The Woolworths Museum

 

Remembering Woolworth's New Cross
25 November 1944

The devastation at New Cross Road, Deptford, where the F. W. Woolworth store was destroyed by a German V2 rocket on 25th November 1944.

 

24 hours before this picture was taken a large, busy Woolworth store stood on this spot.
30 colleagues were serving more than 100 customers with hot drinks, saucepans and gifts for Christmas.
25 years after the picture was taken, the technology that brought such utter destruction landed a man on the moon.
Over 100m people watched on TV.

 

The commemorative plaque that appears at the site of Britain's worst V2 rocket attack - at Woolworths New Cross in 1944


Kathleen Alice, ADSLEY, age 23
Evelyn Lilliam AMOS, age 16
Frances Ellen AXTON, age 48
Florence Ethell BANFILL, age 42, and her son
Brian John BANFILL, age 3
John James BATEMAN, age 61
Elizabeth Lillian Jane BEATON, age 74
Harriet Amy BENTLEY, age 31
Theodore Ludwig BERNING, age 51
William John BRADFORD, age 60
James Henry BRADON, age 67
Florence Elizabeth BRANSCOME, age 37
Andrew Poulton BRAZIER, age 65
Nicholas Oliver BRIGHT, age 6
Ivy BROWN, age 31, and her daughter
Joyce BROWN, age 18 months
Sylvia Rosina BROWN
Reginald Bradford CALDER, age 44
Doris Eileen Edith CARD, age 21
Mary CARROLL, age 26
Joan Ivy Singleton CLAMP, age 40
Henry Charles COLE, age 42
James Alban COLE, age 71
Frederick William CORNFORD, age 45
Quennie Doris COX, age 18
Horace Alfred CRISFORD, age 48
George James Alfred DANIELS, age 38
Kathleen Isobel DAVIES, age 38
Rosina DODDS, age 53
Arthur Thomas DOSWELL, age 64
Doris Violet DRAIN, age 31
James DUNLOP, age 39
Henrietta Frances DYER, age 59
Edith Phyllis EDWARDS, age 29
James John ELLERY, age 66
Alice May ELSTON, age 55
Alice Christina ERRINGTON, age 55
Winifred FARNISH, age 44
William Arthur FARR, age 57
George FAULKNER, age 67
Matilda Caroline FISH, age 45 and her daughter
Jean Caroline Maud FISH, age 17
Henry Abraham FITCH, age 69
Kathleen Frances FITZPATRICK, age 31, and her daughter
Carol Ann FITZPATRICK, age 3
William Charles FLETCHER, age 60
William FRANK, age 80
William Walter FRENCH, age 44
Kenneth Albert GIBBS, age 3
May Marguerite GLICK, age 44
Julia Elizabeth GLOVER, age 28, and her son and her daughter
Michael Thomas GLOVER, age 1 month
Sheila GLOVER, age 7
Dorothy Elizabeth GRIFFITHS, age 46
Agnes Augusta GROUT, age 52
Ivy Josephine GURR, age 36
Thomas James GUSHLOW, age 32
William Thomas HAMMOND, age 49
Ada Ann HANNAM, age 76
Ruby Josephine HANSFORD, age 17
William Herbert HASTINGS, age 16
Ronald HAWTON, age 13
Ivy Gertrude HAYES, age 37
Grace Eleanor HAYTER, age 53
Malcolm Robert HERBERT, age 18 months
Dorothy Maud HILL, age 27
Emily HOLMES, age 43
Sarah HORN, age 43
Maud Ellen Louisa HORRIGAN, age 32
Rose HOWARD, age 19
Walter Frederick HUMPHREY, age 66
George HUNT, age 33
Edna Beatrice JARMAINE, age 34
Gladys Rita JONES, age 33
Dorothy JORDORSON, age 21
Florence Jessie KELSEY, age 62
Ronald James KENWOOD, age 11
Ivy Rose KING, age 18
Annie Elizabeth KIRBY, age 50
Florence Maude KIRBY, age 35
May LAWRENCE, age 24
Lucy Mary LAWSON, age 42
William Denis LEBERL, age 16
Daisy Freda LLOYD, age 36
Mary Ann LOADER, age 45
Winifred Phyllis LOCKYER, age 18
James Alfred LONGLY, age 67
Amy Matilda McCALL. age 48
William Edwards MACKENZIE, age 67
Florence Ada MADDEN, age 60
Ada MARTIN, age 56
Alfred George MESSENGER, age 28 and his wife
Gladys Vera MESSENGER, age 23
Charles Edwin MILLETT, age 56
Muriel Phyllis MILLWOOD, age 38, and her daughter
Joan Pauline MILLWOOD, age 9
Robert George MOORE, age 51
Constance Dora NEWELL, age 52
Thomas Acton NOBLE, age 77
Joyce Kathleen PADBURY, age 23
Frederick George Harris PELL, age 47
Pamela May PHILLIPS, age 2
Hetty Letitia Josephine PLUNKETT, age 15
Angus Frederick Thomas PUGSLEY, age 28
Iris RICKETTS, age 29
Ellen Elizabeth ROFFE, age 14
George Phillips ROUTHORN, age 62
Freda Marjory Mabel SHERWOOD, age 43
Elsie Maud SHIRLEY, age 28
Benjamin John SIMMONDS, age 42
Ellen Iren SMITH, age 19
Margaret Annie SNELL, age 31
Annie STEER, age 72
William Cuthbert STEPHENSON, age 74
Edward Frederick STRICKLAND, age 60
Alma Rose SUPPLE, age 11
Dorothy Sarah TAYLOR, age 44, and her daughter
Joyce Doreen TAYLOR, age 15
Lucy Amy TAYLOR, age 44, and her son
Laurie John TAYLOR, age 9
Lillian Stella Dorothy TAYLOR, age 20
Emma Louisa THATCHER, age 45
Lillian Florence TRIBE, and her son
Peter TRIBE, age 6 months
Eileen Muriel TURNER, age 15
Nellie Hilda TYE, age 48
Winifred Doris VALENTINE, age 28
Doris VANDYKE, age 37
Lilian Elsie VOKES, age 40
Lilian Mary WALKER, age 56
Elizabeth Caroline WARREN, age 66
Ethel WATSON, age 44
Arthur John WEAVER, age 62
Clara Portobellow WEEDING, age 55
Thomas George Frederick WHITE, age 52
Norman Henry WILKINS, age 11
Harry WILLIAMS, age 38
Violet May WILLOUGHBY, age 37
George Ellis WINCOTT, age 39
Violet Kathleen WOODLAND, age 40, and her daughter
Barbara WOODLAND, age 17
Phyllis Ethel WOODS, age 34

