A PLAQUE has been unveiled in memory of 13 men killed at a council depot in Stratford during the London Blitz.

The Abbey Road depot, which housed air raid response and civil defence teams, suffered a direct hit at 7.15pm on September 7, 1940, resulting in 13 deaths.

Inspired by the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Grant Fenwick, whose grandfather, Matthew Fenwick, 34, was killed on that day, asked Newham Council to create a memorial to the victims.

Guests at the unveiling ceremony last Thursday included 100-year-old Cyril Demarne, who was a sub officer with the National Fire Service at the time and took part in the rescue effort.

On the day known as Black Saturday, 348 German bombers accompanied by over 617 fighters attacked London's docks and industrial areas, resulting in 448 deaths.

The depot housed ambulance teams and an Air Raid Precautions cleansing station, set up to deal with possible gas contamination.

The direct hit caused the collapse of the building, killing workers and rescuers including Matthew Fenwick, a warden who lived with his wife Anne in Humberstone Road, Plaistow.

Grant Fenwick, 44, from Surrey, said: "I was concerned that this incident might be forgotten and as it is the 60th anniversary of VE day this year, it would be appropriate to put up the plaque."

Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales, who attended the ceremony, said: "It is important that we do not forget the Second World War and the reasons why it was fought.

"It is also important that we remember the people who were killed and the difficulties those left behind had to face."