New plaque in Lewisham commemorates V1 victims

Heidi Alexander, MP for Lewisham East and Councillor Alan Smith, Deputy Mayor of Lewisham

Lewisham Council says:

A new plaque commemorating the victims of a V1 rocket attack in Lewisham High Street was unveiled at the site of the explosion during a special ceremony held on 28 July 2011.

Lewisham Council and the Marks & Spencer store in Lewisham High Street jointly funded the new memorial.

A plaque remembering the wartime tragedy, which resulted in 51 local residents losing their lives and over 200 seriously injured, is already on the pavement outside Marks & Spencer. Over the years the wording has faded and, following requests from local residents, a new one has been erected and is now located on the wall outside the store.

The V1 rocket exploded in front of the clock tower in Lewisham High Street on Friday 28 July 1944, in the middle of a bustling market. The market stalls lined up outside Marks & Spencer, Woolworth’s and Sainsbury’s bore the full force of the blast. It was one of the worst V1 rocket attacks in London.