Regular commuters and users of Balham underground station can’t fail to notice a plaque fixed discreetly to the wall between the escalators and barriers, commemorating those who died during the bomb attacks in World War II.

 

 

Then I came across this article of new pictures found from the devastating era, including two from Balham high street picturing the aftermath of the aforementioned bomb. It had happened in the dark and a double decker bus, not seeing the devastation, drove into the black hole created by the bomb.

The pictures make pretty horrifying viewing to say the least – the hundreds of businesses and lives ruined. Yet it’s also a fascinating scene of what Balham used to look like over 70 years ago. All very humbling.