Bomb crater in Runnymede, Colliers Wood
| Date Photo Taken | 17th August 1940 |
|---|---|
| Area | Colliers Wood |
| Picture Reference | Mit_War_2-3c |
| Original Format | Photo |
| Notes / History | Crater caused by a German bomb falling on the Runnymede area of Mitcham. This crater shows the results of an attack at Runnymede on 16th/17th August 1940. On the same day enemy aircraft scored a direct hit in the Phipps Bridge area. Two houses were demolished, two more badly damaged and 96 slightly damaged. Four residents were hospitalised but no deaths were reported (see One Night in the Blitz: Mitcham 16/17 April 1941 D Haunton: Merton Historical Scoiety bulletin 175 September 2010). German attacks on Mitcham were numerous even in the weeks before the Blitz, which began on 7th September 1940. Mitcham was generally believed to have been the most heavily bombed on the South London suburbs….in addition to the 6 parachute mines and 692 high explosive bombs dropped during the Blitz of 1940-41, no fewer than 49 ‘V1s’ or flying bombs –‘doodlebugs’ – fell on Mitcham in the closing years of the war. |
