South Hallsville School Disaster 85th Anniversary

The disaster

South Hallsville School was set up as a rest centre on the morning of 8th September, 1940. Families were flocking to the area due to unexploded bombs and exploded bombs. They travelled from various locations and arrived at the school. Coaches were picking families up and taking them to places like Epping Forest and getting them out of London.

The school became crowded and the coaches stopped coming. This meant that families were just waiting to be rescued and corridors backed up with people. Before the school was set up as a rest centre it had previously been bombed and was unsafe however deemed ok by the Government.

Ritchie Calder worked for the Labour Party for the A.R.P Committee and visited the school to see the conditions of the rest centres. He then went back and wrote to Whitehall informing them of the conditions and warning them that the disaster was inevitable.

On 10th September at 03:45am three bombs dropped turning the school into a wreck and danger zone. At the time of the bombing there were 600 people at the school. Whole families who were waiting in the basement and corridors were trapped. Before help arrived the local residents rushed to the air of the living and the dead.

People living and dead were removed from the site for as long as the area was deemed safe. George Broadley and Martin Saville were awarded medals for their bravery by the King in 1941 as part of the A.R.P rescue party. They were noted as saving babies from the ruins and putting their own lives at risk.

The aftermath

On 13th September, 1940 Buckingham Palace was bombed which lead the King & Queen to visit the school and talk to residents. Winston Churchill ordered a media blackout however newspaper articles were written in the Daily Herald on 11th September and Dominica Tribune on 14th September. After 7 days of searching the area was flattened and limed over.

Officially there were 80 people that died at the school however 3 people survived. This number has been disputed by the local residents. The official records also show 200 people dying which is different to the 80 recorded. The 3 people that survived were young children who were taken to Chase Farm hospital.

The Daily Mirror printed an article trying to locate the children’s families. Two children (Marigold & Rose Marie) were from the Smith family and the other was from the (Olley Jane) Glitz family. All children were reunited with their families.

In 1949 Councillor Violet Ayres unveiled a memorial plaque at the school. The school was reopened around 1951 and is now called Hallsville School. There have been various memorial events over the years commemorating the disaster.

In 1982 Councillor Julie Garfield and the impacted families campaigned for a memorial at the school. In 1990 as part of her 90th Birthday celebrations the Queen Mother unveiled a new memorial and rose garden. In 2020 Mayor Fiaz planted a tree at the school in honour of those who died.

The 85th Anniversary Memorial Events

To commemorate the 85th Anniversary two memorial events were arranged by the South Hallsville School Disaster Facebook group. The events took place on 7th September, 2025 at East London Cemetery and on 10th September, 2025 at St Luke’s Church.

The event on 7th September brought together impacted families, interested parties, the general public, cadets and Fire Brigade. During the event wreaths were laid at the WWII Civilian War Memorial, history of the school was discussed, doves released and a one minute silence was held. At the event the 77 names were read aloud, poems were read, a singer sung songs from the era and impacted families told their stories.

The event on 10th September was held at St Luke’s church in the newly refurbished Apse. The church is celebrating its 150th Anniversary and is a key part of the community both during WWII and now.

In attendance at St Luke’s was impacted families including a representative from the Calder family. There was also attendance from interested parties which included Newham Archives, Eastside Community Heritage and representatives from the Labour and Conservative parties alongside the Hallsville School Head Teacher and school children.

Wreaths were laid, a minutes silence held, names were read aloud, history was spoken and Newham Music sang songs fitting to the event. A service was also held and prayers said.

The South Hallsville School Disaster Facebook Grouo continue to investigate the disaster, gather facts and build names of the people that died at the school and were not recorded in the official records.