Selfridges, Oxford Street

My father, Leslie Sore, worked in Selfridges during the war. He earned extra money by doing night duty on the roof of the store and kicked incendaries off the roof during the raids. He remembered one night when a bomb had exploded and a window display of surplus paint tins had been blown into the store turning all of the internal columns of the building multicoloured. He also remembered that a limousine carrying a lady drove into a crater caused by the bomb, the lady was killed as she was flung through the glass divide inside the car. My father completed 40 years service with Selfridges and they acknowledged his service during the war when he retired in 1976. He died in 1989 aged 76.

I read with interest the section headed codename Sigsaly. It was not only US Army technicians that worked at Selfridges, my deceased mother Pauline Longstaff also worked there, she was British there were other British women as well. My mother worked for the US Embassy at the time, and the underground facilities at Selfridges was an annex of the US Embassy. Do you have any further information in addition to your script above

My uncle, Sgt. Leland Carr of Stephenville, Texas worked in the basement annex of Selfridge's during World War II.  He was working the night the V-2 struck the pub across the street and narrowly missed being killed or injured.  His shift as a teletype operator was supposed to end at 23:00, but he was sending a lengthy dispatch to Washington, and he stayed about half an hour late.  Two coworkers who were also his friends went upstairs to wait for him in the canteen.  As he was finishing, he heard a huge explosion and went upstairs to find that his two friends had been killed.  I am writing his story as part of a book, and would like to hear from others who worked there.  Thanks,  Jerry L. Carr, Kea'au, Hawaii, USA

I am very proud of my parents; both worked in the basement of Selfridges for the War Office during WWII. My father was in the US Navy and my mother was British. I am only just beginning to piece together, thanks to my mothers help, what they did for the Allied cause. My mother was involved with sending 'false information' and my father in covert ops. His nickname was always 'spooks'. My mother was kept in the dark about his missions and sadly we no nothing of them.   He was involved in missions, we believe, to France teaching the resistance how to make radios, etc. I am hoping to find someone who will be able to give me more information. Again, I am very, very proud of the work my parents did during these times.

In the 18 September 1940 entry in Helen Roust's diary, as published in the book Brighton's War, there is the comment or quote from some media source: selfridges hit - casualties heavy.

I don't know where the info came from at the time but does anyone know if casualties were heavy?

My grandmother (Florence Homer) was in the ATS and worked in the Cabinet War Rooms as a Morse Code operator. On her way home one day she was caught in the open during a bombing raid and sought cover in Selfridges. According to my mother a bomb went down the lift shaft but failed to explode - I cant work out which raid this might have been though. Had it gone off I wouldn't be typing this now.

My father was a B-17 Navigator and I have his diary.  On 12/7/1944 he was on leave in London and a block away from the blast.  He was on the scene before emergency crews and says he helped remove the bodies of 6 marines.  Here is his entry:

Wed, Dec 6-7-8 

Went to London 

Accomplishments—Almost had it. 

1 block away from Selfridges on Oxford St. when it got hit.  Ghostly sight.  I arrived there before workers.  Helped dig up 6 GI’s buy they were dead!  You can’t realize how terrible they are till actually in contact with them.  These British behave admirably. 

One of the ten civilians that were killed at the Red Lion Pub on the 6th December 1944 at 11.00 am, was Ethel Maxwell who is the grandmother of my wife Linda Stanley. She left 4 children, a boy and 3 girls. Her mother Sarah Withers took care of the children, until they were old enough to look after themselves. The father unfortunately disappeared.