January 1, 2011

By Samantha McClendon

FULTON – The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury rang its bells Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the largest German air raid of WWII. The bells rang at the exact moment as those in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The church in Fulton used to stand in London, but after the Nazi Blitz, it was dissembled block-by-block and re-erected in Fulton.

As the bells rang, a survivor of the attack that happened 70 years ago recalled what it was like. “When the bombs were dropped every night, it was terrifying and a lot of people were killed,” said Rhona Havers “We were lucky because we were in protection of the army.”

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Havers said this day and the anniversary are important to remember. She was working for the British Council at the time and she was evacuated at the time of the Blitz. Her son, Dr. Rob Havers, is the executive director of the famous church from London, and the Winston Churchill Museum. He said when they were contacted to ring the bells, they were happy to do it.

“We contacted by a group of firemen who were marking this day there,” said Dr. Havers.

Fulton firemen placed a wreath on the doorstep of the church at the same time as London firefighters laid a wreath at St. Paul’s in London.

“It was very sad and I think more people should commemorate today because if anything else would have happened, America and other parts of the world would have been involved as well,” said Rhona Havers.

The church itself was built in 1181 but was rebuilt in 1677 after the Great London Fire. The next major event at the church will in March to recall Winston Churchill’s famous Iron Curtain Speech 65 years ago.

Read the entire story here at KOMU.COM

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