The Tower of London, one of the city’s most renowned symbols, had a crucial role during and following World War II, serving various functions such as a barracks, a prisoner of war facility, and even a vegetable garden.

In the wake of the war’s onset, it also accommodated members of the Home Guard, formed in May 1940 to safeguard the UK against potential Nazi invasions.

This rich history is being honored with the “Flights, Camera, Action!” event from October 25 to November 2, in anticipation of Remembrance Day.

Additionally, a striking display of 30,000 ceramic poppies, originating from the initial 2014 installation, will be on view at the Tower until November 11.

The Tower was closed to the public shortly before the onset of war, but it remained operational as barracks for the Yeoman Warders, commonly known as Beefeaters.

These guards, along with the Home Guard, contributed to local food production by cultivating vegetable plots in the Tower’s southern moat as part of the Dig for Victory movement.

From 1942 onwards, the moat also housed the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, who managed the barrage balloon tethered there to deter enemy bombing raids.

These barrage balloons, inflated with hydrogen, ascended to approximately 5,000 feet (1.5 kilometers), compelling aircraft to fly higher and reducing their accuracy in bomb deliveries.

Given that the nearby East London Docks were a primary target during the Blitz, the Tower’s most valuable items, including the Crown Jewels, were secured and relocated to a secret site—later disclosed as Windsor Castle—for safekeeping.

They were not returned until October 1947, almost a year and a half after the war ended, following damage to the Jewel House in Wakefield Tower from German V-1 flying bombs, the first cruise missiles.

Since 1939, the Tower functioned as a collection center for prisoners of war, and in May 1941, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy, was detained in the King’s House for four days.

Hess reportedly sought to negotiate peace between Germany and the UK, having flown solo to Scotland on May 10, 1941, before parachuting into a field near Glasgow after abandoning his aircraft.

He was later transferred to Mytchett Place in Surrey and was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment during the Nuremberg Trials in 1946.

On January 1, 1946, the Tower reopened to the public, resuming its status as a popular tourist destination.

According to Minette Butler, curator from the Royal Palaces, aerial bombardment had “left buildings in the fortress in ruins,” with much of the damage still unaddressed by 1946.

Butler noted that the tourism patterns of the late 1940s resembled today’s trends, featuring Yeoman Warder-led tours and visits to the Royal Armouries collection.

There was also a notable rise in international visitors.

In 1945, the Tower served as a focal point for the East End’s post-war jubilation, with one of its structures illuminated to commemorate Victory in Europe Day on May 8, followed by festivities for Victory over Japan Day on August 15.

One of the Tower’s most extraordinary post-war celebrations honored G.I. Joe, a US Army carrier pigeon.

During the Italian Campaign in 1943, G.I. Joe was said to have saved more than 100 lives, both civilian and military, in the village of Calvi Vecchia.

Although the British quickly reclaimed the village, they were unable to send this information via radio.

They dispatched G.I. Joe instead, who is reported to have flown 20 miles (32.1 km) in just 20 minutes to avert a planned American airstrike.

In November 1946, G.I. Joe was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal at the Tower of London, recognizing “the most remarkable flight executed by a United States Army homing pigeon during World War II.”