Bomb damaged houses in Pitcairn Road, Mitcham
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| Area | Mitcham |
|---|---|
| Copyright 1 | Mitcham Public Library |
| Picture Reference | Mit_War_2-13 |
| Original Format | Photo |
| Notes / History | A WW2 bomb demolished this terrace of houses in Pitcairn Road, where it adjoins the London Road just south of Tooting station. The 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 Borough records of civilian war dead show that John Charles Winborn, age 30, died at this address on 25th September that year, in the early days of the Blitz. 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 during or after the war, 8 temporary ‘hutments’ were built on the site and they are still clearly visible on the Ordnance Survey map of 1949. 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”.’ |
