| Original caption: “The London Necropolis Railway Station, privately owned station in Westminster Bridge Road, after London’s biggest night raid of the war. New York Times Paris Bureau Collection.” London Necropolis Railway (LNR) carriages and track line at Westminister Bride Road were destroyed on April 16, 1941, in the heaviest raid of the Blitz to that point. 685 Luftwaffe bombers struck targets across the city, concentrating on the Eastland docks. Numerous public buildings were damaged, including the Houses of Parliament and St. Paul’s Cathedral. More fires were started, and more casualties reported than any previous day – 1,179 Londoners were killed and 2,233 seriously wounded. LNR was commissioned in November 1854 to carry London’s dead to the Surrey countryside for burial. It had separate consideration based on class, religion, and condition of life. For over 80 years, trains ran the bodies of Londoners to burial. After LNR was destroyed, it was not rebuilt after the war. London converted to using internal combustion engined hearses, privately hired. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2016.jpg |
| Image Size | 997.23 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2916 x 2255 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 17, 1941 |
| Location | |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-306-NT-901(72) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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