Lowestoft at War: Memories of a Front Line Town.
Compiled and Produced by Jack Rose and John Easter in 1993.
I found this VHS gathering dust in a local charity shop. I had heard of Jack Rose and knew him to be quite the historian from Lowestoft.
He passed away in 2000. See below for more info.
https://www.cornerstreet.co.uk/jackrose
As I currently reside in Lowestoft I thought it was only right to upload this to YouTube for historical purposes. Oral history is often one of the best ways to capture days gone by.
I will not be monetising this video so if anyone encounters any adverts during your viewing, please let me know.
This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11:00 that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland a state of War would exist between us I have to tell you now that no such
Undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany summer time comes once a year a time for holidays a time for rest and fun and games and somewhere nice to stay I know a place to be it settles by the Sea the farthest east that you can get on su’s Coast you see come to lowest off
Lowest off where broadland meets the sea come to lowest off lowest off and meet the great North Sea there’s fishing boats and there sailing boats and oil rigs out at Sea there’s motorboat and there’s Cruisers too and Sandy Beach is free come to low on bring the kids aunts
And uncles to spend a holiday enjoy yourself there’s a welcome here for you here we go come to lest do lest do where broadland meets the sea come to Lo do lowest off and meet the great North Sea there’s fishing boats and sailing boats and allil rigs out at
Sea there’s motorboats and there’s Cruisers too and sandy beaches free come to Lo do bring the kids aunts and uncles to spend a holiday enjoy yourself there’s a welome here for you and you and you when you there’s a welcome here for you what inter brand a holiday and lo St you love
It well we certainly didn’t love it some 50 odd years ago when the war clouds were gathering over Europe LOF was a Frontline town and suffered more aerial attacks than any other area per head of population and one of the first events to affect the people of LOF was the
Distribution of gas masks to every man woman and child in the Barrow to us kids it was an exciting time but for our parents many of whom could remember the horror of the first world war these times were indeed harrowing tell us all about it Jack body
Was issued in a with a gas mask right throughout the country and the children had to take them you know you had to take them everywhere you went and uh the kides at school they would have lessons in the gas mask they’d walk about to the
Air raid shelters in the gas mask all these things to train you to get used to them because you know they were horrible things once you put them on you want to get rid of them you know my my mother-in-law had one and and that’s the best she’s ever looked actually but
That’s another story I knew your mother-in-law was coming in to I knew that yeah look at that John teacher putting the gas mask on a little old boy but look at the 1930s trowers look they were Cy shorts weren’t he right and mine was like that I run around on the othera
Beach and mine had all the ass out but I still wore them you know like the rest of the boys did in the school but they had 30 see the braces holding them up if you look on there you see that old boy got braces and sometimes we’d have the
Old snake belt you remember old snake belts can’t you only too well I think they brought for the young children because they quite frightening thing these uh gas masks what they do here well these are the Mickey Mouse ones the government thought this idea up they
Were red and blue in color had the Big O pieces they thought they would be attractive to the children well everything’s a attractive when you get them in the end the first day Ain it but after that they were like the rest they didn’t want to put them on I think they
Were about four year old till about seven years old the Mickey Mouses and I think you’ve got uh in your collection there how we tried to protect the babies from the gas yeah we can see the babies gas Mas now they weren’t called gas masks not for
The babies they were called gas helmets the nurse would put the baby into the gas helmet strap it in and on the sides of the uh gas helmets was a little pump where they and pumped air into the baby now you imagine that nurse and the nurses in the hospital looking after all
Them babies when the gas alarm had gone and then they got to get their own gas Mas on even the moms who had four or five children half the population would have been dead John would have been old paddle Steamers you know the old Bell Steamers and that they used to come
Up and this one is the Royal eagle and it’s uh brought all the children from the dag and the Essex area to L where they were taken round to the schools for billets and then the following day distributed amongst the little country Villages and then the following year all the Lo of children
Were evacuated but there you can see the Royal eagle where did she Mo up she mowed up at a Claremont pair and when the reporters went aboard and asked the children where they’d come from they said England bless our hearts then we see the old uh batt
Cultures and that waiting up the sea front ready to run these children to their different destinations some of the local people had turned out to watch but that was simply ludicrous bringing them London children to L of which they knew knew in the first world war got bombarded and
Shelled and Yama said they were the same we were stupid here having them like come to Lo of sort of thing but uh them buses are still about you know John they call them flying bananas yes of course they do now we’re in Claremont Road there you
See the little old children boarding the buses no no suitcases look pillowcas is what most M and the old gas mask and these are sites we never want to see no more I I want my grandchildren to go through what we went through I was in
Los of right up till the last year of the war when I got CAU up but uh you know this sort of thing you just don’t want to see no more this again is the Royal Eagle the reason I put this one in Is there you
Can see her in all our booty in all her glory and then after she brought the land of children to ler the Roy na patrol service commissioned them then for M sweeping and on the next slide we’ll show you the same ship in our battle colors now you’ll see a big difference
Here John a hell of a difference all these old paddle Steamers was commissioned for the patrol service cuz they could go in shallow water you know now look at that there the guns look and here we come look right up to the old bridge and there you can see the
Difference of what the Navy done to the Royal Eagle the sister ship Royal da till that went the armor I meant to say before but there we have the old Royal Eagle in all our Glory a lot of these old paddle Steamers were sunk at dunker and them places you know they done
Sterling work Yeah Boy everyone in England had one of them a registration identity card you had to carry that everywhere I was evacuated for month John you know and I came home after the month was up and uh I got stopped about 20 times in a car with Mr Garder the local
Window cleaner and I passed myself off as his son all the way to L of right from clowning Derby sh in 40 Jack um troops came in and bobbed wire all the beaches and the Deans I believe you got a story about that yeah well as me Johnny uh woy and
Uh Ronnie Wilson known as TCH Wilson we were in a naval Cadet you see and we were walking along wo Road and somebody stopped and said was some nuts and oranges wash the sh so we didn’t realize at the time that the Deans were mind we
Knew it was all barire so we walked across to Deans got on the sea wall couldn’t see no oranges or anything you know it was just to get us going and uh when we come along a wall there was this Pat offs and sailors waving to us cuz we were waving
Back but they were trying to get us to get off and come out of it you see and of course when they did come up to us the first time I knew then I never had a father he called me everything he did this is a view what we call Children’s
Corner there John and there you can see the all PA of Pavilion we lost the Band Stand got bombed a lot of people don’t realize that that’s so near that to the Pavilion that got but there we can see the oldness that what used to be the
Restaurant on the pair that like half moon black shaped building and then you can see two ATS girls well they were bued in the yach club they had a buer gun in there and some old this nuts in there and now you can see how they let people use the Children’s
Corner for a little while this was at the beginning of the war before you know everything really got started and then of course that was all mined and and the lovely old Pavilion in the background yeah yep yeah the old lovely Pavilion I always did regret that going you know
They should never took it down it was a beautiful building this is the uh Claremont pair you can see now look there’s no buildings in front of that pair see they’re all taken away in the middle of the bridge blown up up and if we look
Just in the background we see a big tall house that was next to the Wellington Gardens that was pulled down and they built them senior citizens places there is it pet court or something name like that ble old place Lo to the war oh during the War years yeah but you can’t
Tell me nothing about my looss of Peace time that’s spoil I’ll admit that they have have completely kned it up John Wellington Gardens those men are digging a slit trench and the reason for that slit trench is if you’re walking down the middle drive an enemy aircraft come in machine
Gunning then you had somewhere to jump into but you jump in there after a good night’s rain or if you’ve had a couple of drinks couple drinks yeah and uh there you can see that Big O I was trying to explain what they pull down looking all that property opposite as
The Wellington uh Terrace but I could go in a lot of detail here but I sh because the people like to see the slides well we lost some lovely old Victorian railings what the people don’t know John or the youngsters today every house in Los ofed front railings and
