V1 “Flying Bomb”
Throughout history, mankind’s wars have typically resulted in technological innovations. In the rush to find ways of killing their enemies, men and women have sought to produce new weapons that can provide an advantage in their fight for dominance. One such innovation came during the Second World War when the German forces began launching V-1 and V-2 “missiles” at British settlements as part of their efforts to erode support for the war and generate fear among the civilian population.
The first such attack took place on 13 June 1944 when a V-1 '“flying bomb” was dropped on Swanscombe in Kent. In due course, more than 8,000 V-1 bombs were fired at London.1 Later that year V-2 rockets began to be fired at England which were almost impossible to shoot down.
British Mission
The British Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remained in operation throughout the war. In addition to managing congregations across the country the mission called and organised locally called missionaries who assisted with various tasks and duties in both proselyting and administrative functions.
At the outbreak of war mission president Hugh B. Brown returned to North America and left the mission under the leadership of Andre Anastasou, who faithfully fulfilled his charge until President Brown’s return in the Spring of 1944. Many Latter-day Saint women rose up to accept extra responsibilities and duties during the war to ensure the Church could continue to function during a challenging period fraught with risk and want.
Below is a letter detailing an event that occurred in July 1944 when a V-1 ‘flying bomb’ landed near to Ravenslea, the British Mission’s headquarters based in Balham, London. The site is still owned by the Church today and is now the location of the Wandsworth Stake Centre. The transcript is representative of the original with spelling and typing mistakes preserved.
Robot Bombs Wreck London Mission Home? Says President
by Hugh B. Brown. (Pres.)
[u]FROM BRITISH MISSION HEADQUARTERS! Birmingham, England.[/u]
The twenty-fourth of July is an appropriate date on which to write to the folks at home regarding some of their “Pioneer Sons” who are in foreign lands on this “Utah’s only day.” For reasons which may be imagined it is not possible to get the servicemen together for a celebration in Britain, but from word received from Italy our men there are having spec-ial services and activities. I had a special invitation to fly down and be with them and would have gone if necessary formalities could have been completed in time.
Now that the censorship regarding the flying bombs in London area has been partially lifted, it is possible for me to write regarding the recent evacuation of the mission force from Ravenslea. Many former missionaries and visitors who have had a temporary home there will be interested to know of the experiences of the little group who were finally obliged to “retire according to plan to pre-arranged quarters farther back.”
[u]PREPARE SHELTER.[/u] After three weeks of distracting incidents, and of car-rying on between times, it was thought wise to ask the lady missionaries, who had been lodging at a nearby house, to come back to the mission home to sleep. We prepared a shelter under the kitchen, in the cellar, rein-forcing the ceiling with timbers and put in two single cots where three of the girls slept. Two others were provided for under the stairway. Also during raids in daylight these were used as precautionaryretreats.
As the visits of the missiles became more frequent and more sinister it was decided to have Sister Dunn, the mission mother and the lady mission-aries take a leave of absence. Accordingly the following departed for their homes or to friends:Viz. , May Coleby of Norwich, Joan Taggart of Belfast and Edith Russell of Leeds, Sister Dunn and Dora Smith of Doncast-er were permitted to remain a few days to finish some last minute house-work.
On the day of the departure of the first group, in fact while they were still at the railway station we had our first "near miss" when consider-able damage was done to the building. I was working in the office at the time of the siren warning and being curious to see one of the “doodle-bugs” in flight I went through the french doors into the rear garden. I heard the ominous roar of the robot and judging by the direction of the sound and the crescendo decided that Reavenslea was directly in its line of flight. This was confirmed when the jet engine cut out, seemingly a matter of yards away, and almost immediately I saw what appeared to be a small airplane diving towards me, out of the low clouds which are almost a fixture in England.
Very few seconds pass between the time one sees a diving bomb and its impact and explosion and in those few seconds the average person acts without much thought, and often without much dignity. On this occasion the green grass in the garden became very alluring and I got as near to mother earth as possible. The bomb and I were grounded at the same instant and the explosion was deafening and stunning, it exploded on Nightingale Lane less than one half block from the mission home. The concussion showered glass, plaster and tiles from the roof over the garden. This was a warn-ing of possible falling pieces of the bombs, andas my curiosity was satis-fied
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I moved with alacrity back to the office..
The french windows were shattered as were all the windows on that side of the house. The floor was covered inches deep in glass, and books and papers were strewn about as though a young tornado had passed through the house. There was at least five inches of soot in front of the fireplace and halfway across the room. I went into the front office where the girls would have been, and found that Elders Dunn and Gittins had wisely taken cover under the desks and thus missed the flying glass which completely covered that room, burying papers, inkwells, and books on the desks and littering the floor. It would have been very dangerous for anyone sitting at those desks unless instinct or experience had impelled them to "duck". I was thankful there were no lady missionaries in that room.
