Bomb damage to the Methodist Church, Upper Green, Mitcham
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| Partial / Incomplete Date | September 1940 |
|---|---|
| Area | Mitcham |
| Copyright 1 | Mitcham Public Library |
| Picture Reference | Mit_War_2-17 |
| Original Format | Photo |
| Notes / History | The rear of the Methodist Church at Upper Green following bombing in September 1940. This Wesleyan Methodist church on Upper Green, built in 1908/9, was totally destroyed in a German air raid during the Blitz. E.N. Montagu, author of ‘The Upper or Fair Green, Mitcham’ describes its destruction in ‘Mitcham Histories 7’ published by the Merton Historical Society: ‘The first twelve months (of the war) passed by without untoward incident and in September 1940 the Rev J.H. Blamey MA was appointed to become minister of the church. In the same September began that awful onslaught upon London from the air which we shall always know as the Blitz. Night after night raiders filled the skies and night after night death and destruction followed in their path. After three weeks of this Blitz the Fair Green church was hit. In the very early hours of Thursday September 19th, a land mine floated from the skies and descended upon the church, and in less time than it takes to read these words, the church and the school were wiped out. Walls that had echoed to the prayers of humble people; walls that had resounded to the laughter of innocent children; walls that had sheltered the weary and depressed; these walls, built at so much cost and so much pride, lay forever shattered and ruined' |
