My grandfather, Roy Andrew, had a lucky escape while working there during the early stages of the war, aged 24. He worked as a projectionist, part-time, I believe, and one day in 1940, he had to swap shifts with his colleague as he had an appointment. On that fateful day, on Friday, October 25, an incendiary bomb fell on the orchestra pit of the Taunton Road building, killing 19 or 20 and injuring 20 more as they watched the latest film release, Typhoon. Roy had a lucky escape, and it is believed Roy’s colleague, the projectionist, perished in the explosion. Rescuers described how front-row filmgoers had their eyes open as if still captivated by the film but were all actually dead. Before the devastation, an air raid warning flashed on the big screen, and while some tried to act on it, others didn’t. However, it made little difference, as death came seconds after the warning. There are several photos on the internet showing the devastation. Very sad.