Islington Council has hosted events to remember the victims of the Second World War V2 rocket tragedy, and to celebrate peace in the borough and beyond.

On Sunday, 5 November 1944, at around 5pm, a V2 rocket was launched from its site in the Hague, Netherlands.

Just minutes later, it exploded on the junction of Boothby, Giesbach and Grovedale Roads in Archway, with residents from the adjacent St John’s Way also suffering in the attack. It was the first enemy long-range V2 rocket to hit Islington, and led to more than 250 casualties, including 35 deaths and 219 injuries.

Nearly 77 years later, councillors and local figureheads gathered together at the site of the attack on Friday, 23 July, to unveil a plaque to commemorate the lives lost – which included a 92-year-old resident and a child of just five months.

One of the attendees watching on as the plaque was unveiled was 69-year-old John Williams, whose father, Edward, was serving with the Middlesex Regiment in Egypt when the rocket struck his home on Grovedale Road. Tragically, Edward’s first wife, Ruby, and his young son and daughter died in the attack.

John said: “The V2 rocket attack was a tragedy that took many innocent civilian lives, including three that were incredibly close to my father’s heart.

“Those lost in the attack should be remembered in the proper way, and this plaque will help to educate present and future generations about the events of that sad day.”

Shortly after unveiling the plaque, attendees moved on to the Elthorne Park Noel-Baker Peace Garden, named after Nobel Peace Prize winner Philip Noel-Baker, to celebrate the restoration of the “Upon Reflection” statue.

Originally unveiled in 1985 by the then General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Bruce Kent, the statue was created by artist Kevin Atherton as a celebration of peace.

In the intervening years, the statue was unseated from its plinth overlooking the pond. On Friday, Bruce Kent was one of the attendees watching on as the fully restored statue was unveiled in its original place. Cllrs Shaikh and Poyser, Jeremy Corbyn MP, and the council’s heritage team, have been involved with the restoration of the statue.

Cllr Una O’Halloran, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Community Development, said: “The afternoon of Sunday, 5 November 1944 was one of the most tragic in Islington’s history, and it is vitally important that we commemorate the lives lost in the appropriate way.

“The unveiling of the plaque means that the lives lost on that day will never be forgotten by the local community.

“The events of that day serve as a reminder of the tragic losses that conflict can bring, and highlight the importance of living in peace. That is why the Elthorne Park Peace Garden is such an important part of the borough, celebrating the life of Philip Noel-Baker, the man who spent so much of his career fighting for nuclear disarmament.

“We know that the Upon Reflection statue is a key Islington landmark, and we are extremely grateful to those that have made its restoration possible.”