Death from Above

In 1917 the roof of Westminster Hall was on the brink of collapse; death-watch beetles had bored through it.

The fumigation of Westminster Hall, 1971.
The fumigation of Westminster Hall, 1971 © Hulton Deutsch/ Contributor via Getting images. Corbis Historical Collection.

In the late summer of 1917, as a weary and grieving Britain braced itself for a fourth year of the First World War, a battle against a millions-strong and hugely destructive enemy was also being waged in the heart of London.

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