When Portsmouth's own King's Road was the height of fashion

On the right and left are shops belonging to the John Dyer emporium.

His slogan was A Day Well Spent, Brings a Deal of Content and his King’s Road stores covered 100,000sq ft.

Starting as a drapery shop, the firm went into home furnishings and even into the undertaking business.

Sadly the whole lot fell to Hitler’s bombers on January 10, 1941.

In the distance is, I believe, the spire of Elm Grove Church (but stand to be corrected) which was also lost in the raid.

Just beyond that would have been Bush House where Arthur Conan Doyle gave birth to Sherlock Holmes.

On that night of January 10, apart from King’s Road, Portsmouth, lost two of its other major shopping centres, Palmerston Road, Southsea and Commercial Road, Landport.

The city also lost six of its churches.

More importantly though, 170 people were killed and 400 were injured.