You’d wake up one morning you’d hear clattering and a bang and you’d look out the window and see your railings been taken away for scrap now this went on and on and then they replaced your walls they done your walls but uh some of them railings went in as reinforcements rods and concrete
The old battery green uh car park was full of these people’s railings but they were only as reinforcements rods this gives you an example John of how the walls looked after they went away with your rails look heaps of Bricks now that’s award Street I don’t
Know if you know where hard street is but that’s award Street elegant railings have gone the Victorian railings and they did these little brick work they did these little walls Jo there still some about Lo if if you look you can see part of the old wall there look that
Black brick then they put bricks standing upright and that’s how they done all the walls but since the wall a lot of them walls have been built up to the E of the railings and that sort of thing uh this one I think was in maon Road maon
Road these are the old Anderson air raid shelters they weren’t very popular with people people they were damp they were earthy and all this sort of thing and we had went in Old Nelson Street and we had Aran lights down there while we used to come out like the Kentucky minals John
You know no did you have to pay for these or not if you aren’t up to £300 a year you were all right over £300 you paid £7 for them but uh the corporation workers didn’t put them all up they delivered but you had to get
People to help you to put them in or some of them did the old ladies couldn’t so it’s supp they got a bit help that way but Co just bring back memories to me John that’s white all Street all them little old shelters there I used to
Spend many a night down there but the a are a gone or nothing and there W no bombs dropping well i’ got to S the girls were in more more danger with you than they were the bomman weren’t they in there well I I would like to say that
But I’ve had a good few nights down on I enjoyed it when I was going there I tell you this is the way they were delivered John over Bo or the old awesome cat you know and that lady’s holding a section of it of the Anderson shelters but as I
Said they weren’t very popular and later on we’ll be able to talk about the Martian table sh way you didn’t have to leave your house and you were in the comany house all the time well I can remember as a boy we had one of these shelters exactly like this
The little doorway made a wooden doorway and because sometimes some I my mother tried to wallpaper the inside to make it look a bit something but when you went down there Jack always smelt dank and uh earthy yeah and you had one or two little insects run up and down the
Walls we put bunk beds in and that sort of thing but uh we didn’t sleep down them very often this is a picture in a magazine you see shaia happy family going down the shelter but what people didn’t realize was what was to come and we can show you the reality on another
Next slide to this this is the reality as you can see that crinkled work behind them is near each other so regardless of being liked they did at least save lives but most of the people preferred under the table under the stairs or under the cellers or
Wherever they could get to you know but when the Morrison table shelters come they were the god send unless I’m mistaken that’s old tuttle’s Corner that’s tuttle’s Corner John and you can see the lamp P painted white then a strip of black then white this was for the blackout you even had
The curbstones painted like that but this is a wartime coup people moan about the coups today that suff road going right back there now those people aren’t going in for sale at tuttles right at the very end you might remember it was a little shop called the M pole yes I do
And there was over some butter or grocery or something coming and there the people turn up to purchase that that what came in you know and if you look all the names are off for tles look they done it to a lot of shops so if the enemy landed out they weren’t supposed
To know where they were and all this bull you know but if you see a German with the fixed B at walking up the street you would tell them wouldn’t you he was issued with the ration book of course that was the Bible of the war yeah certainly was John now they had
Three colors the babies was green the B Junior school children look see you mean the babies were green or the books were green the books were Green Oh mate and the children’s were blue look and then the growns was a buff color now you couldn’t go to any shop you had to keep
To the same grocery until you got a new ration book then you could change it but you had to keep to the same grocery all the time you know I could you’re registered like register yeah you couldn’t go in any grocery shop and get anything you had to keep your same
Grocery well I’ve got an old ration book here Jack and uh it shows that we’re allowed 8 ounces of sugar 2 oz of tea 8 penny worth of meat 2 oz of butter 1 oz of cheese 4 oz of margarine and 2 O of cooking fat one solitary egg Dar d
D Home Guard John you can’t talk about wartime loss about the old Home Guard in at Dad’s Army that used to be the LDV local defense volunteer but Churchill didn’t like that so he called it the hom guard but uh we used to say l DV look
Duck and vanish I believe you got some more slids this yeah I got a couple of more to show and then uh you know we’ll see the old on gu outside the village churches where I used to guard and if I had been an invasion then the church bells would have rung you
Now back to the Home Guard again John uh when I was in the Army you know I done three and a half years training for the Navy didn’t then I got called up for the Army but uh we’d be lined up like this and the old sergeant would walk to the
First man and he’d send them message right the way down the ranks till he got to the last man then he go down here what he had to say but he go walking up to the first man he said I’ve got a message for you to send down the ranks old son send
Reinforcements we are going to advance so away he’d go right to the end man and he’d say what was the message and the look could say send a free and four we are going to a dance lovely think you’re kidding Mr Hitler look they’re the boys who helped to
Protect L of against Invasion who are they well you can see the that young gu crackshot team out look got the cup and the rifles the lad at the middle is Jackie gimer an old school friend of mine in the front row no at the back in
The middle at the back there three of them at the back a there yeah at the middle is Jackie gimer he’s just retired his last few years as a policeman yeah and uh the one just on the left in the front was Mr Rand the airdresser he was
In Stanley Street then he moved to saic road course they had to do all their training after work didn’t they oh yeah they Jackie was a brick L labor like me during the War years and then you know shouldn’t have about on the r putting
The slates and TOS on out of the bombs and dropped and then they’ go and do this uh spare duties on guard to defend the coast they take Mickey out of now but uh then people took it serious during the war want good you know be walking on the
Farm you see I had to go and do my bit course I didn’t have to go into the prop Army like my brother George you know but we had to go these guys you see he he say you go don’t the he say he have register
He be these he I say all right so that you know he went the V had sign a bit of to say be in the H guard me say put on you know hat I got on they come give me a rifle you know so
Say he come up he say sling your rifle he say so I SL mine at the ditch he said what you do that for I say you no said sling you right you say he say I don’t mean that he say I mean you got a sling over your should he say he
Say with the banner on the end he say and then if any of these had G parachut come down he say they land on your banner BL that’s a good idea we did one night you know yeah there was a cup come down on my b who didn’t know they were
There I would on they had one side the other he say move you up I’m falling off that’s the truth yeah any I tell you what we used to have do you know we used walk around the village of night time you see and see
That want the one got a light off you know see that want on the G parachutes come down to you see and S report what was going on you see so always are walking around one night there you know there no G she got a light sh that have bedro
Well boy that sh whole up you know and so I went up and I knock out the door I got put head at the bedroom window I say Miss I say don’t you know you g to bed I said you left the light shining on here I say if you don’t come
Down and put that light I say said Jam coming drop their BNS on you she say we can’t come down there I said what do you mean you can’t come down I say you have to come down put this L out she say I can’t come down
There she say I’m on to the doctor I say one now there’s all the evacuees on the L of railway station waiting to go on their journey to uh you know Derby share up the Midlands and clown Creswell works up balls over all that area it was a it
Was a hering experience with the mountain the children really didn’t know where they were going they thought it like a holiday but for the moms and dads very harrowing yeah well I went with them for a month John and I played up to go it w compulsory you didn’t have to go
But uh I was only one went and then when I got there I want to we come back again but you know how it is oh we’re going to a place where there’s beautiful mountains valleys and dials and of course all the kids were lighted at
Going but uh when they got that was a different story we thought we were going straight in bullets that didn’t work out that way we got off the trains and then we were taken in groups for people knocking on the doors please can you take will you
Take and I sat back I kept right back till I was the last one and that was getting dark then by the time they took me in but poor old lady about empty took me in I but she felt sorry for me some of the uh schools they paraded them in
The town hall and they were picked out like cattle yeah John was about 13 or 14y old senior boy school romanel now look at them all them little happy faces look but they were no carridor trains so when we wanted to T we had to open the windows and T out
Of the windows but I don’t know where the girls got on cuz they were on there as well I don’t know if you got any ideas I don’t know we’ll have to ask well or two of the ladies in the town interesting picture Jack Del Road school at Sherwood Forest
And the photographer had the audacity to say to them children [Laughter] smile some of the Roman elev at clown having a drawing lesson I only know two on there the boy on the right in front there is Georgie bers and then next to him the lad with his
Hair all stuck up on in was yours truly and I didn’t know this photographic sisted till we done the slideshow on the marina that was given to me a couple of days later looks like somebody’s frightened you J yeah then now ask for the PO [Laughter]
Takes this is a map of Lower stof and uh I emphasize L St you know it was the most heaviest bomb town in England during the war and all those black dots we see on there are where bombs fell during the War years now it’s a Pity we
Couldn’t get the full map on John but this will just give you an idea cuz when the Germans took over alland that made lots of hit and run all the time this building you’re not showing for nothing Jack it’s got special significance I know well that’s one of
The first buildings bombed in Loa during the war the first raid of Loa was at uh the gunton not gunton yeah the gunton woods and uh on the gston road they were the first bombs now the second raid was the clop Gas Works and all that area
This is next to the library today the the the the library is further down John that’s the tech what used to be the Technic scho school this today on this corner would be that big tall glass building where birs and death have now moved out of and where you see the
Little old uh Co-op shop there can you remember them girls putting that money in them balls and then they put them on the wire pulled the lever I used to whiz around the shop well that’s the CLA and uh Road Co-op look there’s the co-op John look
That’s what happened to it there’s all the uh Sailors that come down there in case they needed but uh I like at it there weren’t nobody in the co-op not to my knowledge but uh this was an afternoon raid W it I can’t even remember I can I can remember this
Afternoon raid and I think this really brought it home to last of the war had begun after the phony War yeah well this was as I said the first raid where that was any casualties and that was the second raid but uh we’ll greatly progress through the bomb as we go along
But I can’t remember this because I’ll tell you why I came home two days after the coop was bombed here we have the technical school which was on the uh opposite side of the road to the uh Coop and then next to this we had the library which was
Also bombed but we’ll show you that to go to the school you had to have brains John that’s why we didn’t go but that was the technical school where all the scholars and students went learn drawing and arts and crafts and course we weren’t for that were
We loot of liary clap and Road there you see it from there you’ll never guess where they went to John they went up to the Royal FAL and you know what used to be easto school lby did yeah yeah and then and then from there after the war they moved
Down to saic Road the tallest building in last of you know yeah I’ve heard you say this before but carry on well had more isn’t anywhere else in it oh dear oh dear I give up with you this is how L to flly we would look before that was bombed beautiful
Building beautiful architect there today all they can make is cardboard or concrete boxes John they all that lovely work going into that today you don’t get that you just get bricks in the shape of a square box they can’t put a slop and roof on now I think they forgot oh but
But uh see how nice that is this is Matthews and durrant’s garage opposite the library that also got bombed as you can see now in the background more or less middle you can see a tall building that’s the old ook public house today but that’s all Matthews urance
Garage and this would be the car park of course right opposite the library wouldn’t it we can show you the picture of the car park John I brought slide with me this is of course after the war Jack and the car now if you you go on there
You can’t find a place to spark not today you can’t can you but you can see the Arts of walk G that little white building in more or less over towards uh Center there but uh this was what we now looked at with them cars all being burnt
Out now we come to the London Road North nor John there we have on this corner Robert Robertson on the corner of Milton Road not to be confused with the shop opposite which was Robinson’s where they sell the ladies things yeah all ladies things there I’d
Like to bought some of them but never mind and then next door you got morand’s uh music shop which is still London Road North again where we see the bay windows that would been the arcade the journal officers in that area today then we can see a long building we like a hatchway
Over that was the water and gas company in them days and then on the next slide I’ll give you a view looking up from parades to chist because this is a scene really looking for what we now see Morland down to paradiseus so we’ll come up again and then show you from that
Angle this is the view looking up from Regent road that on the cor old Parise the kist years ago he used to be fed for making his own scent and there was a big flag flying outside north sea spray that’s what he named it North Sea spray
Then you had Alfred’s bicycle sharp and then you can see the shop with the like curved Arch over that was the water and gas company today all that’s gone it’s all West skates today but we should show you that on another slide now putting them two slides together
John this is the full effect looking from Regent Road right up to Milton Road and there you got the effect now look at them mes there carefully they’ve all gone and the next slide I’ll show you where we are for the people who don’t know much about L of
Have settled in L of since the War years the bomb damage we now looked at John same view people people might be able to switch the video back if they you know want to and see the full effect of it but that’s West Gate before then
That was the coop I you remember Coop there cuz you told me that story about Faber Christmas in the Marine you that’s right right jack that’s that’s an interesting shot let’s see what we’ve got next the old Lo the police station it is John that’s Regent Road and you
Can see the battle scar and you see all the Bomb Blast on the police station that little Courthouse rough we’ll show you the ports of that later on cuz I’ll tell you why what a shot cuz that was only pulled down last week and that broke my out really cuz that was a
Really like a monument to Lo of that little porch and I’ll explain why when we come to it but they you said the police station used to Bear bank and I say to you why and you said it used to be full of carers this slide I thought I must put
In in because last week this little porch was pulled down and to me that was a monument of the second world war in my way I thinking as I told you that was bomb blasted bomb scared cup shrapnel cuper shrapnel machine gun bullet holes all over here
Round about now that’s all gone and so the memories of that raade this is is the raid on wwor known as an oil bomb a bomb full of oily inflammable substance dropped and if you look at them Twisted girders you’ll see the heat in that bomb and now
You can see the old Roman Catholic Church at the back that church stood up all the warair surrounded by bombs and bomb damage but they uh woolwash when they moved it that went up to Kirkley Kirkley all which is folders furniture shop which you know right well opposite The Grand Cinema and
Then when w wash was rebuilt back came w e to the North End of the town as I said you can see the Twisted Metal and there you can see the fireman spraying the water on the uh Twisted Metal it was a heck of a bomb to do that
But they had several of these old bombs dropped on L of I remember one down on the frost Elli at the bottom of frost Elli schore but this gives you a general view of what an oil bomb can do here we have the woods L bomb and
This was a bad raid there were several people killed up there a whole row Cottages went there whole row of them now we’re coming to the bomb and we got them mixed in and there and Ed on so I’ll put them through and then uh go
From from there but uh I haven’t got none of these slides in order I’ll be honest with you after Saturday night slide show you know what it is and you’re SE slides and everything go back in the boxes and in the dock you can’t see how you put them back so what you’re
Saying is we’ll have a general view of some of the bomman shots you’ve got in your collection yeah well you can put that better than me you Ed Ed mated I won’t you see here we have Essex R there you can see the extent of the trouble John
Talking about the bomb as I’ve said before and I’ll emphasiz this again with the most heav bomed town in England we had the most warnings we had the first crash warnings in the country and so you could go on you know in C trops if you
Don’t know what a c trop is they were little metal uh spikes which whichever way they landed up was Point upwards so that would ender the fire service the lances but Lo of so far have been found to be the town what received the most of them and they dated
Back to Napoleon times they were lay down to [Â __Â ] the horses yeah because they would do the same with the vles one with a time oh yeah of Devastation in Le road yeah my old mate and them lived there Billy th Barry wood R and these are the Mars and table
Shelters we had to shove these in between the bomans otherwi with left them out John but they asked two adults two children the war was on the outside for the very simple reason to stop the deis falling in on you that’s the idea the cage and the grill after not after
The latter part of the war some people big families had another one placed on top of that one had a double one your radio still there everybody in radio but this gives you an idea what a mar and table shelter look like these are the old L Shades in the
ABA Master’s Customs place here John W time a lot of people wouldn’t know them like this because they’re it’s a vastly change today but if you go to the left of the picture you can see the river but you can’t see on this slide in the mind sweepers but well move your old
Projector move your old magic Ln here can you see the ribon now yeah just make out a m sweetless f there just in that that’s that’s a customs house as we not today not today and the aror Master’s uh officers now you told me or somebody you
Did say something about this somebody g a talk on it didn’t you well I I interviewed a gentleman who was um there on the day so should we just have a listen to him I waited a couple of minutes and I got out and what a
Terrible sight met my eyes there was the old swing swing Bridge house demolished and in there were two of our dearest friends both killed these German bombers appears came in through the harbor mouth dropped their bombs as they were and climbed High into the sky and Away there wasn’t any shots fired
Whatsoever after a while I managed to get out of this place and there was some railings with the side I can remember it now and there were two ladies handbags hanging on the railings there were no ladies they had fell flat on the faces and then they ran
But they were quite all right imagine my surprise when I turn the corner to go into the yard to take over the firefighters the the telegraph poles were leaning at a difficult angle the walls had gone in the roof was on fire I called one of our men and said
Get the hoses out put on the stand pipe and turn on the water I then gave the order water on Jack he turned the handle nothing happened the water Ms have been burst with the bombs I went up the yard then and saw this wall tottering the only thing that could be
Done then was to find where all the men were so they called a roll call and everybody was asked over the loudspeakers to clock off at the clocking off room and then we could see how many were missing in that raid there were eight people killed
In front of them was one of our dear friends whose face had swollen to the sides of a balloon he had taken the full force of the blast and two days later we could see seagulls cing around the roof of the buildings and we couldn’t make out
Why so two of us went up and these seagulls seemed to be feeding and sure enough they were on parts of the body of this poor man who was killed they were tragic days bomb number two John you can see it on the left hand corner here look bomb
Number two so nearly hit the bridge didn’t it nearly no bus coming over bomb number three tragic part about this this is the her CH was under there John there was two or three people killed and I think a gentleman got a uh medal for this doing something there but maybe that gentleman
You talked to will help us out on it for information and that’s how the bridge used to look and as we remembered it that such a tragedy to send that gone you know I still water that one back you’re can have a 14 La bridge I don’t
Want it but then people killed at the underground shelter Jack so when we crossed the bridge our new bridge that little garden is still there isn’t it I think just we should just cast the memory back to those horrible days yeah there’s a lot of sadness and
Sad memories in the town look at that old Royal Hotel at the back I look I put a bloody Masque up back now the green o well I call it a mask you can call it what you like but reminds me of a very sad day for L
Of this is a German daia and that’s the same type what bombed wallers January the 13th 1942 killing 71 people and injured 117 this shot was taken in that happier days where you see the archway over that shop there towards the right hand side that was Bootsy kist and in the
Background we can see a church where I had to go to Sunday school that was United Methodist today that’s where courts is now all that side of the road there just beyond the entrance to the marina was bombed in the Wallace raid you know he dropped four bombs on the sharpen
Center and uh we have several shots but we’ll pick uh two or three out for the people this is 1930s there you can see atws on the corner of Marina that was completely destroyed many people REM remember Mr Davis the dentist up there he was my dentist he was tragically killed in that
Raid the next door to that was a shoe shop that’s there now but uh was bombed during the war that’s when morans took it over at they lost the big shop so that’s another shop he lost and now where the oers were that was old gon’s
Oce cream shop when he came to L of he offered the kids all fre ice cream when he opened up so all the kids went up there and held out two hands and got two OES but uh they were happy a days the big building that was we were
Then looking at this is what happened to it oh it was a tragic ride this John very Ric the worst raid L of had we’ve just celerated the uh second but that was the biggest in number of aircraft but this was the worst for deaths you
Know now we’re standing on the site of B Worth’s Rubble we’re looking across the marina and now you can see all those Sharps like 50 Shilling tailor and all them what stood there and then cross the road you’ll see a building with two white Windows if you can point to O John
And that’s millets that’s millets today that was Timothy Whits in them days where you used to get your tough brushes John and you said you had about 500 in your cupboard this again shows you the uh wreckage that would be roughly you see where that like curved in on that
Woodwork like half moon shape just towards the left hand side of the piture well that was boots theist that was that forade you call above the sharp and then if we look slowly right up to the top left hand corner you’ll see the tar of St Margaret’s Villa in the marina they now
Call that St Margaret’s house by the way this is what I was then talking about the curved fade that’s a big word for me John fade and I don’t know where I picked that up isn’t it yeah yeah well let’s uh boot now there is a lady who was
Actually a door away from this building when the bombs Dr in you I hope she’s going to interview you well I had the pleasure of interviewing this 80-year old lady with and uh uh we’ll go over to her now J Miss Audrey Cushing of alen Brad who worked for Alon the scw
Shop kind to be snowing you know and not too good and um the Mr oldson then was in the back of the shop with an apprentice um girl and he rushed out the back where we had an air shelter and I went the stairs at the front was shed up
You know people had them and up didn’t they the stairs and um I went under there with a customer well it was um bit horrifying but of course we weren’t hurt you know we were just full of brick dust and rubble and one thing and another and uh I think the
Bomb actually dropped next door where Mr Ming he’d already been bombed from his shop and Mr Ming and his sister or girl who was in his shop were killed and they were thrown into our our uh sit uh fitting room and they didn’t find their
Body about fr I feel sure this was a Tuesday and um course somebody came around and got us out and of course we lost coats and handbag and that thing but we weren’t hurt any of us really and I went home we lived in as I
Say we lived in Denmar Road and there was a a ren outside and she was about 6 foot tall M me i’ never been more 5 foot and she gave me a coat to put on so course and when I went in she took me
Home in the car and when I went in of course my mother burst out laughing they didn’t know nothing about B well they were so used to the crash warning going you know they didn’t take any notes of as much I don’t suppose course I looked
A bit funny with this long coat on all covered with gray one another but um anyway we went back uh uh the next day and of course there was all and bonsel the jewers they were in uh uh next to boot you know on the side and funnily enough
They had moved from U Pier Terrace CU they were really in Pier Terrace because that was considered to be a danger part you know and they moved up there and of course one of I think was Mr bonsel I think he was still you know that day and
Of course there was beautiful Rings everywhere you know and jewelry and all over the place and uh there was well it was tragic but there was some funny parts as well and they were lying out the bodies you know in uh the odan you know the foyer of the
Odan and polian there and you know we had a bit of a Workman who was a bit of a wag really and he you know he was looking all the C they were all the naval personnel there all picking up these things of course they really had I
Supp they got a hold of bit of this jewelry and stuff you know that’s a bit valuable and I know Workman he came out he said all he found was a prayer book and I opened a hym book and I opened there and said um um must I go and empty-handed
You know CU that sort of struggles so funny at the at the time and another funny thing was that um when the war first started you know course we thought we were going to be bomed every half hour didn’t we and Mr Alon he was my
Boss he brought a large lar bottle of brandy and a big packet of nuts and raisins because we were made to think that we were going to have to stay in the Shel you know for hours and days on end you know never go down there come up
For hours and of course every time we went down with the sign went cuz we had a little this Brandy and some of the nuts and raisins and of course when we finally were bombed in 1942 we had neither Brandy nor raisins we’d eaten them Dr them all well anything
Left this is the opposite side of the street now that wasn’t it but that received a lot of blast John that was a lot of damage done by just looking at them uh pictures you can see the damage all them tiles up there that used to be
