War Damage Commission

The War Damage Commission was a body set up by the British Government under the War Damage Act 1941 (4 & 5 Geo. 6. c. 12) to pay compensation for war damage to land and buildings and " 'fixed' plant and machinery", throughout the United Kingdom. It was not responsible for the repairs themselves, which were carried out by local authorities or private contractors.^[1]

War Damage Act 1941

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision with respect to war damage to immovable properly and to goods.
Citation	4 & 5 Geo. 6. c. 12
Dates
Royal assent	26 March 1941
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the War Damage Act 1941 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

War Damage Commission notification form

The commission was chaired by Malcolm Trustram Eve, then by Sir Thomas Williams Phillips (1949–1959). It was headquartered at Devonshire House, Mayfair Place, Piccadilly, London, and operated out of sixteen Regional Offices:

• Region No.1 – Northern (Newcastle upon Tyne): Durham, Northumberland, North Riding of Yorkshire
• Region No.2 – North-Eastern (Leeds): East Riding of Yorkshire, West Riding of Yorkshire
• Region No.3 – North Midland (Nottingham): Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland
• Region No.4 – Eastern (Cambridge): Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex (except areas covered by Regions 5A and 5B), Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk
• Region No.5A – North-West London (Acton)
• Region No.5B – North-East London (Finsbury Square)
• Region No.5C – South-East London (Euston Road)
• Region No.5D – South-West London (Kingston upon Thames)
• Region No.6 – Southern (Reading): Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Oxfordshire
• Region No.7 – South-Western (Bristol): Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, Somerset, Wiltshire
• Region No.8 – Wales (Cardiff)
• Region No.9 – Midland (Birmingham): Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire
• Region No.10 – North-Western (Manchester): Cheshire, Cumberland, Lancashire, Westmorland
• Region No.11 – Scotland (Edinburgh)
• Region No.12 – South-Eastern (Tunbridge Wells): Kent, Surrey, Sussex, except areas covered by Regions 5C and 5D
• Region No.13 – Northern Ireland (Belfast)