3 & 4 Chesham Place SW1

8 November 1940

By Amy Heaney

At 8:20pm on 8 November 1940, a high explosive bomb detonated resulting in the complete destruction of 3 and 4 Chesham Place SW1. Additional damage to adjacent buildings included a broken gas main on the rear of number 5.

The Gerald Road Police provided the first response, ascertaining within ten minutes of arrival that at least six people were trapped beneath the rubble. As rescue operations commenced, Chesham Place was closed for approximately one hundred metres, from Pont Street to Belgrave Mews West. Rescuers spent an hour retrieving the six initially known victims from the rubble and sent five for further medical attention. Operations ceased just before midnight to be resumed in the morning despite the reported presence of two additional trapped casualties. However, the following day resulted in no further retrievals.

The incident did not come to a close until 20 November when one final casualty was discovered buried head-down in the rubble by contractors clearing the debris at 4 Chesham Place.