Sir Thomas Peirson Frank:The man who saved London from drowning

Frank was chief engineer of the London County Council from 1931-1946 and coordinating officer for Road Repairs and Public Utility Services during the period 1939-1945. He was knighted in 1942 for his direction of the repair services that enabled London to carry on in spite of the severest air raids. He is credited with having organised and put to action "rapid response" teams who repaired upwards of a hundred breaches in the Thames wall, thus preventing low-lying areas of London from being flooded


Peirson Frank - Wikipedia

Thames Discovery Programme - The Man who saved London from Drowning

 

A great post and links, thank you.

Of related interest are the flood gates protecting the London deep tubes where they pass under the Thames on the Northern and Bakerloo lines. This clip might be of interest.

One of the most fascinating aspect was the use of hydrophones to detect the entry of any bomb into the bed of the Thames that subsequently did not explode or was on a time delay mechanism therefore permitting the gates to be kept closed if there was a lingering concern or opened with a high high degree of confidence immediately after a raid if all clear.

As would be expected, the gates were interlinked with the signalling!

BBC Two - Coast, Series 9, Sea and the City, Flood gates on the London Underground