Air Raid Collection (#63)

Rescue workers search the ramains of a tenament building in Kent Street Glasgow hit during a WW2 air raid

The devastated Krupps works at Essen in Germany after an Allied air raid during WW2 - 1945

Mr Watkins and family being fitted with their gas masks at the guildhall in Kingston Upon Thames September 1938

World War 2 May 1939 Air Raid Precaution (ARP), Mrs. Dobsons (Middle) Shelter, Park Avenue, Eltham, London

Girl rescue worker searching among the ruins of Eindhoven after another air raid by the Luftwaffe on Holland

Aeriel view of St Paul Cathedral London after air raid damage during WW2

King and Queen in Hull The King and Queen visiting an area of Hull that was damaged in an air raid by the German Luftwaffe

WW2 Bomb Damage in York. rescue workers survey the damage from an air raid

People made homeless by German bombing, Liverpool, World War II, 1941. Carrying whatever belongings they have been able to salvage

AIR RAID DRILL, 1962. Children under their desks during an air raid drill at P.S. 58 in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph by Walter Albertin, 1962

Triumph: Inspirational Quote and Motivational Poster
Triumph - Inspirational Quote and Motivational Poster. It reads: When there is no peril in the fight there is no glory in the triumph. ~ Pierre Corneille

Londons Old Bailey View After The Blitz
High angle view of the ruins of the Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, with its dome intact, and the surrounding book publishers district after a fire bomb raid

Children inspecting the damage after a bomb fell in Gravesend, Kent during WWII

The children of hop pickers take shelter to watch the Battle of Britain. August 1940

The Attack Begins in the Factory : English poster, c1944, showing the Royal Air Force attack on a German industrial
WWII: ENGLISH POSTER, 1944. " The Attack Begins in the Factory" : English poster, c1944, showing the Royal Air Force attack on a German industrial center during World War II

Fifth U. S. Air Force attack on a Japanese air strip near Wewak, New Guinea, February 1944
WORLD WAR II: AIR RAID, 1944. Fifth U.S. Air Force attack on a Japanese air strip near Wewak, New Guinea, February 1944

U. S. B-29 bombers drop thousands of bombs on Kobe, Japan, during World War II, May-June 1945
WORLD WAR II: U.S. AIR RAID. U.S. B-29 bombers drop thousands of bombs on Kobe, Japan, during World War II, May-June 1945

The raid by American B-24 bombers on the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, 31 May 1944
WWII: B-24 AIR RAID, 1944. The raid by American B-24 bombers on the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, 31 May 1944. Painting, c1950, by Stanley Dersh

Crashed German Zeppelin, 1918
Crashed German Zeppelin. Aerial view of the wrecked shell of a Zeppelin in an English field. The date is thought to be 8 August 1918, towards the end of the First World War

Actress Doris Sherrell, a performer in Blackouts of 1942, taking the precaution of having artist Jack Julian tattoo her
SOCIAL SECURITY: TATTOO. Actress Doris Sherrell, a performer in Blackouts of 1942, taking the precaution of having artist Jack Julian tattoo her address

War... 1941. Artist: Cecil Beaton
War... 1941. An air raid warden watches the night sky. From Air of Glory, by Cecil Beaton. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

Blankets for the homeless, 1941. Artist: Cecil Beaton
Blankets for the homeless, 1941. From Air of Glory, by Cecil Beaton. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

The result of an air raid: A wrecked house in Southend, 1915
The result of an air raid: A wrecked house in Southend. 1915. The destruction caused by a German Zeppelin attack, 10th May 1915. From The Manchester Guardian History of the War, Vol. II. - 1914-15

The Good Neighbour, c1941 (1942). A female Air Raid Warden comforts a victim of the blitz. Air Raid Precautions (ARP) was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to

Major James H Doolittle, American aviator, c1936 (c1937). James Harold Doolittle (1896-1993) was one of the most famous pilots of the interwar period, achieving numerous pioneering aviation feats