and 24 others who could not be identified
 

 

"Give us oh God the vision that can see Thy love in the world despite human failure.
Give us the faith to trust Thy goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness.
Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts,
and show us what each one of us can do to set forth the coming of the day of universal peace."
 

 

Broadcast back to earth by astronaut Frank Borman on board Apollo 10
while orbiting the moon on Christmas Day 1968.

 

Woolworth's in New Cross Road. Deptford - lest we forget

Rest in Peace

 

The music playing behind this page is taken from Eclipse Records No SC104, entitled "Bitter Sweet".
The song "Kiss Me" is by Noel Coward, and is played by the Grosvenor Light Opera Company

© MCMXXXIV Copyright F. W. Woolworth & Co. Ltd. and the Crystallate Gramophone Record Co. Ltd.

 

 


 

Links to related content

 

1940s War, Austerity and Recovery Gallery

 

UK and USA a world apart

 

Blitz hits major cities

 

Spitfires for the RAF

 

Channel Islands Occupation

 

Prices over sixpence

 

Home front defiance

 

A little piece of home

 

The darkest hour

 

Reconstruction and austerity

 

Wartime history pages with HTML5 media content averaging 1.5mb

 

Woolworths Staff War Memorial

 

New Cross Memorial

 

Finest hour picture gallery

 

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