Erection date: 2004
AFS London
In memory of fifteen members of the Auxiliary Fire Service killed by enemy action in World War II near this site on the night of 9th/10th September 1940.
{Followed by fifteen names. See commemorated subjects:}
©FR 2004
Site: Poplar firemen (1 memorial)
E14, East India Dock Road, 168, Poplar Fire Station
The plaque leads us to believe that all these men were killed in one bombing incident at one location but does not identify the event. We can find nothing on-line so have written to Firemen Remembered but, as yet, no response. If you have more information please contact us.
Within hours of publishing this we were contacted by Paul Dyer of the Hindle House Memorial Project. They have a page for Fireman Dilworth, one of the names on this plaque, because he lived at Hindle House. And there they explain that the bomb that killed Dilworth and the other 14 firemen fell here, where the fire station now is: "In the early hours of 10th September 1940, the 3rd day of the blitz, John was part of a fire team attending a fire started by a HE bomb explosion at Pearce Motor Engineers (aka Woodstock Garage), 166 East India Dock Road, Poplar East London E14. The fire had spread to Woodstock Terrace {now Woodstock Road} and Poplar Baths. At 04: 06am another bomb fell in the road outside where the first had come down burying 15 firemen. By 10am all of the 15 bodies had been recovered including John Whittaker-Dilworth, none of them had survived." There is a photo there showing some of the damaged buildings.
We are very grateful to the Hindle House Project for gathering this information and for sharing it with us.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesof london.co.uk
