Clara Alice Tower was born on 4 November 1909 in Holloway, a twin daughter of George John Tower (1872-1929) and Louisa Tower née Lilley (1872-1944). She and her twin, Dorothy Olive Tower (1909-1912), were the last of their parents twelve children. On 28 November 1909 they were both baptised at St James' Church, Victoria Road (now Chillingworth Road), Holloway, and the baptismal register shows her living at 2 Grove Street, Holloway, with her father's occupation being recorded as a carman.
The 1911 census shows her still living at 2 Grove Street, Lower Holloway, with her parents and seven siblings: Florence Louisa Tower (1894-1965), George William Tower (1896-1950), Maud Violet Tower (1900-1944), William Alexander Tower (1903-1977), May Constance Tower (1906-1970), Leonard Edward Tower (1908-1964), Dorothy Olive Tower, together with her widowed paternal grandmother Clara Tower née McGrath (1848-1915).
Electoral registers show her parents still registered to vote at 2 Grove Street, London, N7 until 1920 but from 1922 they are listed at 83 Eden Grove, Lower Holloway. From 1935 to 1939 the electoral registers show her and her mother at 216 Wessex Buildings, Wedmore Road, London, N19.
In the 3rd quarter of 1939 she married William John Edward Peacock (1914-1944) in the Islington registration district and in the 1939 England and Wales Register they are listed at 33 Elmore Street, Islington. Her occupation was given as a rubber toy buffer whilst her husband was a factory stoker. They later moved to 16 Hollingsworth Street, London, N7.
She died, aged 35 years, on 26 December 1944, as a result of enemy action when a V2 rocket exploded in Mackenzie Road, Holloway, at 9.26pm, killing 73 people. She was at the time in the Prince of Wales public house with members of her family. Those killed included her husband, her mother, her sister Maud Violet Hopwood née Tower, her brother-in-law Frank John Hopwood (1898-1944), her nephews Frank John Hopwood (junior) (1922-1944), George L. Hopwood (1922-1944) and her niece Joyce Violet Hopwood (1926-1944). They had been celebrating the engagement of her nephew Frank John Hopwood, a Royal Marine, service number CH/X 107961 serving on HMS Quebec, to Emy Neighbour. They were all buried together in a communal grave of thirteen people in Grave 17535Z on 6 January 1945 in the Islington and St Pancras Cemetery, 278 High Rd, London N2 9AG.
She is also commemorated in the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour 1939-1945 located just outside the St George's Chapel at the west end of Westminster Abbey.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
