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13
Civilian war deaths, 1939-44
The following tables give particulars of London civilian war deaths in each of
the war years 1939-44 by boroughs, according to age and sex. The total deaths
caused by enemy air-raids were 17,811 during the period, of which 8,771 were males
and 9,040 females, the age distribution being as follows : Under 15, 1,772 (9.95 per
cent.); 15-45, 7,591 (42.62 per cent.); 45-65, 5,584 (31.35 per cent.); over 65,
2,864 (16-08 per cent.).
As will be seen, the peak year was 1940, that of daylight as well as
night bombing raids, with a total of 7,973 deaths; in the following year of night
bombing the number dropped to 4,661. A lull of two years in raiding followed
and then came the flying bombs and rockets of 1944, causing 4,567 deaths.
Comparison as regards the distribution and relative density of the raids as
disclosed by the air-raid casualty rate per 1,000 population gives the order of the
first eight boroughs as follows in 1940: Bermondsey, 5.2 ; Shoreditch, 4.9; Chelsea,
4.8; Finsbury, 4.4; Southwark, 4.1 ; Holbom, 3.9 ; Lambeth, 3-2 ; Deptford, 3.1.
On the other hand, the order in 1944 was: Deptford, 4.7; Chelsea, 3.2;
Bermondsey, 2.9; Camberwell, 2.7; Fulham, 2.4; Greenwich, 2.4; South wark,
2.3 ; Bethnal Green, 2.3.
It will be noticed that in the 1940 raids the casualty rates were highest mainly
in boroughs immediately surrounding the City and also in the vicinity of the seat
of Government, while in 1944 they were more distributed, particularly in the south
and south-eastern boroughs, but again also in the neighbourhood of Westminster.
The fatality rate for the County was 2.59 in 1940 and 1.85 in 1944.
The total number injured by bombing and conveyed by the Ambulance Service
to hospitals or first-aid posts was 48,709. Apart from loss of fife and from injuries
due to bombing, the destruction of dwelling houses was a serious matter from the
public health point of view. The number of dwellings destroyed was 69,438,
those seriously damaged and not occupied 55,878, and those less seriously damaged,
including minor damage, and still occupied 584,202. Some appear in the
"damaged" list several times. The total number of dwellings in London in 1939
was approximately 814,500. The number of bombs which fell per 1,000 acres has
been worked out for each borough, and in 1944, Deptford (27.5) heads the list,
followed by the City of London (26.6), Stepney (25.5), Bermondsey (24.6), Greenwich
(23.1), Poplar (19.7), Camberwell (18.8) and Southwark (18.6).
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