58 Conduit Street W1

16 July 1944

By Sarah Boyle

On Sunday 16 July 1944, at around 11:15am, a V1 flying bomb dived onto 58-59 Conduit Street W1 and exploded. Several adjoining buildings were so badly damaged by blast they later had to be demolished. Small fires also broke out but were soon extinguished by fire crews. Access along Conduit Street for ambulances and rescue teams was initially limited due to large piles of debris and clouds of dust. One rescue worker described the scene:

“Our destination lay within the dust. Once inside it was easy to see, only the outer air had painted it opaque. But it was like driving from the streets of a town into sudden country; nothing metropolitan remained to these torn pavements, to the earthen mortar dust and the shattered brick returning to the clay. The fly-bomb had blasted a pause within the pause of Sunday morning."

A resident of Conduit Street also noted:

 “Ambulances already. Two or three people stood about, handkerchiefs to their red-splashed faces. But we were ordered round the debris to search the broken buildings on either side.”

Thankfully, only 15 individuals were wounded and all survived the bombing thanks to the experienced rescue workers. They were soon stretchered out. The Chief Warden was able to declare the incident closed by that same evening after supplying food and water to the residents. Today, the site at 58-59 Conduit Street is occupied by a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland.