Although the clock and the bells survived the bombing of the second world war, in 1976 metal fatigue in the chiming mechanism led to mechanical failure that destroyed much of the clock room.
Pulkstenis un zvani veiksmīgi pārcieta Londonas bombardēšanu Otrajā pasaules karā, taču 1976. gadā metāla noguruma dēļ pulksteņa mehānisms tika nopietni bojāts.