From:Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum
Name/TitleDaily Mail, newspaper, Tuesday, December 31, 1940
About this object
The image on the front page, now known as St Paul's Survives, is regarded as one of the greatest photographs of World War II— and of a defining moment in British history, and a symbol of resilience and courage. It shows St Paul's Cathedral, illuminated by fires and surrounded by the smoke of burning buildings.
On the night of December 29, 1940, Daily Mail chief photographer Herbert Mason was watching the air raid on the roof of the newspaper’s offices on Tudor Street, near Fleet Street, when a Nazi German Luftwaffe blitz on London was underway.
The raid during which the photograph was shot became known as the ‘Second Great Fire of London’, as more than 160 people perished, over 500 were injured, and hundreds of homes and buildings were ruined and destroyed.
Herbert Mason’s photograph went unpublished for two days while censors considered whether it would serve Britain’s cause.
MakerThe Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers LTD, Great Britain
Maker RolePublisher
Date Made31 December 1940
Period1939-1945
Place MadeThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Medium and MaterialsPaper and ink
Style and IconographyPrinted
TechniquePrinting
Measurements42 inches x 59 inches
Subject and Association KeywordsDaily Mail
Subject and Association KeywordsWorld War Two
Subject and Association KeywordsBlitz
Object TypePeriodical Publication
Object number2025.992.4
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved
