Event    From 7/10/1940  To 7/10/1940

Soho Fire Station WW2 bomb

Categories: Tragedy

The picture source provides: "On the evening of Oct. 7, 1940, Soho fire station in central London took a direct hit during the Blitz, killing Station Officer William Wilson and Auxiliary Firefighter Frederick Mitchell as well as two passersby. The station's fire apparatus sustained damage."

West End at War has another photo showing the damage to the building above the fire station. Here we learn that "Shaftesbury Avenue Fire Station (built in 1887 and renamed the Soho Fire Station in 1921), suffered severe damage and was virtually demolished. Two passers-by sheltering in the doorway were killed and several firemen inside the Station also died or were seriously injured. Three fire engines were covered in debris and the Station entrances were completely blocked. Survivors from the building escaped by sliding down the debris, dazed but otherwise unhurt. In 1942, a temporary station structure was put in place; this building remained in use until a new Soho Fire Station was opened at 126 Shaftesbury Avenue in 1983."

Firestations has a photo of this station 29 July 1981, showing the "temporary station structure" which served for over 40 years.

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:
Soho Fire Station WW2 bomb

Commemorated ati

Soho Fire Station - Wilson and Mitchell

We will remember them, Station Officer - L. W. G. Wilson Auxiliary Freman - F...

Read More

Other Subjects

Imawan Sarjono

Imawan Sarjono

Non-British, killed by the Bali bomb.

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
PC Walter C. Choat

PC Walter C. Choat

Aged 34, killed by a burglary gang fighting their way out of a building in Cutler Street.

Person, Emergency Services, Tragedy

1 memorial
Victims of the 1848-9 Lambeth cholera outbreak

Victims of the 1848-9 Lambeth cholera outbreak

Victims of the 1848-9 Lambeth cholera epidemic - at least 1,618 Lambeth waterfront residents perished and were buried in unmarked graves in the burial ground in Lambeth High Street, now Lambeth Rec...

Group, Medicine, Tragedy

1 memorial
Mark Tomlinson

Mark Tomlinson

For more information about this hero click on the picture of his plaque.

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial
Jonathan Mark Ellwood

Jonathan Mark Ellwood

British, killed by the Bali bomb, age 37.

Person, Tragedy

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Ewer Street burial ground

Ewer Street burial ground

SE1, Ewer Street

Current maps show Ewer Street shaped like a T on its side - very unusual. An 1862 map shows an L-shaped Ewer Street (without the northern...

2 subjects commemorated
John Bushnell

John Bushnell

More about Bushnell's work at 3rd Dimension.

Person, Sculpture

5 memorials
John Dryden

John Dryden

Poet and playwright. Born in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire. The first Poet Laureate. Died in London. Initially buried in St Anne's Church, Soho but quickly reburied in Chaucer's grave in Westminster ...

Person, Poetry, Theatre

6 memorials
Thames Tunnel Mill

Thames Tunnel Mill

London's docks were badly damaged by bombing during WW2, but managed a resurgence during the 1950s. The 1970s however, saw the introduction of container ships which were too large to be handled in ...

Building, Industry

1 memorial
Charles Lyell

Charles Lyell

Born at Kinnordy House, near Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland. Geologist. A practicing lawyer, deliberately working all over the country so he could study the local geology. His multi-volume "Principles...

Person, Law, Science, Scotland

3 memorials