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Some of the most evocative photographs of bomb damage in London were taken by City of London policemen Arthur Cross and Fred Tibbs. Appointed just prior to the outbreak of war, Cross was the official police photographer to the police department. In September 1940, Tibbs joined Cross and they took photographs of the aftermath of the Luftwaffe’s bombing of London. In total, their collection includes 371 photographs taken between 1940 and 1945; with the majority taken during the period September 1940 to May 1941. They documented the damage inflicted on the city, the work of the Civil Defence services, the clearance work and the later V1 attacks in the summer of 1944. On 11 May 1941, PC Tibbs captured the iconic photo of the facades of 23 and 25 Queen Victoria Street collapsing into the street. Cross and Tibbs photographs can be viewed on the London Picture Archive website. As an aside, the Tibbs’ photograph was used for the basis of the “Panic in the Streets” painting by Geoff Taylor, used in the booklet that came with the LP of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, released in 1978.  The facades of 23 & 25 Queen Victoria Street collapse  Panic in the Streets
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An interesting photo of a warden (in bluette overalls) issuing earplugs to a member of the public. Going by the wording of the caption, the photo was taken before the Luftwaffe started its Blitz on British cities (pre-September 1940). Earplugs were available to be purchased and a examples crop online from time to time (see below).  ARP Warden Issuing Earplugs  ARP earplugs Although this armband came with no provenance, there exist a number of period WW2 photos showing similar armbands being worn. It is well-made example consisting of a very heavy duty red cotton canvas with the individual 'FIRE' letters sewn onto the armband. It is three inches high and has the integral tightening loop seen on other wartime armbands (especially those issued by the Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd.). This example sold on eBay for £31 (including shipping) in October 2025. UPDATE: it appears there has been some previous discussions online regarding the dating of similar FIRE armbands. The consensus is that they are post-war armbands issued by the British Army (with veterans claiming to have worn them in the late 1960s). The heavy duty nature of the material does lend itself more to military use than war issue.  Red armband with FIRE letters sewn on the front  Rear of red armband with FIRE letters sewn on the front  Interior of red armband with FIRE letters sewn on the front This example of a yellow with dark blur printed "AIR RAID WARDEN" plus ARP motif recently sold on eBay for £114 (plus shipping).  Yellow Air Raid Warden Armband The London Archives currently has a small free exhibition running called 'London in the Second World War' (which runs until February 2026). This exhibition details how the bombing of the city affected the population and changed forever certain areas of the city. The displays include original London County Council bomb damage maps, diaries, artworks on loan from the Guildhall collection and report books from the fire brigades that tackled the fires and destruction across London. A selection of photographs from the Cross & Tibbs Collection are also on display. The post-war activities to rebuild London via the County of London plan starting in 1946 is also covered plus how this plan was implemented in the badly damaged area of Poplar.
 WW2 recruitment and propaganda posters  Original WW2 bomb damage maps of London  The post-war redevelopment of Poplar  The Cross & Tibbs photographic collection of WW2 bomb sites |
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