By Ben Wheeler
THE HORROR of the Blitz has been shown like never before after a series of chilling photos were expertly colourised.
The stunning historical images reveal a fleet of Germain Heinkel He 111s flying in formation during the Battle of Britain.
Additional photographs show terrified citizens camping inside Aldwych Tube Station to escape the aerial bombardment whilst others depict chaos amongst the rubble on the streets of London.
They are the work of Welsh electrician, Royston Leonard (55), who has painstakingly brought the snaps into the twenty-first century.
“The pictures show the team work of the men and women fighting to keep things working through the Blitz from saving lives to keeping people in air raids,” he said.
“It’s a time when we all pulled together and I think it’s important to show the work of men and women which can so easily be forgotten in time.
“I personally find the picture of the nurses collecting blankets from beds in the bombed building really striking, saving even these small items made a big difference.”
The Blitz was a German bombing offensive against Britain during the Second World War which ran from September 7, 1940 to May 11, 1941. The term was first used by the British press as an abbreviation of Blitzkrieg (lightening war).
After failing to gain air superiority during the Battle of Britain, Hitler turned his attention to breaking the will of the British people, targeting industrial areas such as London and Coventry.
32,000 civilians lost their lives during the Blitz, with 87,000 seriously injured. The bombings also saw two million homes destroyed, with famous landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the Chamber of the House of Commons all sustaining damage.
