Destroyed, Damaged and Replaced: The Legacy of World War II Bomb Damage in the King’s Library In the early hours of 23 September 1940, a little over a year into World War II, a bomb fell on the East Wing of the British Museum. It damaged an important part of the King’s Library Gallery and destroyed many of the books collected by King George III. A contemporary assessment estimated that 124 volumes (96 works) had disappeared, 304 volumes (170 works) had been damaged beyond repair, and about 1000 volumes were repairable.1 In this article, I shall review these figures in the light of evidence found at shelf today, identify what was lost and determine what the British Museum and the British Library have done to replace the books that were affected https://www.bl.uk/eblj/2013articles/pdf/ebljarticle82013.pdf
