I have a feeling that if it was the same time in 1940 that shoestore on Strands would have had it’s windows busted out and the lights turned off that way.
I did find it interesting that it was the biggest blackout since the “World War”. Despite the fact that there was the possibility of Zeppelin’s bombarding English cities I’d bet that was very unlikely. I would think that black outs during the first World War was more to protect ships from being outlined against cityscapes showing them to attacking submarines than to protect against aerial bombings.
“Whereas Britain’s experience of 1917-8 air raids had resulted in 1,500 killed in just over 100 raids “
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/wars_conflict/home_front/the_home_front_08.shtml
“In January 1915, two Zeppelin navel airships 190 metres long, flew over the east coast of England and bombed great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn. The first Zeppelin raid on London took place on 31st May 1915. The raid killed 28 people and injured 60 more.
“Many places suffered from Zeppelin raids included Edinburgh, Gravesend, Sunderland, the Midlands and the Home Counties. By the end of May 1916 at least 550 British civilians had been killed by German Zeppelins.”
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWzeppelinraids.htm
“A further seven people were killed in the first Zeppelin attack on London on 31 May. Costlier raids on the capital took place later in the year. On the night of 13/14 October 1915, for example, five Zeppelins accounted for the lives of 71 Londoners.”
...
“From the spring of 1917, the German military authorities increasingly turned their attention to long-range bombers such as the Glossary - opens new windowGotha aeroplane. The daylight attack on London by 20 Gothas on 13 June 1917 killed 162 civilians, the highest death toll from a single air raid on Britain during the war. Less than a month later, on 7 July, a further raid in which 57 more people were killed raised British anti-German sentiments to fever pitch. “
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/spotlights/airraids.htm