The Friends of Mitcham Common have unveiled a new plaque to commemorate the spot where a bomb exploded in the Second World War.
The 500kg German bomb fell in the early hours of 20 April 1941, damaging houses as far as 200 yards away and leaving behind a crater 52 feet wide and eight feet deep in Mitcham Common.
The plaque was unveiled in a ceremony that was held by the Friends of Mitcham Common on Saturday, September 5, and was attended by 20 people.
Acting chairman of the Friends of Mitcham Common, Darren Stillwell, was at the ceremony. He said: "It is important, I think, that these areas of historical interest are preserved and marked up for people who visit the Common.
"I don’t think many people would know about it. I don’t think many people would necessarily know it was a World War II bomb site, so it’s good that it’s marked up and people can get information, and it’s good that people are interested."
The plaque was initially proposed by president of the Friends of Mitcham Common Janet Morris, and is the result of a partnership between the Friends and the Mitcham Common Conservators.
The details about the bomb were discovered by Dr Steven Smith, who had been employed by the Friends to research the crater.
The bomb crater itself had been hidden by shrubs and bushes until a few years ago, and the Friends are organising working parties two or three times a year to ensure it is kept clear so that it can return to the acid grassland that covers most of the Common.
The crater is close to Commonside East and is easily reached from the footpath that starts at the roundabout linking Commonside East and Manor Road.
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