Fund-Raising Stone from the House of Parliament, 1942

Over the years, I've seen a great number of items made from the stone retrieved from the bombed Houses of Parliament. There are plenty of stone bookends that feature a motif of Winston Churchill. Donations from the sale of items were sent to the Red Cross & St. John Fund. It's rare, however, to see the original letter that was sent with a stone (in this case a letter "V") and signed by Vincent Baddeley. Over the course of the second world war the Palace of Westminster was damaged in air raids on 14 different occasions. 

On the night of 10 to 11 May 1941, German high explosive (HE) and incendiary bombs (IBs) caused severe damage to the Palace of Westminster. The roof of Westminster Hall and the Commons Chamber were set alight. The fire services were severely stretched by the conflagrations and it would have been impossible to save both, so the  decision was made to concentrate on saving the medieval Westminster Hall. 

The fire completely gutted the Commons Chamber (whose ceiling collapsed) and the Members' Lobby. 

In 1943, Winston Churchill decreed that the Commons Chamber must be "restored in all essentials to its old form, convenience and dignity" and rebuilding work began in May of 1945. On 26 October 1950, the new chamber was opened in the presence of  King George VI.

Fund-raising stone from the House of Parliament, 1942

Fire Guard on duty on the roof at the Palace of Westminster