Bomb-watching in Post-Blitz London | 尋找倫敦大轟炸遺跡
An old map showing bombing sites in Westminster near Big Ben. (Source: bombsight.org)
It's really quite remarkable that some 70 years after the end of World War II, we can still find an unexploded bomb in London.
On Monday workers in south London dug up a 5-foot, 1000-lb bomb at a building site in Bermondsey, not far from the iconic Tower Bridge and Borough Market, likely a gift from the Germans during the London Blitz in 1940.
Between September and November 1940, German forces launched a blanket bombing campaign over Greater London, killing more than 40,000 civilians and destroying over 100,000 buildings. Even the Buckingham Palace didn't escape unscathed (as seen in this archive video from British Pathe).
Have you ever wondered: "Am I living on a WWII bomb site?" Now you can find the answer and trace the trail of the Blitz with this wonderful interactive map from BombSight.org, produced by the University of Portsmouth and the National Archive. It's also available as an Android app for easy exploration around the city.
Let's hope an IOS version will be introduced soon, so more of us can enjoy this fascinating experience!
想不到二戰結束後那麼多年，倫敦還可以找到未爆炸彈！週一工人在離城市地標塔橋和博羅市場不遠的工地裡挖出了一顆約五英尺長，1000磅重的炸彈，該是德軍在1940年大轟炸留給倫敦的禮物。
當時，德軍在短短的兩個月內在倫敦上空投下了約三萬顆炸彈，覆蓋了整個城市，造成四萬多民眾喪生，摧毀十萬多棟建築，連白金漢宮也未能倖免，有歷史影像為證。
This map illustrates the concentrated bombing of London and surrounding areas during the Blitz. (Source: bombsight.org)
有沒有想過，你現在住的公寓所在地，是否曾經經過大轟炸的摧殘？樸茨茅斯大學與英國國家檔案館合作，制作了以下這個精細的互動式地圖，幫助今日的倫敦市民尋找大轟炸的遺跡。
它也有個 Android app，讓探索倫敦歷史更簡單有趣。希望很快也會推出 iPhone app，我也想試試！
Bomb Sight Interactive Map
A dragon statue used to mark the boundaries of the City of London. © Eileen Hsieh