The Cross and Tibbs Photograph Collection

The Cross and Tibbs collection (SC/GL/CTI) is a series of over 360 photographs taken by two City of London policemen, Arthur Cross and Frederick Tibbs. The striking images they created record the damage caused by German air raids on the City of London.

The Cross and Tibbs photograph collection

Both men were based at Bishopsgate police station and could be on the scene quickly to capture images of the aftermath of the previous night’s action; in some cases, the dust has barely settled on the scene they photograph.

The photographs include several well-known locations such as St Paul’s Cathedral and the Guildhall as well as the iconic photograph of number 23 Queen Victoria Street, captured as it collapsed in flames.

The images highlight the impact on transport, particularly buses and trains, and give a sense of the disruption the raids caused to Londoners’ daily lives. They also provide a record of the efforts made by the fire brigade and civil defence personnel following an air raid, many of whom were volunteers.

Who were Cross and Tibbs?

Arthur Cross was born in Limehouse in 1902 and joined the City of London Police in 1923 as a constable. A keen amateur photographer, in July 1939 he was appointed to the post of official photographer and was subsequently transferred to the Detective Office. As the bombs began to fall on the City of London, Cross was ordered to make a photographic record of the damage. Post-war, Cross continued in the criminal investigations department (CID) being particularly involved with the photography of fingerprints as well as making occasional visits to scenes of crime.

Frederick George Tibbs was born in Dalston, also in 1902. He joined the City of London Police in 1922 and, as another keen amateur photographer, partnered with Cross on the project. Ironically, at 6.30pm on 30 July 1944, Tibbs’ own house at 9 Lansdowne Drive, Hackney was damaged beyond repair by a flying bomb and subsequently had to be demolished. Fortunately, his family had evacuated to South Wales and were not harmed by the bomb. Like Cross, Tibbs would also join the Detective Office and, even after he retired as a detective, continued as a clerk within the photographic department of CID.

How can I see the rest of the collection?

You can see the entire collection of these photographs via the London Picture Archive website.

London in the Second World War

Explore the exhibition and find more fascinating archives in our collection.