Hackney Speaker

Today marks the 85th anniversary of the Coronation Avenue Disaster, one of the most devastating air raid incidents in London during the Blitz. On the night of 13 October 1940, a high explosive (HE) bomb struck Coronation Avenue, 149–159 Stoke Newington Road, directly opposite West Hackney Church. The bomb, weighing about 250 kilograms (550 lbs), pierced through the building and detonated in the basement where residents were sheltering—making it the worst civilian loss of life in Hackney during the war. The blast ruptured water mains, gas pipes, and sewage lines, causing immediate flooding and hazardous gas leaks in the basement shelter. These deadly secondary effects greatly increased the death toll and made rescue efforts even more perilous for survivors and emergency teams. At least 160 men, women and children lost their lives. Of the 154 people sheltering at the time, only 128 victims could be formally identified. Just seven lived in Coronation Avenue itself; most casualties were from surrounding streets such as Evering Road (33) and Beatty Road (23), reflecting how the shelter served the wider Stoke Newington community.