QVR Drill Hall W1

30 November 1940

By Alice Hollingsworth-Hallett

The high explosive bomb that hit 56 Davies Street, Drill Hall of the Queen Victoria's Rifles (QVR), at around 10pm on 30 November 1940, led to extensive damage.

The hall - a territorial army centre used by the QVR, 9th (County of London Battalion), London Regiment - was completely demolished. The collapse of its roof bought down a section of the front of the building. Due to the blast, the building next door (which housed John Bolding & Sons, a company that manufactured sanitary products) was shaken and received some minor damage.

No water mains were damaged and a fire that broke out was soon under control. One mystery involved where the bomb itself had fallen. No crater was found.

Casualties for this incident were slight, with only three minor injuries.  A taxi driver also required hospital treatment for a minor cut. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance escorted by a police car returning from another incident at Berkeley Square. The emergency services were relieved to find no one buried under the rubble pile once it had been cleared.