Air raid on London date

[Errol Martyn]

Continuing with the WRAF officer’s memoir referred to in an earlier post of mine here today – is anyone able to date the event described below. I suspect that the ‘17’ people killed is an exaggeration in the mind of the 90-year old memoir writer but the location seems more likely to be correct. She was in the WRAF from August 1918 but had arrived in England in February 1916. Examining the maps in Ian Castle’s The First Blitz – Bombing London in the First World War, the most likely candidate seems to be the raid of 19/20 May 1918 (see page 186) but the detail is not precise enough to confirm if it matches the memoir’s event.

It was in Warwick Avenue just 2 stations from Baker Street and about 3 houses from the corner where the tube station was. There was a church on the opposite corner and 2 five story stone houses attached next to it. . . . Then the machine gun [sic] placed immediately outside our front door began Rat-a-tat, Rat-a-tat followed by bombs falling. They landed in the middle of the stone houses opposite razing them both to the ground. Our two balcony doors were blown in with glass all over the place. My window also was smashed to atoms with glass scattered over my bed. . . . There were 17 people killed in the houses opposite.

Errol

[Jim Strawbridge]

Could it have been June 1917? Extract from Ian Castle's website :- " In the middle of a bright and sunny working day the 14 Gothas of Kagohl 3 began unloading their bombs, 72 of which dropped within a one mile radius of Liverpool Street Station while Londoners stared disbelieving into the sky. Three bombs fell on the station where one blew apart a passenger carriage on a train that was just about to leave and another struck carriages being used by army doctors. Casualties reached 16 killed and 15 injured". He states that on the 13th June 1917 there were 162 killed and 432 injured. A scan through the excellent website of his may help. http://www.iancastlezeppelin.co.uk/

[EDWARD1]

An extract from The Great War , The Standard History of the All European Conflict. Gotha Raids over London

"On March the 7th (1918) the Germans were over London again. On this occasion they attacked with seven or eight machines on a moonless night and there was an extraordinarily bright aurora borealis producing the appearance of a fire to the north of London. They passed north of London investigating this light and were sighted near Hatfield and then turning south, two or three of their machines penetrated the barrage dropping several bombs in Hampstead, and one in Maida Vale. This last bomb  of 660 lb fell in Warrington Crescent, it demolished in all four houses ( 61,63,65,and 67) and badly damaged the houses opposite. In about 1000 houses glass was broken. "

Eddie

[EDWARD1]

PS The casualties from the above raid  from the official returns  gives …. Kent, Essex, Herts, Beds, London. Killed Civilians  21. Servicemen 2. Injured Civilians 39

Eddie

[Errol Martyn]

Jim, many thanks for the link to Ian Castle's website.

Eddie, many thanks for pinning down the raid for me (upon checking Google maps, etc, there is no doubt in my mind that your 7/8 Mar 18 date is the correct one.

Cheers,

Errol

[EDWARD1]

My pleasure Errol. When looking on Google Earth in street view the terrace of 3 storey town houses is interrupted with a row of  cottages set further back from the road where 61-67  would have been.

Eddie

[Aspern]

Hi Errol

Sorry for not picking this one up earlier - but you got there anyway. Yes, definitely the raid on the night of 7/8 March 1918. It was the result of a 1,000kg bomb dropped by 'Giant' R.39. Amongst thise killed was Lena Ford who wrote the lyrics for 'Keep The Home Fires Burning'. The photo shows the replacement houses built in the gap created by those that were destroyed.

 

Ian

[Errol Martyn]

Thanks Ian. Nice pic. I wonder how many live there or pass by regularly who are quite unaware of the tragedy that took place there over a century ago.

 

Errol

[Aspern]

I gave a talk recently and a guy came up to me for a chat - he lived in one of the houses and had been doing a lot of research into it. So at least one person knows!