Air Raid Collection

A woman enjoys a cup of tea in the midst of the bomb damage at New Cross after air raids on London in World War Two June 1944

A Heinkel 111 bomber aircraft of the German Luftwaffe flies over Tower Bridge on the River Thames in London during the Battle of Britain in World War Two. 7th September 1940

The London Blitz An ARP warden rescues a young girl from the wreckage of a building bombed by Germany. V1 attack Buckingham Gate, Victoria

Bombed St Thomas Hospital
The site of an air raid, which severely damaged St Thomas Hospital, London, May 1941. The Palace of Westminster and Big Ben can be seen across the Thames

Bomb damage to the centre of Berlin. March 1944

People browing the shelves in the heavily damaged Holland House library in Kensington, London, during the Blitz As far as my research is able to ascertain

An Anderson air raid shelter in the back garden of a Bristol home during the Second World War, with sandbags for extra protection against the falling bombs. Circa October 1939

Bomb damage to locomotives at Newton Abbot Station, 1940
On 20th August 1940 Newton Abbot Station was attacked by three German planes. This image shows the devastation that was caused by both bomb damage and extensive machine gun fire

The Tivoli Cinema in Weston Super Mare. Somerset and Avon area

Mogul locomotive No. 8314 with bomb damage in 1941
A 4300 Mogul locomotive, No. 8314, lies amongst the debris following an air raid in Weymouth on 17th January 1941

Bomb damage to Keyes Garden on the Matthew Bank Estate, Jesmond, Newcastle. 29th December 1941

R. A. F. Boston bomber attacking the port of Milazzo. 11th August 1943
R.A.F. Boston bomber attacking the port of Milazzo. 11th August 1943

Bombers of the German Luftwaffe in flight over London during the Battle of Britain

Lambeth and Kennington area of London - April 1941. Picture shows The Old Tennants Hostel on the left. Possibly Newburn Street but this is not confirmed

Hull, Yorkshire, World War Two. A bomb disposal unit pictured with an unexploded bomb that has been found in Craven Street, Hull

Air Raid damage to Paddington Station, 1941
A view of Paddington Station following the explosion of the parachute mine on the 17th April 1941. Showing the internal damage to the station, particularly to Platform 1

Bomb damage. The scene in a street in East Ham, East London, typical of so many after an air raid

Troops assist rescue workers to release bomb victims trapped under the ruins of their homes in Scarborough Street, Hull May 1942

The morning after an air raid by the German Luftwaffe on Scarborough Street in the city of Hull, East Yorkshire

Air Raid Ruined Buildings
12th May 1941: Buildings devastated during air raids near the dome of St Pauls Cathedral in the City. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London
WORLD WAR II: AIR RAIDS. An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London, England, following the outbreak of World War II, 1939

(1874-1965). Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
WINSTON CHURCHILL (1874-1965). Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. English statesman and writer

WORLD WAR II: BOMB SHELTER. A woman kneeling beside a girl in a bunk bed in a bomb shelter located in a subway tunnel beneath London, England, 1940-45, during World War II

Bethnal Green bombing incident. The damaged railway bridge in Grove Road, London. 13th June 1944

The Treasury, Whitehall, after being hit by a bomb. Circa 1940

Second World War, Canterbury Cathedral damaged during the raid. June 1942

Successful removal of an unexploded bomb in Hull, North England after the Second World War. Royal Engineers Bomb Disposal pose with the weapon. Circa 1941

Discovery of an unexploded parachute mine in Hull after the Second World War. Navy and Army bomb disposal squads moving the parachute mine from the dredger to a waiting truck. May 1949

Swindon Works employees manouvering a wheel set by crane, c. 1940
In this photograph a female crane operator is working alongside two male colleagues, manoeuvring a locomotive wheel set into place

Building the outer foundations for an air raid shelter in a garden in Hextable. 1938

Firemen of the wartime British National Fire Service damping down after an air raid during the Blitz
5226750 Firemen of the wartime British National Fire Service damping down after an air raid during the Blitz, World War II, 1940s (colour litho) by Mills

Londoners sheltering from a German air raid on a platform in Piccadilly Underground Station during the Blitz
6015286 Londoners sheltering from a German air raid on a platform in Piccadilly Underground Station during the Blitz, World War II, September 1940 (b/w photo) by English Photographer

Scene showing a destroyed residential street in the city of Plymouth following an air raid by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. 13th August 1943