All Night Raid on Britains Capital - Statue of John Milton, 1940, (1940). The Statue of poet John Milton (1608-1674) at St Giles-without-Cripplegate, damaged by a bombing raids on 24th August 1940

Work of the bombers and their destruction, 1940, (1940). The debris and destruction of German bombs in England. From The War in Pictures. [Odhams Press Limited, London, 1940]

Air raid damage in Croydon, 1915 (1935). Houses in Eridge Road damaged by bombs dropped from German Zeppelins. From King Emperors Jubilee, by F. G. H

What British Bombers Did at Bremen on the Weser, 1945. The Bombing of Bremen in World War II by the British Royal Air Force

The first British air aggressive action of the war, the raid on Kiel, 1940
An artists impression of the first British air aggressive action of the war, the raid on Kiel: Wellington Bombers in action, 1940

Damage done in the first bombing raid on London, 1915 (1937). Artist: Central Press
Damage done in the first bombing raid on London, 1915 (1937). On 31st May 1915, Zeppelin LZ38 of the German Army carried out the first air raid on London

Destruction wrought by German Zeppelin bombs, World War I, 1914-1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
Destruction wrought by German Zeppelin bombs, World War I, 1914-1918. The Germans launched Zeppelin raids against various locations in Britain, including London, from 1915 onwards

Wreck of a German bomber that tried to break through the aerial defence, World War I, 1914-1918. Stereoscopic card detail

The damage done by a German Zeppelin bomb, World War I, 1914-1918. Artist: Realistic Travels Publishers
The damage done by a German Zeppelin bomb, World War I, 1914-1918. The Germans launched Zeppelin raids against various locations in Britain, including London, from 1915 onwards

Sphinx damaged by a German bomb dropped on the Embankment, 4th September 1917, (1935). A print from King Emperors Jubilee, 1910-1935, by FGH Salusbury, Daily Express Publications, London, 1935

Cuxhaven Raid, 25 December 1914, (1926). Artist: Charles Fouqueray
Cuxhaven Raid, 25 December 1914, (1926). On Christmas Day 1914 the British launched a comined air and naval attack on the Zeppelin bases at Cuxhaven and Wilhelmshaven in northern Germany

Damage after a raid by German Gotha bombers, Paris, 11th March 1918

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In the midst of chaos and destruction, a woman finds solace in a simple cup of tea. As air raids ravage New Cross, she defiantly sits amidst the bomb damage, refusing to let fear consume her spirit. The once bustling St Thomas Hospital stands as a haunting reminder of the devastating power unleashed from above. Meanwhile, in Berlin, March 1944 bears witness to the relentless bombing campaign that leaves the center of this historic city in ruins. A Heinkel 111 bomber aircraft ominously soars over Tower Bridge, symbolizing the constant threat looming overhead. Backyards across Bristol become makeshift sanctuaries as Anderson air raid shelters provide shelter for families during these tumultuous times. Their presence is a testament to resilience and determination against an enemy that strikes indiscriminately. Newton Abbot Station falls victim to bombs raining down from enemy planes in 1940. Locomotives lie damaged and broken, their once powerful engines now silent witnesses to war's destructive force. Reconnaissance photographs taken after heavy RAF attacks on Cologne reveal a city reduced to rubble. Swindon Works employees navigate through debris with unwavering resolve as they maneuver wheel sets by crane amidst the chaos of war. Mogul locomotive No. 8314 bears scars inflicted by bombs in 1941—a poignant reminder that even machines are not spared from destruction's touch. Paddington Station also suffers its share of devastation in 1941—an enduring symbol of London's resilience under fire. Amidst this turmoil emerges stories of heroism and hope: an ARP warden risking his life rescues a young girl trapped beneath wreckage during the London Blitz. These acts exemplify humanity's indomitable spirit when faced with adversity—rising above despair to protect one another. Through it all, we glimpse both tragedy and triumph etched into history's tapestry—the air raid sirens may have sounded terror but failed to extinguish our collective resilience.