Event    From 25/11/1944  To 25/11/1944

New Cross V2 attack

Categories: Tragedy

The rocket landed on the Woolworth's building at 12.44pm It was a sunny Saturday and many people were out shopping. There were rumours that Woolworth's were selling saucepans (which were in short supply) and a long queue had developed. Neighbouring grocers and butchers stores were also destroyed, and Deptford Town Hall across the road was damaged. Apart from shoppers, casualties included passengers on a passing bus and troops in an army truck. 168 people died. It took three days to clear the debris and 24 bodies were never identified. 

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
New Cross V2 attack

Commemorated ati

New Cross V2 attack - plaque 1

Remembering Woolworths, 168 people killed in Britain's worst V2 attack, 25th ...

Read More

New Cross V2 attack - plaque 2

The photograph was taken some years ago and sadly since then, this plaque has...

Read More

New Cross V2 attack - plaque 3

Plaque unveiled by Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham.

Read More

Nunhead Lane V1 rocket

In memory of the 24 people who died from a V1 missile strike at this site on ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Sait Metin

Sait Metin

23 years old, artist

Person, Tragedy, Turkey

1 memorial
Sydenham air raid

Sydenham air raid

After losing too many Zeppelins, the Germans started using Gotha aircraft for bombing raids. Sydenham was one of the last raids of the war. The newly formed RAF put up considerable resistance, dest...

Event, Tragedy

1 memorial
Jenny Carmichael

Jenny Carmichael

A bar worker, killed in the Ladbroke Grove rail disaster, aged 22. Andrew Behan has kindly carried out further research: Jennifer Marion Carmichael was born on 10 June 1977. Her father was a caret...

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
cyclist Danny

cyclist Danny

London bicycle messenger, killed in a traffic collision in Praed Street.

Person, Cyclist, Tragedy

1 memorial
Ada Rosa van Dantzig

Ada Rosa van Dantzig

Dantzig was a Dutch Jew who came to London to study. She returned to the Netherlands intending to help her family flee the Nazis. Instead she was captured and killed in Auschwitz, Poland, with most...

Person, Tragedy, Netherlands, Poland

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial

Previously viewed

Charles Keeping

Charles Keeping

Illustrator. Born Charles William James Keeping in Lambeth. Initially he worked as an illustrator of children's books, and then undertook for the Folio Society, the massive task of illustrating all...

Person, Art

1 memorial
Cromwell Road WW1 memorial

Cromwell Road WW1 memorial

N19, Holloway Road, Whittington Park

Geograph has a photo, "taken 7 years ago" (i.e. 2015) which shows the memorial in much better condition than now, 2022, and surrounded wi...

War dead | WW1
22 subjects commemorated