Air Raid Collection (#64)

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

Air Raid Precautions, cigarette card, British, 1938. Rendering your refuge room gas-proof: red arrows highlight danger points

British firefighters damping down a bombed church, World War II, June 1940. Two firefighters use a hose to spray water onto smouldering roof timbers

Rescue workers releasing a man from a bomb damaged building, World War II, 1940. The large-scale German bombing campaign directed at Britains cities began in August 1940

Londoners made homeless by a German air raid during the Blitz, World War II, October 1940. Holding some treasured possessions recovered from the ruins, they put on brave, smiling faces

Aftermath of a German bombing raid, Merseyside, World War II, March 1941. Rescue workers searching for survivors in the wreckage of buildings after a Luftwaffe air raid

Zeppelin attack on the suburbs of Paris, World War I, 1915. A print from Le Pays de France, 1 April 1915

Zeppelin airship in action during World War I, 1914. Reverse of a medal commemorating Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, designer of the engine-powered dirigible airships bearing his name used by

Zeppelin airship caught in searchlights during a bombing raid over England, 1916. On the night of 2-3 September London was bombed. Illustration published c1920

Broadsheet showing Exploits of French air ace Adolphe Pegoud
Exploits of French air ace Adolphe Pegoud, killed in action 1915. Looping-the-loop, dropping bombs, shooting- up observation balloon. From a contemporary broadsheet

Broadsheet showing Georges-Marie Guynemer, French air fighter ace
Georges-Marie Guynemer (1895-1917) French air fighter ace shot down 8 times. Died in combat 1917. Credited with 53 air victories. Broadsheet showing dog fights with German biplane and Fokkers

C. J. Purnell Holding an Incendiary Bomb
C.J. Purnell, librarian and secretary of the London Library, slept on the premises throughout the Blitz. He here holds up an incendiary bomb that he was able to extinguish before it set light to

AIR RAID DRILL, 1954. A kindergarten class crouches at the direction of their teacher during an air raid drill, Chicago, Illinois. Photograph, 1954

WWII: BATTLE OF BRITAIN. An off-duty team of armsworkers practicing putting out incendiary bombs in the dump of a factory; pictured are A.T. Atkins (foreground), L.E. Bennett (right), and C

WWII: LONDON SHELTER, c1940. Wardens post adjacent to a warehouse shelter, Southeast London. Photograph, c1940

WWII: SINGAPORE, 1942. Japanese air raids in Singapore during World War II. Photograph, 1942

AIR RAID WARDEN, 1943. An air raid warden in Rochester, New York. Photograph by Ralph Amdursky, 1943

WWII: LONDON AIR RAID, c1941. A records office in London, England burns following a German air raid. Photograph, c1941

WORLD WAR II: HIROSHIMA. Hiroshima, Japan, shortly after the explosion of the first atomic bomb at the end of World War II, 6 August 1945

German Messerschmitt 262 jetfighter planes chasing a UFO

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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.