Bomb damaged houses in Pitcairn Road, Mitcham
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| Area | Mitcham |
|---|---|
| Copyright 1 | Mitcham Public Library |
| Picture Reference | Mit_War_2-14 |
| Original Format | Photo |
| Notes / History | This is one of a number houses demolished by a WW2 bomb in Pitcairn Road, where it adjoins the London Road just south of Tooting station. The exact date of the bombing hasn’t been ascertained but the damage was probably caused by a High Explosive bomb that fell on 9 Pitcairn Road in late September 1940. Mitcham Municipal Borough records of civilian war dead show that John Charles Winborn, aged 30, died at this address on 25th September that year. The Ordnance Survey Bomb Map 1944 shows that houses in this location were also hit by one of the ‘doodlebugs’ or flying bombs that caused such devastation when the Germans launched them on London in the latter stages of the war. Mitcham Council records show that after the war, temporary housing ‘hutments’ were built near the junction with London Road and the Ordnance Survey map of 1949 clearly shows that 8 huts were still on the site. In 1954 the council sought to have them demolished. On 4th February 1954 The Mitcham Advertiser reported on its front page that the council had ‘applied to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government for approval of the proposed demolition of the curved asbestos hutments on land in Pitcairn Road, Tooting Junction, at the junction with London Road, “as and when they become vacant”.’ |
