Rations and Rubble - Remembering Woolworths, The New Cross V2 Disaster Saturday 25th November 1944

For many people it seemed as though the war was all but over. Christmas was coming and there were saucepans for sale in Woolworths again. The New Cross lads had been swimming and were having their usual hot drink in the tea-bar. An ordinary Saturday lunch time turned in a split second into a living hell. A V2 rocket, forged in the German mountains with slave labour and fired under orders of vengeance, slashed through the sky faster than the speed of sound. A direct hit at the back of Woolworths killed 168 people, injuring hundreds more and spreading the rumour of death throughout South East London.

This booklet carries the stories of survivors, relatives of the victims and the defence workers who toiled for three days and nights to pull the community back from its disaster, saving lives where they could, preserving the little details which would aid identification and clearing the blood-soaked rubble.

Published in 1994 by the Deptford Local History group, this excellent book is made up of almost entirely first person accounts. Sadly, with the passing of time, many of the interviewees will have now passed on, but thankfully their recollections of the horrific loss of life on that November day in 1944 have been recorded for posterity in this book.

Available from:
I purchased my copy from a stall at Greenwich Vintage Market in London. It is out of print, but you may be able to obtain a copy from Amazon.