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Plaque

(relocated) Balham Station bombing - 1

Erection date: /10/2000

Inscription

In memory of the 64 people killed at this station by a wartime bomb 14th October 1940.

Site: Balham Station bombing (4 memorials)

SW12, Balham High Road, Balham Underground Station

The memorial is close to the ticket barrier, train side, on your left as you exit the station.

When we last visited in April 2025 there were 3 elements to the memorial: the large black plaque (no 3); a panel describing the horrors in the station that night (in our photo to the left, a welcome and not unusual addition); and an A4 sheet listing the dead (in our photo between the other 2 elements).  This last is unusual but, given the prior uncertainly of the number of dead at this event, a very welcome addition.

We have photographs of two memorial plaques at this site which are no longer here:

Plaque 1 incorrectly stated that there were 64 people killed in this incident. The carried the story of how it was discovered that 3 tube workers were not included in that total and TfL was asked to replace plaque 1 with plaque 2, where they wanted the correct total of 67 but the plaque avoided the issue altogether by not specifying a number. We've left both these plaques here for the record, even though they are no longer at the site - reported that plaque 1 is in the LT Museum.

And then in 2014 the Moorgate station plaque was installed, hand carved in the Johnston typeface on Welsh slate. This was considered an appropriate design for memorials of this nature and the decision was taken to use it as the template for the Stratford station plaque and two planned plaques, at Bank station and Sloane Square station, the final two TfL sites that saw significant loss of life in wartime bombings and where no memorial is present. And it was then a short step to the decision to replace the Balham plaque with one in this style. Plaque 2 will be found a home at the LT Museum, probably alongside P1. All this information was provided in 2016 by Mike Ashworth, Design and Heritage Manager of TfL. He also confirmed the reasons for the first replacement: P1 was ‘unofficial’ and got the number of victims wrong; P2 was created to the then official design for heritage signage and prudently gave no number.

This story of the three plaques really brings home the perils of plaque erection. We thank Mike and TfL for their efforts and congratulate them on finding a fittingly dignified design for these plaques.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Balham Station bombing - 1

Subjects commemorated i

Balham Station bombing

During WW2 Balham, at a depth of 30 feet, was one of many deep tube stations ...

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The Blitz

During WW2 Britain came under heavy bombing from Germany for 8 months, 1940-1...

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World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do vis...

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Civilian deaths in London caused by enemy action

This page brings together all the memorials that we have for civilians killed...

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This section lists the other memorials at the same location as the memorial on this page:
Balham Station bombing - 1

Also at this site i

Balham Station bombing - 2

Balham Station bombing - 2

{Beneath the London Transport logo:} In remembrance of the civilians and Lond...

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Balham Station bombing - 3

Balham Station bombing - 3

In remembrance of the civilians and London Transport staff who were killed at...

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Balham station bombing - analysis of casualty and fatality figures

Balham station bombing - analysis of casualty and fatality figures

This is the first page of a report at The Underground at War, managed by Nick...

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