Scene of destruction in Caroline Street, Kingston Upon Hull after an air raid on the city on the night of 24th June 1943

Air Raid Precautions, cigarette card, British, 1938. Testing for mustard gas contamination. The end of the instrument is coated with special paint that will change colour if mustard gas is present

London during the Blitz While services are being held in London, commemorating the second anniversary of The Battle of Britain

British Vickers Wellington bombers setting off on a daylight bombing raid on Germany
6015167 British Vickers Wellington bombers setting off on a daylight bombing raid on Germany, World War II (photo) by English Photographer

Reconnaissance photograph taken after he RAFs heavy attacks on Cologne on 28 / 29th
Reconnaissance photograph taken after he RAFs heavy attacks on Cologne on 28/29th June and 3/4th July 1943

R. A. F. Bomber Command attack on the canal system in Dortmund. November 1944
R.A.F. Bomber Command attack on the canal system in Dortmund. November 1944

Reconnaissance photograph taken after the RAFs heavy attacks on Cologne on 28 / 29th
Reconnaissance photograph taken after the RAFs heavy attacks on Cologne on 28/29th June and 3/4 July 1943

Daylight attack on the power station at Pont A Vendin and the factories at La Basse in enemy occupied Northern France during the Second World War

Removal of of a 250 pound unexploded World War Two bomb at Fenners Works in Marfleet, East Yorkshire by Bomb Disposal experts of the Royal Engineers. Circa 1941

Discovery of a 500 pound unexploded American bomb in King George docks, Hill after the Second World War. Bomb disposal squad clear the danger. April 1948

World War Two - Second World War - The ruins after a German air raid on a North East of England town. Pictured is the bomb damaged Keyes Gardens on the Matthew Bank Estate, Jesmond, Newcastle

F4U Corsair aircraft and Japanese Nakajima fighter planes in aerial combat
American Vought F4U Corsair aircraft and Japanese Nakajima fighter planes engaged in aerial combat over the Pacific during World War II

John Walsh department store, High Street, Sheffield, blazing during the raid. Picture taken at 6.30am by the light of the burning buildings. 13th December 1940

Great Western Tender, No. W84, formerly No. 2641, 1941
Great Western Tender, No. W84 is featured in this official image taken in April 1941. Formerly No

Bomb damage to Bowden Hall locomotive at Keyham Station, 1941
This image was taken on 30th April 1941, the morning after an air raid at Keyham Station, Plymouth

Friar Gate Derby, 1941 a42_00903
115A - 117A Friar Gate, Derby. The exterior of 115A-117A Friar Gate, premises of Wendy (115A), The Berlitz School of Languages (116) and The Friary Salon (117)

Air-raid shelter beneath Buckingham Palace for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

Malaga under bombardment: unique photographs of the big aerial attack by General Franco. Spanish Civil War. Pages from The Illustrated London News, 23rd January 1937. Date: 1937

Children receiving hospital treatment, 1915
UIG1581489 Children receiving hospital treatment, 1915 by British School, (20th century); (add.info.: Children receiving hospital treatment)

Photograph of a policeman warning people to take cover after the sirens sounded
UIG1579006 Photograph of a policeman warning people to take cover after the sirens sounded by Unknown photographer

World war one searchlight, 1916
UIG1581202 World war one searchlight, 1916 by Unknown photographer, (20th century); (add.info.: World war one searchlight to detect enemy aircraft.); Universal History Archive/UIG

Wounded children in hospital after an air raid
UIG2912393 Wounded children in hospital after an air raid by British School, (20th century); (add.info.: Photograph of wounded children in hospital after an air raid during World War One. Dated 1915)

Anti-aircraft intelligence centre, 1916
UIG1581389 Anti-aircraft intelligence centre, 1916 by Unknown photographer

World war one observation post in Paris, 1916
UIG1581203 World war one observation post in Paris, 1916 by Unknown photographer

Bomb damage to Chichester following a tip and run raid on the city by Luftwaffe fighter bombers. 10th February 1943

Rescue workers search through the rubble and wreckage of Warwick Court, Holborn, London for survivors, after the building suffered a direct hit from a V2 rocket

An Air Raid Precaution (ARP) warden and a messenger who wears the 1941 dark blue uniform, which later became the standard for most Civil Defence workers. 13th August 1941

