likely constructed of corrugated iron.
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| Location of temporary fire station today - between the post war flats and 23 Claremont |
The devastation created by the bombs at the western end of Claremont, Windsor and Osborne roads remained for almost a decade and a half, as a chilling reminder of the Blitz, as the photographs below, dated March 1955, show.
The height of the trees that
grew after the bombing, as shown in many of the photographs below, indicates
just how long the site had lain derelict.
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| 1955 Across Claremont, to Windsor |
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| 1955 From opposite 21 Windsor, looking west |
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| 1955 Looking across Claremont to Osborne |
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| 1955 Looking across Claremont |
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| 1955 Looking along Windsor |
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| 1955 Looking along Windsor |
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| 1955 Looking along Woodgrange, Osborne to the left |
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| 1955 Looking from junction of Osborne and Woodgrange |
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| 1955 Windsor Road - then bomb damage |
Meanwhile,
West Ham’s architects were working on plans to build on the site. The diagram
below is their 1954 redevelopment plan.
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| West Ham architects' plans for bomb site along Woodgrange Road |
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| Donald Hunter House, constructed 1958 on site of bomb damaged Windsor/Woodgrange Roads |
The Methodist church was similarly at work to replace its bombed-out premises.
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| Modern Methodist church on Woodgrange Road, while still functioning |
Footnotes
1. 1.
2. 2.
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