More blue plaques unveiled in Leamington

The nieces of Henry Maudslay unveiled a plaque at his birthplace in Vicarage Road and the great-great-grandson of John Cundall unveiled a plaque at his former residence on Warwick Street, in the presence of the Mayor of Leamington, Cllr Caroline Evetts.

Henry Maudslay, DFC, was an RAF pilot in the Second World War. He flew in Operation Chastise, on May 16, 1943, a mission to blow up the dams in the industrial Ruhr valley, which became immortalised as the “Dambuster raid” when the targets were destroyed using the bouncing bomb devised by Barnes Wallis.

During the raid, Maudslay’s Lancaster aircraft was damaged and later brought down by anti-aircraft fire. Maudslay and his crew were among 53 airmen who died in the raid. He was 21.

John Cundall was born in Regent Street in 1830. After being articled locally to David Squirhill his architectural career took him to London where he worked for Pugin and Murray in London and briefly for Sir George Scott, the architect of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras.

He returned to the Midlands working with a partner in Coventry and then set up a practice in his home town. He designed many buildings in Leamington including the town hall, St Paul’s Church in Leicester Street, St John the Baptist Church in Tachbrook Street and St Alban’s Church in Warwick Street (demolished 1968).

He also designed the Hitchman Fountain in Jephson Gardens.

His son, Frederick Croften Cundall, also became an architect.

Photo by Allan Jennings.