My parent's engagement gift: a piece of the High Altar of St. Paul's Cathedral destroyed in the Blitz in October 1940

On 10th October 1940, a bomb fell on London and hit St. Paul's Cathedral. It fell through the Dome and exploded on hitting the lead roof over the High Altar. The Altar was shattered and a large hole punctured through the crypt.

Fast forward to 1954 when my mum and dad, both Londoners, decided to celebrate their engagement by visiting St. Paul's where my dad gave my mum a ring they'd bought that morning in Cheapside. At that time there was no charge to enter the Cathedral and you could pretty much access all areas.

It wasn't that many years after the war and there was still rebuilding everywhere. There was hardly anyone about an no one in the Cathedral. They climbed up to the whispering gallery and then on up to the stone gallery. A caretaker (Friend of the Cathedral, not sure what) was busy checking things and asked them about their visit.

When he heard their story he asked if they'd like a memento - a piece of the High Altar which had been destroyed in the 1940 bombing. They, of course, said yes and he went off and returned with a piece of marble. He wrote on it in pencil: "St. Paul's Cathedral Altar September 1954".

There is no proof it's from the Altar except it is marble and has a flat machined edge and was given to them inside the building.

Frank and Brenda Crispin were married on 19 March 1955.