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September 1944

Key To Quoted Map References

Key To Quoted Map References

The table below is our Transcription of “Big Ben” V2 rocket attack incidents that occured in September 1944 logged in AIR 20/4126

The data contained in columns marked – No, date, LA, Time, Place, Map Reference, Crater and Remarks – in this table is our transcription of the September 1944 data in AIR 20/4126 at The National Archives.

The data in – Place Other, Killed and Injured – we have collected from various publications, lists and information from contributors.

Where a “§” appears in the LT column you can find further details on the V2 Rocket website including Launch Time, where fired from and launching Unit.

LA = Launch Area – Key: A = The area around the Hague and Rotterdam. B= The island of Walcheren. C=The islands of Terschelling and Vlieland. D=The area inland from the N.E. coast of the Zuider Zee. E=The area between Nijmegen and the S, coast of the Zuider Zee. U=Unidentified.

For column headed “1” of the 1,119 incidents logged in AIR 20/4126 –  366 of the incidents have been hand annotated with the letter “N”, 250 with the letter “K”, 66 with “?”, 19 with “Kew Failed”, 26 with “Dud Lighting”  and 392 with no annotation at all. Therefore in this column we have included the corresponding letter, question mark or left blank – for “Kew Failed we have put “KF” and “DL” for “Dud lighting”. If anybody has any idea what these annotations represent we would be very grateful if they could share that information with us.

NoDateL AL TTimePlacePlace otherMap ReferenceCraterKilledInjuredRemarks
108-09-44A§18:41ChiswickStaveley Road, ChiswickQ 649 96534½' x31' x 9'6
208-09-44U§18:41Parndon Wood, EppingParndon Woods, Nr Epping, EssexL 892 25423' x 6' (approx)
310-09-44A§21:29North Fambridge, EssexFambridge, Nr SouthendM 283 16535' x 8½'Appears to have disintegrated in air; various components were scattered over area M 285 165 - 296 169.
411-09-44B§09:08OrpingtonField Crouch Farm, Lullingstone, Nr CrockenhillQ 940 8551Exploded on impact with trees.
511-09-44A§09:34Magdalen LaverMagdalen LaverL 951 26729' x 9'Fell on farm meadow. Moderate damage to a village hall and minor damage to five farmhouses, a school, a rectory, a public house, five dwelling houses and a plant nursery. There are indications that the rocket disintegrated before impact.
612-09-44A§06:15BarnesBarnesQ 638 96033' x 9'814Assembly shop of Chrysler Works suffered serious blast damage
712-09-44A§08:19DagenhamDagenhamL 935 04941' x 28' x 6'12
812-09-44A§08:52OrpingtonLayhams Farm, Keston, Nr Biggin HillQ 837 819Exploded amoung trees.
912-09-44U§17:55Paglesham, EssexPaglesham, Essex. Nr RochfordM 385 11531' x 9'Explosion reported in air.
1013-09-44A§11:05Blackwater EstuaryM 5428 (in sea)Time not checked by 11th Survey Regt.
1114-09-44A§04:53WalthamstowDairsee Road, WalthamstowL 820 08850' x 10'761
1214-09-44A§07:25WoolwichWoolwichQ 879 94743' x 11'628
1314-09-44A§13:15Rotherfield, SussexRotherfieldQ 967 458 (crater)32' x 7'Airburst reported at 995 483 followed by warhead going off.
1415-09-44A§04:07SunburySunburyQ 548 899Crater under water
1515-09-44U§14:21Thames Estuary 8 miles N.E of RochesterNorth of All HallowsR 289 975In Sea
1616-09-44B§07:33SouthgateSouthgateL 739 109Direct hit on house1622
1716-09-44B§08:28WembleyWemblyL 645 07334' x 9½'1
1816-09-44A§10:29YiewsleyYiewsleyQ 531 94924' x 7½'
1916-09-44A§15:20Willingdon, near EastbourneWillingdon, Nr EastbourneR 021 22846' x 16'6
2016-09-44A§22:38Romford, EssexIn Farm Field, Noak Hill, Nr Romford, EssexL 993 12716' x 3¼'
2117-09-44A§05:13OrpingtonCudham Lane, CudhamQ 894 76612' x 5'1Fragments found 2 mls. From crater.
2217-09-44B§06:04East HamEast HamL 856 030Direct hit; no crater615
2317-09-44A§12:07Hockley, EssexHockley, Nr SouthendM 273 11842½' x 36' x 13'3
2417-09-44A§13:11CoulsdonCoulsdonQ 771 8128' x 4'14
2517-09-44B§18:57LewishamAdelaide Avenue, LewishamQ 816 94124' x 6'1481
2618-09-44B§19:03LambethDirect hit on Chatsworth Chapel, LambethQ 764 915Direct hit; no crater236
27N 25-09-44E§19:04Hoxne, SuffolkHoxne, Suffolk (In farm field)M 636 93630' x 12'
28N 26-09-44E§16:30Ranworth, NorfolkFarmland Near Ranworth 10 miles from NorwichG 807 32930' x 9'
29N 27-09-44U§10:48Newton St. Faith, Norfolkimpacted in a forest at Botany Bay Farm, Horsford, about 5 miles north of NorwichG 651 36840' x 11'
30N 27-09-44U§16:25Whittingham, Norfolkimpacted close to the City Sewage Works at the village of Kirby BedonG 735 2582
31N 27-09-44U§17:55Acle, Norfolkimpacted in pastureland at Beighton , Near Norwich, no casualty's or damageG 843 274Stern part of missle intact.
31.1N 27-09-44U18:20In sea 20 mls. E. Of Harwich.Information supplied by 11th Survey Regt.
32N 28-09-44U§14:22In sea 20 mls. N. Of Yarmouth.G 9355
33N 29-09-44E§13:11Hemsby, Norfolkimpacted on foreshore at Hemsby BeachG 966 35640' x 12'
34N 29-09-44E§19:44Coltishall, NorfolkHorstead / Coltishall, NorfolkG 736 37540' diameter2
35N 29-09-44E§20:41Thorpe, nr. NorwichWitlingham / Thorpe St. Andrew, NorfolkG 717 25831' x 12'
36N 30-09-44E§12:14Damgate, NorfolkTunstall, East of NorwichG 868 26430' x 15'
37IncidentsSeptember 1944 Totals66289
Transcription of The Ministry of Home Security list of "BIG BEN" (V2 rocket) incidents in September 1944. National Archives Document Reference - AIR 20/4126 - Data used by permission of The National Archives
 Posted by at 9:47 am

