London marks 70th anniversary of the Blitz

6 SEPTEMBER 2010

  • Rare opportunity for public to visit disused Aldwych Underground station
  • Exhibitions and events across the city highlight bravery and resilience of those living and working during the Blitz
  • Boris Johnson joins Mayor of Dresden and Lord Mayor of Coventry for London Transport Museum event

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Blitz and the Battle of Britain, Londoners and visitors are being offered a unique opportunity to descend into a disused Underground station and experience firsthand where thousands took refuge from the bombs that rained on the capital.  

Actors in 1940s dress will lead tours deep into the Aldwych Tube station, which was used as an air raid shelter during the aerial bombing campaign on London.

The tours were confirmed today by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and will take place between 24-26 September. They will offer the public a rare glimpse into what life was like for people travelling and sheltering on the Tube during the Blitz, when 50,000 bombs and millions of incendiaries fell on the city between 7 September 1940 and 11 May 1941. The station will be dressed to add to the wartime atmosphere and parked outside, at street level, will be a pre-war RT8 bus.

  • Advance booking for the Aldwych station tours is essential, as the number of tours are limited and expected to be extremely popular.
  • Tickets are due to go on sale on 7 September from London Transport Museum (www.ltmuseum.co.uk).

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'We must never forget the bravery and dogged determination of the men and women who battled to keep London moving in the face of a terrifying and unremitting bombardment which sought to destroy our great city during the Blitz. This tremendous spirit and resilience remain at the very heart of the capital and we owe a huge debt of gratitude and respect to all those who helped secure London's future.'

In addition to the Aldwych station tours, the Mayor is also backing two important exhibitions to highlight the experience of the Blitz, at City Hall and at the London Transport Museum.

At City Hall The London Blitz 70th Anniversary Exhibition is dedicated to the people involved in the emergency, volunteer, transport and specialist services who kept London going during the darkest days of the war. Bringing together images for the first time from a range of organisations this exhibition tells the story behind the struggle to keep London working during the intensive aerial bombing campaign on London. The exhibition is free and runs from 1-27 September.

London Transport Museum is also showing Under Attack: London, Coventry and Dresden, from 7 September to 31 March 2011, with rare images focusing on the men and women who worked on public transport throughout Europe to keep their cities moving. The exhibition explores the role of transport workers in helping to boost public morale and create a sense of normality for three cities that experienced the terrible effects of the Second World War.

The Mayor of London is set to open the exhibition tonight (Monday 6 September) – the day before the 70th Anniversary of the start of the Blitz – when he will be joined by Dr Eckhard Lübkemeier from the German Embassy, the Mayor of Dresden Helma Orosz and the Lord Mayor of Coventry Brian Kelsey, as well as people who lived during the Blitz, members of the transport and blue light services and guests from Coventry and Dresden

Other organisations putting on exhibitions and events to mark the anniversary of the Blitz include Museum of London, Galleries of Modern London (www.museumoflondon.org.uk); Museum in Docklands, Docklands at War galleries (www.museumindocklands.org.uk); Imperial War Museum, Explore History 1940 (www.iwm.org.uk); Croydon Clocktower Museum (www.museumofcroydon.com); and Whitehall, Sutton Museum Service (www.friendsofwhitehallcheam.co.uk). There will also be special services at St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. The same month will also see the unveiling of the statue of Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park unveiled in Waterloo Place.

 

EVENT INFORMATION

 

Under London: Blitz experience tours of Aldwych Underground station

Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September 2010

The tours, which will be led by actors portraying 1940s characters - including a spiv and an ARP warden - will offer a glimpse into what life was like for people travelling and sheltering on the Tube during the Blitz. The station will be dressed to give a wartime feel and atmosphere and outside, at street level, a pre-war RT8 bus will be parked near Aldwych station in Surrey Street.

Tours last approximately 45 minutes and must be booked in advance. They are due to go on sale on 7 September. www.ltmuseum.co.uk / 020 7565 7298.

 

The London Blitz 70th Anniversary Exhibition

1 September – 27 September 2010

City Hall, Queen’s Walk, SE1 2AA

Open Monday to Thursday 8.30am– 6pm / Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm

Also Saturday and Sunday 18 and 19 September 10am – 5pm

FREE

Dedicated to the people involved in the emergency, volunteer, transport and specialist services who kept London going during the darkest days of the war, this exhibition tells the story behind the struggle to keep London working during the intensive aerial bombing campaign on London during the Second World War.

www.london.gov.uk/blitz

 

Under Attack: London, Coventry and Dresden Exhibition

7 September 2010 – 31 March 2011

London Transport Museum, Covent Garden Piazza, WC1E 7BB

Open daily

Admission charged

Through raging fires, devastation and the destruction of air bombing campaigns, the men and women who worked on public transport throughout Europe became front line war workers in the battle to keep cities moving. The exhibition explores the role of transport workers in helping to boost public morale and create a sense of normality for three cities that experienced the terrible effects of the Second World War.

www.ltmuseum.co.uk

 

Notes to editors