Bomb damage to Bridlington in the North East of England after Germain airmen of the Luftwaffe bombed the town in an air raid in July 1940

Scene showing the bomb damage to St. Marks church in Sheffield following an air raid by the German Luftwaffe. The last supper artwork remained in tact amongst the ruins of the devastated building

Scene showing the bomb damage in Orford Place, Norwich, Norfolk following an air raid by the German Luftwaffe on the city on the evening of 27th April 1942

Scene showing the bomb damage in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk following an air raid by the German Luftwaffe

Alghero Airfield raided by R. A. F. bombers during the Second World War
Alghero Airfield raided by R.A.F. bombers during the Second World War. 16th June 1943

On October 7 1941 bombs dropped in Rogerstone, Newport, Wales resulting in the loss of 18 lives. Here rescue workers and wardens attend the scene following the air raid by the German Luftwaffe

The wreckage of a Heinkel bomber which crashed on to 25 Victoria Road, Clacton

Aerial photograph of damage to the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg. 17th August 1943

The main ammunition depot at Mariensiel after the RAF bombing raid of 11-12 February 1943

Heavy bomb damage at Stettin after RAF attack on 20 / 21 April 1943
Heavy bomb damage at Stettin after RAF attack on 20/21 April 1943. Pictured, the first reconnaissance photograph the AG Der Chemischer Produkten Fabriken Pommerensdorf-Milch (Chemical Plant)

Damage to the Palm Court Restaurant, Selfridges, following an air raid attack which took place on 17th April. 20th April 1941

The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz)

Bomb damage to the Bank underground station, London during the night of 11th January 1941

Salford Royal Hospital, after an air raid during The Manchester Blitz of World War Two

Paradise Street, Liverpool City Centre, after the Luftwaffe has bombed it in the Blitz

Photograph taken during the raid on the Gnome-Rhone aero-engine factory at Limoges by Avro Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron RAF on the night of 8/9 February 1944

Liverpool. Merseyside. August 1941. During the Blitz. Picture shows the Old
Liverpool. Merseyside. August 1941. During the Blitz

St Swithins Church in Cannon Street, Central London

Picture shows business premises in Weston Super Mare, Somerset, decimated in The Blitz. June 1942. Street is unknown

Picture shows a Merseyside The Jolly Miller public house on Queens Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, Merseyside, decimated in an air raid on 30th August 1940. Location unknown but possibly Liverpool

Clarendon Street, Hull, Yorkshire, after it was bombed in the Blitz. A sign to the centre right of the pictures shows Dewhirst Bros. Perhaps this is a family business

Cottingham Road, Hull, Yorkshire, after it was bombed in the Blitz. November 1940

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EDITORS COMMENTS

In the midst of chaos and destruction, a woman finds solace in a simple cup of tea. As air raids ravage New Cross, she defiantly sits amidst the bomb damage, refusing to let fear consume her spirit. The once bustling St Thomas Hospital stands as a haunting reminder of the devastating power unleashed from above. Meanwhile, in Berlin, March 1944 bears witness to the relentless bombing campaign that leaves the center of this historic city in ruins. A Heinkel 111 bomber aircraft ominously soars over Tower Bridge, symbolizing the constant threat looming overhead. Backyards across Bristol become makeshift sanctuaries as Anderson air raid shelters provide shelter for families during these tumultuous times. Their presence is a testament to resilience and determination against an enemy that strikes indiscriminately. Newton Abbot Station falls victim to bombs raining down from enemy planes in 1940. Locomotives lie damaged and broken, their once powerful engines now silent witnesses to war's destructive force. Reconnaissance photographs taken after heavy RAF attacks on Cologne reveal a city reduced to rubble. Swindon Works employees navigate through debris with unwavering resolve as they maneuver wheel sets by crane amidst the chaos of war. Mogul locomotive No. 8314 bears scars inflicted by bombs in 1941—a poignant reminder that even machines are not spared from destruction's touch. Paddington Station also suffers its share of devastation in 1941—an enduring symbol of London's resilience under fire. Amidst this turmoil emerges stories of heroism and hope: an ARP warden risking his life rescues a young girl trapped beneath wreckage during the London Blitz. These acts exemplify humanity's indomitable spirit when faced with adversity—rising above despair to protect one another. Through it all, we glimpse both tragedy and triumph etched into history's tapestry—the air raid sirens may have sounded terror but failed to extinguish our collective resilience.