[u]DESCRIBES THE DAMAGE.[/u]
In passing through the dining room to go to the kitchen where I expected to find Sisters Dunn and Smith, I noticed that the three large windows were not only shattered, but the glass had been driven across the room over the diningroom table and had smashed the doors of the china cabinet which was on the opposite wall. Here, too, a good job of chimney sweeping had been done except for the fact that the sweeping had all been done with a downward stroke without any receptacle to receive the soot.
I found the kitchen door was jammed by the concussion, the center bulg-inwards and the hinges and leeks badly sprung. It was necessary to force the door in order to liberate the women who were patiently waiting to come out to see what had happened. Fortunately, as they were on the far side of the house, no windows were broken in that room. They were both smiling 'tho a bit shaken and all hands got busy with brooms and dustpans. Within a matter of minutes there were six Relief Society sisters on the job. It was just time for their weekly meeting and they had started to assemble.
I think this was one of the most unusual work meetings which any Relief Society has had.. Several large windows in the chapel, some of them plate glass, and more in the recreation room upstairs were broken and much of the ceiling of the upstairs room was on the floor. Characteristically it began to rain almost immediately and this revealed some rather serious damage to the tiled roof and called for pans and buckets to protect the ceiling of the room below. Several members of the Church, men who were home for lunch, came over. They knew by the smoke and the dust that the explosion was near the chapel, and in a few hours we were all fixed up again with tar paper at the windows and the doors, and the glass and plaster taken to the rear in wheelbarrows, and the beds in the upstairs rooms moved away from the windows and placed under undamaged parts of the ceilings.
[u]PRAISES OFFICIALS.[/u]
I went at once to the scene of the explosion where its was possible to assist some unfortunate people whose homes were completely destroyed, but of details there it is best that I do not write. It was really amazing to note how quickly the police, fire wardens, ambulances, Red Cross and other agencies were on the job, and how efficiently they handled the situation. In addition to caring for the injured and dead, and digging for those who were buried, every house for blocks around was visited and inquiries made as to damage done and condition of inmates. Fifteen houses were completely destroyed, and hundreds left without windows and with damaged roofs
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and walls. Two days later another bomb struck within a block of the home and undid all the careful work we had done on the windows and doors. All of our bestlooking tar paper coverings were torn away and more plaster brok-en loose and tiles displaced. Another interval of two days and this was repeated again when another group of neighbouring houses were destroyed within a block of our place. The blasts seemed to have a cumulative effect and we noticed the building was showing signs of age, beginning to disin-tegrate, the rafters were bulging, and the walls becoming unshapely like the limbs of a rheumatic old man, and the roof was actually getting bald. It became the best ventilated mission home in the Church, and the least in-viting.
I went to Birmingham and arranged to move the headquarters of the missi-on to its or·iginal location at 23 Booth Street, Handsworth, and after some days of frantic effort we succeeded in getting permission from the War Transportation Authority to engage a van to move part of our furniture and office equipment.. As we were loading the van, as though to give us a fare-well blast, still another V-1 messenger from Adolf exploded near enough to “ground” all the workmen and those of us who were helping and to al-complete the softening up of the building for the final destruction.
[u]IN NEW OFFICE.[/u]
And so we left London with a big send-off. We are now getting settled in our new home which has been redecorated and is quite satisfactory as a home and office. We use the vestry of the adjoining chapel for additional office space. Many of our L.D.So servicemen, visit us here, and from this central point it is more convenient to visit military camps in various parts of the country.
Most of the L.D.S. families who were residing in the danger areas of London have moved to other localities. Many of the saints in other districts have taken members into their homes and their presence gives new life and interest to some of the small struggling branches. There have been no cas-ualties among our people although many have suffered damage to property and loss of personal belongings. The Millennial Star is still being published in London, inspite of near misses repeated at Ludo Press, which have at times interrupted operations. All material is prepared at the office here and sent to London, for printing and thus far it has come out on time each month, which is a credit to our staff and ta the printers.
[u]CONFERENCE SCHEDULED.[/u]
With the exception of the South London Branch all meetings are being held in the London area as usual. We are to hold the North London District Con-ference next Sunday at St. Albans where members of both North and South London will be able to attend as well as the servicemen stationed in surround-ing territory. A priesthood convention and of all branch and district presidents will be held in Birmingham during the August Bank Holidays August 5, 6, and 7th to which members of the armed forces are invited. Many English and Canadian L.D.S. serviceman attend our meetings and I think there is scarcely a meeting held in Britain which is not attended by some of our U.S. members. There is a fine feeling of brotherhood among the members of the various groups and their presence is greatly appreciated by the local member who have been most kind and hospitable. Never in the history of the British Mission has there been so many "Eldres” in this field. The saints and the servicemen send love and greetings to all in Zion. All have thumbs up, chins up, and eyes on the future.
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"V-1 missile." Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 January 2023, available at: https://www.britannica.com/technology/V-1-missile, [date accessed: 15 February 2023].