  8 Responses to “September 1944”

  1. Joe Ross says:
    Tuesday, 19th February 2013 at 10:48 pm

    Regarding incident 16 (Southgate)
    The deaths occurred in Bounds Green (which is part of Enfield/Southgate).

    Please consider putting the street address in your excellent list. I visited the streets today.
    6 adjacent houses in Tewkesbury Terrace N11 2LT included deaths; all these houses were rebuilt

    2 houses in Maidstone Road N11 2JT included deaths; these houses were repaired

    I obtained this information at the Enfield Local History Library
    from:
    * Transcript of ARP log book for Southgate ( Sub Group A)
    * Civilian war dead in Enfield 1939/45

    Reply
    • Lena says:
      Tuesday, 31st August 2021 at 5:29 pm

      I have only just found this very interesting site so I am posting this comment years after Joe Ross made his. As he said regarding incident 16, Bounds Green is in Southgate, which was a borough in its own right until 1965 when it became part of the London Borough of Enfield. However, part of Bounds Green is in the former borough of Wood Green, which became part of the London Borough of Haringey in 1965. Tewkesbury Terrace where incident 16 took place is the last road in Southgate and one of the V2’s victims died on the Wood Green side of the boundary so is sometimes missed out of lists of the dead. He was Frederick Ernest Clarke, a constable in the Metropolitan Police who died in a road called The Drive. To make it even harder to identify him as a victim of the Tewkesbury Terrace V2, he didn’t live in either Southgate or Wood Green, but at 28 Bawtry Road Whetstone, two or three miles from where the incident took place. I have read somewhere that he died because of blast from the explosion, but I’m afraid I can’t remember what the source for that information was. When I was researching this incident at the National Archives a few years ago I found a letter to the Ministry of Home Security from someone who lived at Muswell Hill, a couple of miles from Bounds Green, describing seeing in the eastern sky at about 7.15 on 16th September 1944 “what appeared to be a vapour trail brilliantly illuminated by the sun’s rays rising up from the horizon to a great height.” It is incredible to think he was witnessing the launch from Walcheren in the Netherlands of a V2 that would strike a few minutes later so near his home.

      Reply
  2. Robin Hacon says:
    Tuesday, 23rd April 2013 at 10:36 pm

    The location given seems unlikely as there are no marks on the ground,however in the field at the end of Farm lane there appears to be a crater which looks more promising.

    Reply
    • Admin says:
      Wednesday, 24th April 2013 at 8:19 am

      Firstly which actual incident are you referring to?

      Secondly as stated at the top of the page all plots are located using the co-ordinates listed in the official documents. These co-ordinates are then converted as explained on the “Map References Explained” page.

      Therefore the quoted co-ordinates are only as accurate as the person who recorded them and the actual map they used allowed (no GPS in those days), we believe that it is important that the “official” plot is recorded and that any further information that anybody has or finds regarding any incident is also recorded. We have heard from actual witnesses to incidents where the official records record that the rocket impacted at house number x and the witness states that it actually struck house number y.

      Reply
  3. Peter says:
    Friday, 23rd November 2018 at 8:47 pm

    A little official inaccuracy is hardly surprising – Don’tcha know there was a war on ?

    Reply
  4. Paul Barnes says:
    Monday, 8th November 2021 at 4:04 am

    Tewksbury Terrace 1960’s observations of 2 young boys (Me & my friend Phil Game who lived in house next to alleyway)
    Phil & I both caught Chicken pox in 1964 or 65 I was allowed to play with him in his garden We used to peep through knot holes in the fence watching Mr Underwood hanging up girls clothes Talking to himself Wearing WOMENS CLOTHES we used to think it was hilarious.

    Phil was killed in a climbing accident when he was about 20
    I migrated to Australia at 29 When my Dad died in 2003 I returned to UK & my Mum said lets go & visit Eve (Phils Mum who had moved to Cockfosters/Oakwood)
    We were talking about the “Good Old Days” when Mr Underwood came up
    Phils Mum said Oh you wouldnt have known would you ? That when he came down the hill home from work (He was a fitter & turner at Monroes ) He saw that his house had been flattened His Wife & both kids had been killed
    The clothes he had got from the wreckage was what he was hanging up & wearing VERY SAD
    In Phils front garden there were Brass fittings from Fire hoses & lumps of glass that we used to play with

    Reply

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