September 13, 1940, saw trouble in the Battle of Britain as not even the Royal Family was safe from the Luftwaffe as one of their raids struck Buckingham Palace. The Buckingham bombing sent shocks across the nation as the royal family was there during the attack. Rather than evacuate, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) refused to leave and chose to stay in their homes as an act of solidarity with the Londoners who faced similar issues.
Response Letter to the Buckingham Bombing
The Buckingham bombing was part of the larger Blitz campaign launched by nazi Germany to break British morale and pave the way for the planned invasion of the islands. This campaign lasted from September 7, 1940, to May 1941. At first, things seemed to be working as the overextended Royal Air Force struggled to beat the Germans back and many cities, factories, and ports were severely damaged. The Germans also scored a major psychological victory early on as on September 13, 1940, Buckingham Palace was struck by bombs.
This was the royal residence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and damaged the palace, though the royal family was unharmed. However, there were calls for the royal family to evacuate inland to avoid further risk to them. But in a surprising move, Queen Elizabeth announced that she would not leave Buckingham and would stand alongside her people during these difficult times.
While the Buckingham bombing was considered a morale loss for Britain, it soon became a rallying cry for the people to endure the hardship. Queen Elizabeth even noted that she could now “look the East End in the face,” referring to the working-class neighborhoods of London that had been heavily bombed.
These words about the Buckingham bombing were immortalized by Queen Elizabeth to her mother-in-law, Queen Mother Mary.
“My Darling Mama,
I am glad we have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face. We had a very interesting day, the first bomb aimed at the Palace brought down all the ceilings. It burst our water pipes and shrapnel tore holes in the walls. I was leaning against the wall when I heard the unmistakable whirr-whirr of a German plane; I had just time to say, ‘Oh dear, it’s a bomb!’ when the scream of it reached us. We all ran to the windows to see what had happened. It was all rather horrible, but much less frightening than we expected. I should like the people of the East End to know that we are going through the same thing as they are. What a great day it was.
Your very loving daughter-in-law, Elizabeth.”
-Queen Elizabeth
In another part of Britain, Winston Churchill was desperately appealing to allies like the US for help through his own letter-writing campaign.
However, despite the hardship they faced with the Buckingham Bombing, Great Britain emerged victorious and their victory was marked with another letter.
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