Taken on 29th December 1940 , the view of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral , London , during the London Blitz .
A US war reporter based in the city cabled his office: “The second Great Fire of London has begun.”
During the Blitz, the importance of the Cathedral was so much so that Churchill insisted that if the church were to be bombed, all fire-fighting resources be directed there, and that “At all costs, St Paul’s must be saved .
At about 2100 GMT, an incendiary device lodged on the roof. As it burned, the lead of the iconic dome began to melt. But luck was on the side of the firewatchers. The bomb dislodged, fell to the floor of the Stone Gallery, and was smothered with a sandbag.
St Paul’s was saved.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)