Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Battersea Metropolitan Borough and Wandsworth Metropolitan Borough were part of the London County Council. Under the Air Raid Precautions Acts of 1937 and 1939 County Councils were responsible for making arrangements for the protection from injury and damage of persons and property within the County. This included the training of volunteers as control room staff, wardens, rescuers, ambulance drivers, messengers and salvage; building shelters; establishing rest centres for the homeless and evacuation of schools and the vulnerable.
Battersea and Wandsworth were a prime target during the Blitz because of the railway network, factories and power station in the area. From July 1940 to April 1944, 2,729 high explosive bombs and parachute mines together with about 50,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the two boroughs. From June 1944 to March 1945, 160 V1 flying bombs and 8 V2 rockets fell on the two boroughs. Also, during that time, eight V2 rockets fell on the boroughs from the 8th September 1944 to the 6th March 1945. About 1,800 died and about 8,900 were injured in the 2 boroughs.
Source of statistics: http://www.emc.org.uk/hawkley1939/History/civilian_air_raid_casualties.htm