| On the night of October 14 1940, Balham London Underground station suffered a direct hit from a fragmentation bomb during the Blitz. The blast carved a deep hole through the station’s platforms and street above devastating the area and its transport network. The bomb hit Balham High Road and carved a deep hole in the road surface dragging down a London bus with it; a double-decker bus plunged into the freshly formed crater, causing more injuries, although of a generally minor nature. Shops and homes were also obliterated and many collapsed onto the road. The bomb caused part of the northbound platform tunnel to partially collapse. As the pipes above ruptured, the platform was submerged in water, mud and sewage. 66 people were killed as a result of the blast and the station was out of action until January 1941. The Balham High Road bomb strike was recreated in the 2007 film Atonement. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0288.jpg |
| Image Size | 5.40 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 4610 x 6105 |
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| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | October 15, 1940 |
| Location | Balham High Road |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
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| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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