My job when I was doing the warl cling about on the roofs and knocking down ceilings and making the O as habitable for the people to live in them the old OD a not as shamed to see that go winter this is a very rare shot John this is the
Devastation had to be January the 13th and it had to be that’s the battle scyan which they used as a mort for nearly a week because they were trying to dig them people out for nearly a week but you got a realize they had the AR lights
Up but as soon as the air raid went at night them lights had to go off and then head of the rescue team would say silence yeah everybody would keep quiet in case there was a voice cor no El help from the sort of thing yeah
And on this day this terrible day just remind us how many people were killed on this corner there was 71 killed and 117 injured in this raid all that white as snow there was a snow storm at the time I can’t even remember a warning going I
Can’t some people said it did but I can’t remember it going I was on Station Square on the day this was taken and I’ve interviewed several people who are in the vicinity of uh this area on this particular day and they got some wonderful wonderful
Stories to tell I mean if the waren had gone that’d have been down the shelters W there another frightening scene John very frightening into to look at these things after 50 year there you can see the audience has already stated it was a mort but you cross over the side down
That little shop on the corner was anet’s wool shop lot people remember it the other big store was the ills and Steels I expect you remember ills and Steels I do indeed and then it became the universal stores today it’s the arm stores now in that area as we’ll see we
Put a little Stone up there but we’ll jump on the next slide there look at that a that lovely I told wouldd have a look in the AUD and bring back memories every boy and every girl have walked up them steps to the one and N yeah I walked up there with a
Girl many a time you always went upstairs but it was in this fo which they laid out the bodies did they not that’s right in this fire is where the mot was that’s why this have been put in John but uh well right we’ll have a look
Upstairs as well and go into the circle yeah look at that all all the girls used to take got B BL me when I coming from se but that scene Arab scene or whatever on the screen that used to be their standard picture can you remember the girls used
To come down with all the sweet smelling yeah and all that old sent going about pump old BL going with that what was a pump thing pumping all that old puffy powder all over the place yeah remember that right well the girls used to sit there didn’t you had the chocolates in
Your right hand p in the pocket next to had the ad boils in it well Hills and Steels now the British home stores where you see that pile of rubble they built a little brick garden with flowers in and on that wall they fixed the Battle of Britain plate on
First and then we went in with a stone for the wallers raid and for everyone killed in the Air Raids and uh I was proud of that John because our little Society struggled hard to raise that money we went in without an ay and we
Come out with profit thanks to the L of people for and I must Express this for helping us by attending that slide show there was 150 turned away from the marina that night but we know have a stone on that wall commemorating all the people who lost their lives
This is the stone John which proudly Bears my name I’m proud of them doing that for me because uh I didn’t want my name on there but that finished up on there and uh you walk up and down the street and see your name get a
Little bit of Pride sure you’ll be proud and I thank my Society for doing that we think of you every time we pass that look out for that as we pass reason I’m proud of this is it’s more or less a stone to all those who lost their lives
You know I’m trying to get a museum Memorial Museum going now for everyone but this stone is the beginning of it has to commemorate the people because there’s nothing in this town to commemorate the people who died here and now we leave Wallace ride with this final
Slide I think these slides are a tribute to that raid when we show these things when you lived through the war sadness at you cuz you remember your friends and people you knew been killed but I hope these days are gone forever and finished forever with the moral being lot at
Times John everybody went for the daddy M especially the forces boys to see Jane she was a kind of like uplifter for you used to look out for Jane she’d never have a toil in front of her of course but uh you know in them days the senses
Were a bit stricter than they are today these are the girls in long row or known as Wellington Cottages today but to me it’s always long row they’re making their camouflage nets to drape over tanks and spit fires in fields and guns you know there weren’t any fishing
In the town so these girls were Andy making Nets and that there they are outside in the sunshine giving us a smile there look here’s the old Air Raid Ward and turn that lady put that light out see she got a black out curtains ight and
There’s a [Â __Â ] of light all the way around now from aircraft that look like a town L up there well you know when you let a [Â __Â ] up you had to go in a sharp doorway didn’t you cover up the match L this is the original St Margaret plane
Uh St Margaret’s school I should say on St Margaret’s plane and that’s where St John’s Amin were stationed and above them in them top rooms they had the air training Cadets called you know who trained for the Air Force civil defense Corp they done Sterling work in the town when the bombs
Had dropped them boys were there on the spot digging them out uh digging the bodies and that out and helping people out and going around putting in sendry bombs out the second man at the back from the left is Ru Ford’s father that’s Billy Aid I used to work with
Bill here be the civil defense again on the ambulance isn’t that that little house at the back there that’s where I was born not the bay winded house that’s the old solicor office Bailey and Crome so this would be roughly outside Telecom social club today you tell me your solic
Was a Freeman out in Willis well he was he still is he can’t afford a solicor John Timothy White used to be but he got rid of him here we have the Duke of Kent inspecting the local constab go where I get that word from John conaby there made jumpies behind him the
Gentleman in the c or what do you call Trilby this uh Mr nny the town clerk but the Duke of Kent you know he got killed himself in later months when he got uh his plane crashed here we have sir Admiral dudly North inspecting the youth movement in
The town as you know we got the brownies there the scats the boys Brigade everybody in this town worked as a family everybody pulled together the youth The Young and the old all pulled together and let’s hope to get through the Warriors they were a f bunch of girls joh they
Were the girls training cor they were all local girls they used to right when we’re in the naval Cadets they used to come up to our dances and that sort of thing and when we competed against the Army Cadets and the Air Force Cadets cuz we were in the naval Cadets
You know we used to have them round they be out over our old swing bridge bridge yeah lovely a lot of girls they were these were the Lost of naal cadets of which I was a member John for about three and a half year has the leftenant
Albrook there used to work on the railway he had that little Bungalow up on the raway so remember Denmark Road that’s where he used to live and he his son Ronnie alook he he turned out to be a policeman and medler you can see the names on it colan medler Bower Waller they’re
All these are the Army Cadets uh they start off in L of John as the scottage regiment they wore Kilts you know when they first started off I used to be in that then we used to run for the Home Guard be Runners you know doing the
Doing the raids and things yeah like a messenger boy yeah yeah this is the May Road raid as you can see there those o is it there John people killed there as well go to the top end of this Road you got love Road in casee anybody don’t
Know where we are but uh the Junior School would be at the bottom of this road and at the top would be love road now we’re back to the May Road raid and here you can see how the People’s Furniture was loaded on L’s and taken to different stores around the
Town you can see part rill school right at the bottom of the picture there but uh these SC were common during the we got used to hip stre Road ride this is at the back of the big house Adrian large there’s a little opening run through
Here now into Oxford Road and this is the new house what’s built on that corner this was just outside my uh back gate you go down Christ Church SC and you come to the central school this was the central school full of soldiers at the time you can see some
At the left hand corner of the picture there was SE several soldiers killed in there but that’s the old central school down here in fisy school but us local people have never called it Aon fisy school that’s always Christ jur school still on the central school I
Wonder what the old peoples must think when they look at this and realize what happened to their school because although I never had went to school as a boy I was proud of the school what I went to I mean I went to Roman Hill Senior boy school and I’m proud of
That fact to gone there this is a dreadful scene it’s at the rear of seagull Street in won road you can see Williston Road on the right but in the center you can see what looked like a big white board that’s the uh haid shelter what
Received a direct hit now there was a young Air Force lad on on his first leave and he went down there with his mom and dad and they’re all buried together in L of cemetery in a Warg grave which is very unusual to see the uh mother and
Father in with the son in the wargrave but they uh the little cottage you can see right at the back there with the white Windows one above the other and then there’s like a little porch like a little porch that is yeah that was known as art Awards
Cottages Awards yeah art Awards I don’t know maybe something happened what happened and they they got it built outwards but uh that’s the name of the cottage Wy Drive opposite Bolton and Paul as you can see the bomb damage there go around to the back and the Wy
Crescent which we will do and you’ll see far worse than this oh dear my old Hometown my old Street w cresant w cresant it is and at the minute we’ll show you an aid shelter which was at the back and Anderson but this is Wy cresant you can see all the
Furniture outside look all salvaged out of the bom and then they were taking on a and cats all lies and put into one of the stores in the town till them people got Reed I bought in 1956 I bought my first house there for £1,100 yeah I quite believe that John
First house the old Bristol bleming many people remember this coming over the town that didn’t give any signal that should have fired a green flare as it come in over the town but it didn’t and uh the tragic part about it was the lawn D the old padle steamer belonging to the
Patrol service was coming through the bridge and he opened up his gun and shot this plane down but they were all British on it and the plane crashed on bardley field alt and Broad this is the old La Dawn The padal Sweep which the Navy took over in Happ a days
You can see that John she ain’t got any guns on there and everybody’s enjoying the day out sort of thing but all these things happen in war time and she’s the one who unfortunately shot the blem down yeah that’s the one Lor Dawn well that’s my old Parish church
Pfield church Jack In unhappier Time yeah very unhappy John they dropped incendies on there and that was all out all that fch and uh all these planes were coming in but as L had it with the grace of God fog come down yes I remember that night yeah that night fog
Come down and that prevented it but uh they said that pfield had been mistaken for somewhere else like old Lord Oho when he come on he said uh places were bombed on the East Coast last night include in random he’d only picked up and heard that the pl places had been
Bombed at random Germany calling calling I had an aunt who W quite the thing and she just listen to Lord hor she said well let stop using our electricity she thought she was using the German electricity while she listen to him what we got next yeah there you can see the dampening
Down of the thatch and uh lady come across that suppos to see if she could be help they’re taking all the thatch off there you can see the old boy at the back there pulling the thatch and there are she finished up a wreck but the after the war the pfield
People got together and rebuilt it joh didn’t he certainly there I John some of your pakefield church look one of the last scenes of it and then after the war the people got together and pakefield church rose again this is the wings for victory week you
Know we had Navy for victory week didn’t we spit fire week uh Army week and all the other weeks but uh you know this is wings for victory we because you got an air Commodore standing on the platform maor umy behind them and these are the boys from the patrol service match and
Past all these parades were upon Bo Morel in the town not bring prade have not yeah H the middle driver as I call It this is the 12th of May 1943 which we’ve just commemorated the uh worst not the worst R but the second worst raid of the war this is the morning raid when one long F A Wolf come in I got to be careful how we pronounce that in when L
Fu a wolf come in Dropped a Bomb on belu Park the bomb bounced and went right down the Avenue and landed on two houses and killed K the people in those houses now that night when the big raid came on 24 [Â __Â ] wolves flying around the town machine gun and dropping
Bombs when the Royal Observer core tried to get through to warn the town with the crash warnings and that what they didn’t know was during this ride all the electric cables had been severed so they couldn’t warn the town so you had all these planes over Town only 50 ft o
Machine gun and and bombing and that’s what caused the damage nobody had time to shelter that’s when the Jubilee got it before we move to the big rid we can show you the Royal abue again but look what’s been dug out there in complete order look a Marson table
Shelter dead senters that left on top there but now this is a different story and I shouldn’t go that far ahead but my granny aunt and two cousins were killed in uh Marson T sh up St lonard road course the bomb come through the house and at the morson table shelter as you
Know my cousin was very reluctant to talk to you about it w she now here we have a nice picture of the Jubilee stores during the war we called it the Jubilee stores rid it’s only after the war is called the fu a wolf rid but that was full of Sailor
Soldiers and civilians having a nice quiet drink and as you know they couldn’t sound the air raid warning and that re cut cable yeah you couldn’t get no uh s or crash W nothing through now this raid as I said 24 over the town but there was more than 24 planes some went
To the north two or three went to the South that’s when castlin got bombed at blacksmith corner so you know how widespread the damage was I hope to show you the damage now John in the next few slides of the different roads what were
Hit have we got a shot now Jack of the Jubilee after the [Â __Â ] R have done that thing I certainly have John they are what you asked for John a picture of the Jubilee look 33 people killed in this raid I could tell you how many killed in the pub for the very
Simple reason and personnel and people from outside the town we never interested in the Lo of Civilian dead you see and I got the L of Civilian dead but people who was like the servicemen you would have to write to the Warg Graves commission just remind people where this was it was the
North End of the town where the Indian restaurant is now where that’s called cers cers restaurant yeah opposite the old East but that was the royal Fon but the name have been changed again so I’m a bit lost but uh it’s opposite the Green from Arnold oown you know opposite
The is it the mobile gar there today something like that is it this is the the Jubilee again they sifting out the rubble finding Rings watches and insurance books and that sort of thing John you know Club books and that’s Camden Street just running down there in the back ground cuz it was
On the corner of Camden Street what the Navy boys were never far away were they been near the nest they were called out from the nest and some of the uh Army was called out as well you know Watson’s garage at that time was full of army
They had a mechanized unit there but uh I’ve got an interview with a gentleman who was doing this particular job that night we’ll talk to him now Jack yeah right Leave It All To You John Mr Fred rashm then 21 years of age now living in normanston drive lower
Sta I was on from the Navy in the Navy that night and uh I was in the prob next near the town H you know that one on the corner what’s the name of that pu Anor was it Anor or something and I heard that bomb
Drop you know shook up the place where I was in and I rushed up there and I see what it was you know that was a jubilee St so I dashed them and got me overalls on and uh when I got up there they was pulling the bodies out you see all I
Done was just put them on the lry that’s all I done helped to put them on the lares is about is it you see that’s all it was to me about r street oh ragn Street when I finished that I went down ragn street and an old girl in know
House well we pulled her out and she never had no head on that we’re still on F W fre John we will be for the next few slides this is the ice Street opposite the Jubilee that’s why there’s that big gap there today where we had our little church
Service the other night but this was old Lo so the mes were really old well you can see by them that they were old some of them going back to the 15th 16th century but uh they’re the Army you can see the Army there and as I said
Watson’s garage was full of them I must have the this is after the war year sort of thing John you can see where the Jubilee was all that grass and then you can see the state of the uh garage what happened to that now old Jack Cleveland parked
His car in there year after year and when they pulled that down that was six big petrol Wells full of petrol he said if he’ have known he’d had to draw bucket out oh Jack would have done you have down BL his out now this is Osborne Street a bomb went through Arnold
O come right through the roof John and hit them buildings in Osborne Street you know you got to realize these Raiders were only 50 ft up that’s why these bombs were bound like they did up the park you see they were so low instead of the bomb hitting with the nose they were
More or less hitting with the sides then like Ric a Shan and then uh you know the old for8 survived like for8 110 new available any color long as that was black yeah well you know all about these air cards if you say that’s a Drifter troller or Custer there i’ have known
One we’re still showing you the Damage Done by this a f a wolf R and this is Milton Road John so for the people who are living in Milton Road that gives him a idea what happened down there Street or during the war with us during this don’t
It now we come to Alexander Road on the corner of a junction of regent Road and Alexander Road so you know we are don’t you when I say that but uh there you can see the bomb damage again all done with this one this a [Â __Â ] w
Afraid noric street that didn’t miss the bombs there you can see all the damage there you know where noric street is don’t you joh North uh rdam Road area still in noric Street there yeah some of the damage you can realize what these bombs done in the
Town can’t you a lady don’t know she got a dog with her I know when I feel Qui I have a bob Martin’s powder they have a strange effect on me and North parade John we went up here the other we to look at all this L
Didn’t we yeah we went and look where the bomb went right through the Gable end went right through the house right out the other end of the roof hit laone bounced and bounced onto house in the corner Lind Aon court and road which will show you but this is number
One this is picture number two showing you where the bomb H you can see the patch there can’t you see they were so low the bomb’s bounced and right in that right hand corner you can see all the de that big house and Number Four courton Road disappeared but that’s on the
Corner Linder Road as well you see but uh these bombs you know they they weren’t dropped a height they were dropped you you get 50 ft ain’t far above you is it this is picture number three John there a result of it look there you see where the bomb at the grass
Bounced and hit the house and the little one alongside on it while score school which got it as well look I always dreamed that happened to my school like yours John cuz I know you’re like me you didn’t like school but uh they are that’s wild school school that evacuated during the
War so there weren’t no children in it this is the North End of ragn Street you know ragn Street go right down to Bon Street on it this is the top end John when it got bombed go up there today there’s new houses there but we’re still
On the fer wolf raid you know then fers got everywhere didn’t they yeah certainly did boy This Ss we draw the G John but this was nothing to do with the bman when the bman I what I show you on the other slow from much earlier that’d be about
1941 this is the farer wolf freid 1943 young girl of 14 killed There well even that L kesin didn’t escape the fuers no as uh that L fuer what left the crowd come in and Dropped a Bomb on this building you see that’s blacksmith’s corner you think somebody said and I think the blacksmith got killed actually didn’t he yeah it must the same area I’m
Lost at kand you now as has like going to India for me when I go to kland that’s way out of my territory there this is the Victoria Road raid John there a tragic story behind all this the shipyard workers used to have a crash
Warn a Belo to warn them that a raid was imminent is that what we called a cook I got come into that weren’t called a cook then but what happened people got killed while they were down in the shelter safe now they all threatened all the shipyard workers threaten to go on
Strike unless the public had a crash warning the next day or the day after we had the cooko warning we were the first town to have it it sounded like a cooko when it sounded C and you knew then danger was imminent and you got down the
Shelter but if it hadn’t been for the shipyard worker s right we going on strike we might not even have had a cooko warning now we come to the coastal forces the mtbs they used to go out and fight the eots who was trying to attack the
Convoys I think you just done a tape on these haven’t you joh the reunion perhaps I can show you a few footage of that yeah I’d like you to put Po in but uh I’ll just get rid of one of two of these air slides I’ve got and then uh
We’ll go over to your Video here are John The Lads from the Coastal Services look at them look and there was about 77,000 Sailors here during the war you know but it did the Lo this is all in the amp dark I used to love I was working on London drapery when the you
Know begin the War years and I used to get up in there high roof and they had a false window there you could take out and you used to look right over the am do and you could see all these mtbs and when they used to start up the whole
Time down shock well I think L got a special awareness of the coastal command forces and of course the um patrol service P yeah they were two grand lots of lads but uh they could have done WR one another here we have an MTB been in
Battle with an ebot John look all the bows shot away so they had to be toed in Stern first cuz otherwise they had a sun it would they so uh they Sate what they could have it they used to go up to Leo Robinson’s and fletch’s yard to be
Repaired and uh there you can see some of the lads standing KN on the deck maybe one or two of them been killed there but uh the uh mtb’s done such good work especially for the convoys off there there was one coming and all the
Crew lay dead on the deck during the war yeah went through the bridge wounded the SA staring it went right through the bridge with the Dead Land on the deck the US Lo of can’t be told unless we mention the patrol service as you know the sparis nest became the base for
The uh law naal patrol service didn’t start off as HMS Europa though started off as Penbrook X and then that was changed to H rer that these are typical are they trollers which mind sweepers yeah all these old a lot of the trollers were converted the fishermen went but there
Was so much of a loss of life that they had to conscript uh you know people into when you went up to Ganges and them places they put the the patrol service up you volunteered for them they when Jim Callahan the prim to volunteered he thought patrol service was fast boots
But he finished up on the mind sweepers this is our badge they were immensely proud of this badge John after six months M sweeping they wore this little silver badge on the sleeve of the tunic you know you still see about the town don’t you yeah and when when the
Boys come down on the Ron naal patrol service reunion the silver bad is there for all to see and they wear them with pride much pride now we come to St Luke’s this is where the raw Naval patrol service engineers and stalkers trained under them sellers
They had big ship’s engines John I don’t know if you knew that during the War years and this is where they trained the uh boys for the engineering and the stalking Department as we’d call it because this is no St Mary isn’t it yeah this was pulled down just in the
50s and uh that’s used as the convent school now that’s all gone Brick by Brick they pull that down these are the bar boys they used to go down the nest way to the bottom the gates the sailers would come out and sling a kit bags on the way you’d go and
That used to be 6man south side of the bridge and fr’s the north side give a old projector K see if you can get that latter in clearly there look that word Europa hey that’s way to spell Europa look he went the same school he did
Europa and then if you go to more to the uh transport Delight they go the other way John yeah he’s another eer look yeah not Europa EU or aaer they could be all R boys going here we have the bar boys again John look you see the old salute there
Tragic case happened down here one of the little old boys came from gston down for the day to see his gr he got a bar came and joined the bar boys and course enemy aircraft come over Dropped a Bomb he had a bit of snap will go right across his
Stomach in the hospital I was a bar boys to get th or something pushing a bar of um kit bags from the station to the sparrow Nest y you got done you know I went right up to FL roing the sail on the head top so he went home and chopped the
Bar up old man used a boil shrimps up out there he never went the more some of the nappy gos at the nest used to look after the sailors you know cup tea cakes or WS as we used to call them and there you see some of the nappy girls
They’re Lo of girls John one of the popular places during the War years John when they used to have the uh shows on there the palace coties only little old girls from the dolly School are dancing and then the sailors the Army the renss they all used
To go on there and give turns you know doing yeah and we when I go the I go at the palace a lot and then halfway through a good film a good old cboy film the S would come up on the screen the saens are signing uh the show will
Continue if but if you wish to leave the theater do so now who we got here Jack well this is a typical Lo of mar as they boys you to call them Mar D here I’m short for Mama and that’s Mrs heart with some of the sil she had over a thousand
Mrs har been on the left on the left yeah she had a thousand of them beled with thousand boys it was not all together of course no no you want the bloody Royal Hotel and the Victoria for that winner the lady in the middle lady
In the middle Mrs bar all used to say we our husband and the little boy in front is Bob har who become the policeman know he works at the bir supervisor there that and the other little girl on the right of the picture is ilder barard Mrs Barnard’s daughter there but
Uh there typical Lo of land lady this is the Italian plane which flew up the coast and then crash landed at couron and when an old farmer labor come along the old pilot say what part of Germany am I in so we got a bit lost but they were German uh not German
Italian planes what raided The Coop you know up Wy drive right now looking for capalo could have been could have been out of the ice cream yeah very likely now we’re back to a few more bombing series we split these up John you understand otherwise people would
Get bored with all bombing wouldn’t he so we’ve split them up this is till Road the big building is the Arts of Oak and the little shops on the corner there were pulled down and there’s a little chapel there today this is more or less on the corner
Of Summer Road and till Road John if you look right to the extreme left of the picture that’s a old off License Shop what stood there for years DIN and where this Rubble is today it’s a little [Â __Â ] Center in till road so you know what I’m talking about don’t
You still in till Road summer Road area John I are bring some poor person dead out there on that stretcher all that white of snow like the wallers raid you know but scenes like this as I said we don’t want to see these no more John not in our
Children and grandchildren’s life time anyway this is rag the street and where you see the white G blend over there that’s Jacob Street what’s there today is Jacob’s court and I’ll show you that slide next John because then you can compare the difference between the old Loa and the modern
Loaff as we said today there’s my old mate Wally alen look you knew Wally didn’t you yeah very much so yeah he’s on his way way up there they’ve been looking for bits of shrapnel do you pick anything up he will now we come to Street the house you
See here was a beautiful house called Tor house and uh that was a lovely old building but this today is all Telecom along there this is when you walk along s Street to clap and Road and opposite CL uh sorry Street you got the exhaust uh Center here’s that beautiful house John called
To the large what a waste what a lovely elegant building what a waste thousands of properties like this was it castles weren’t he will everybody recognize this famous Corner yeah that was the Imperial Hotel John it’s quite a bit of history but we’ll keep things short you can see Bon
Street just on the right of the picture now all this today is Kentucky Walker Ras opposite the railway station but here you see it and all that back up was it first and then on another later rate a year or two later the toilets got it
And that’s when we show you the first boming first this is the back end of the uh Hotel John when it got hit and then a year or two later I think it was a year later then the other end got it so it really got bombed twice you see fire
Engine or the old fireman they were round about we’ll show some of them later on the old fireman well this was the day the tragic day the underground toilets were hit let’s meet Mr Harry James who was there and uh about 9:00 9 I went down the toilet and that
Was when it all sort of happened and uh there was two I went down the toilet and I I know if you remember that toilet but you go in in and there’s about you two steps and then you turned left down and you went down
About nine steps well I was lucky I went straight across to the toilet from the steps and uh I looked and to the right and saw two soldiers down there they were talking to the right of me in the corner and then a young naal chap came
Down and he said that he’d been staying on standing on the station and he’ just come off Le from Grimsby and uh he said that Jerry’s overhead well the next thing uh the bomb dropped and it was like um someone with a big sand blaster for a flash of a
Second as though they got you up against the wall and then of course uh when I did come around I really thought that I was trapped under this the old extension because I could hear water and it was like big rocks that you were that was clamping me
Down and uh the I was fortunate to be been thrown to the bottom of the steps and the sailor he was thrown across me in a kind of a ball and uh uh we I was fing around with my hand and I found his hand and had a glove on it
We held on to each other until he was released but uh you keep according to the doctors afterwards why why you keep sort of fainting away and coming back again it’s because of the pressure of the blood the pressure on your arteries and that and uh anyhow that’s what I kept doing when
I came around again I could feel water coming up my left leg cuz the back this one was at the back I mean it was all smashed up but uh the uh the soldiers were unlucky because they were knocked at the bottom of the there’s two doors
Like two toilets they knocked there and uh it um the water came up and of course you could hear well I heard you could hear them juggling with the water and they drowned you see and then the water came you could feel the water coming up
Quite high and then uh which seemed like eternity we would land on our backs or I was and you see little chinks in the Skylight and then we I saw a plean come and he yell down if there’s anyone down of course you yell up and then all of a
Sudden he yelled down and said that he would get us out we would be got out he’d got to go away and the course some more bombs dropped so that seemed as though everything was being packed in on but um the water as I said that was a
Terrifying thing because you were pinned down and it was like creep and paralysis comeing up your legs but anyhow uh the Navy were there and um uh Naval doctor they managed to get a hole through to my neck and also the the Sailor had his neck over my shoulder
Like and uh he he was injected and I was injected and then gradually they lifted the the top lot off so they come up to your sort of neck so you could see and that was great and uh I saw the Charlie Jak was I think with the white helmet on
He was there and uh and the na officer and there’s a lot of Navy chaps they were doing a magnificent job and we learned later that the equipment they had had been bombed the same night next door to the old Austin Wales place in clap road so they really literally never
Had nothing at all and the Big Blocks of concrete they were getting off they were just had getting them off by well they carried on and it come they got the naval boy off first cuz he was across me you see and uh the water uh just seemed as all it was red
Paint anyhow they got the boy boy off and uh he died in hospital the next morning 2:00 he was very badly injured and uh uh I remember the water coming up very fast then and it came up to underne my shoulders and they the the champion
Well I suppose you there was a naval offic he said well I’m afraid we got to pull you out he said because we’d never get you out so I well at that particular time I didn’t care if they left a couple of me legs behind you know because you
Were so panicking cuz the water was it was very frightening and uh so there’s four or five got around my body and they lifted all the big stuff off and the and lots of nabal chaps were getting down and they got their arms right around me
And they were scrab around the the bits and pieces all around my body and at the end there was like a big sort of suction and I came out and uh that and then of course uh they laid me on stretcher on the the island and uh
They uh the doctor this naal doctor came in injected me and I always remember a sailor s to me he said uh I can’t light at son he said he puts a cigarette in my mouth he said but chew it he said because Jerry’s over her head you
Know this is how the Roman Catholic Church looked pre-war John now during the war that church stood to everything everything around there was gone next some Paul’s Cathedral that’s correct completely blasted and the church that’s the lady of the starring Gordon Road and that stood up to and we’ll show you how
She looked during the War years that was the point I was trying to make John you surprised you this surprised you this is the damage all around the windows are boarded up and everything and that church is still there to tell the story you know the technical school next door was bombed
The lawy was bombed all around it completely you know devastated and the church is still there there we have the postman John I wouldn’t have wanted their job not taking the letters around during the War years your son is presumed killed or your son is pursued missing and all this
Sort of thing and telegrams telling them the sons was dead and all this but uh the poan done the jobs and you got to pay tribute to everybody in the town back to Stanley Street this has got a very sad memory for me I remember a great friend of ours
Dying and the coffin was laid out in the front room and when these bombs dropped the blast blew the coffin right through the window and the old lady laid out in the middle of the street now uh you know that’s sadness now we’re coming on to one of
Two of the unexploded bombs there’s a lot of them in Lo of you know they dropped whole stick up the o street but the this just show you the bomb disposal Personnel getting the bomb out of there and then they used to get the Detonator out and steam them out with the steam
All remove the detonators John here we have the eagle tab in tning Street John this is where uh unex well it was a live bomb you know when it came down it knocked that eagle off or one of them Eagles who I’m told and went right in the old lady’s house upset right
Under our front room floorboards and we’ll show you the bomb and the people who got out shortly this is the bomb they removed from the lady’s front room she’s still alive in fact she was in contact with me about 3 years ago and at the time she
Was living up Maidstone road but uh you imagine having this on your front board she was a bit annoyed cuz she couldn’t go back in the house but uh there you are she’d have gone back in with that in there anything could have happened here we have the bomb itself
With the bomb disposal scw crew who got it out there I I got a faint recollection that that lady’s name was Mrs Emerson I might be wrong and the house in the background is 74 or 75 but you know 2 or three year back dates and figures go from your
Mind this was known as the stradbrook rad bomb I think it was found by a bung near a bungalow up there and there the uh fire service standing beside the bomb I don’t think they dug out they might have done but they used to have the bomb disposal squads for that
Uh here we have taken the bombs away as you know they had all red mud guards to denote that they were bomb disposal they used to steam these bombs out sometimes they take the detonators and everything out as well you know we’re out steaming them but very very dangerous job well
They volunteers well in the Army you could volunteer for I nearly volunteered for that but I volunteered for the suff regiment and finished out in the Far East you know but uh sometimes I don’t know when you volunteer for work like this the Army hav blown up the middle of
The Claremont pair put a emergency Bridge across and that is like a Bailey Bridge you see John and that was the way you could go the full length of the pair during the War years but after the war people argued with me that the Army came and BW up but
I can show you a slide of that bridge collapsed in The Heavy Seas off uh Kirkley but you can’t but it can I’ll get it now hey John R all your money you owe me too Bob for this look that’s the old CL now chap stopped me yesterday and he
Said the Army blur up now I wished he was here today cuz this was proved to him what really happened to that bridge and he could have play he could have paid you the two B and he could yeah I know you’re that tote this was taking outside the
Hospital in Alexander Road you can see all the old sandbags there look all around the building to protect it now I know OE balls is on there dick seon chap uh Len I think his name was sidro and that’s about all I can think of at the moment I Know Jack platford
Was in in that Brigade but I don’t think he’s on this far engine but it gives the people a rough idea that was AFS you know auxiliary fire service then later on that was changed to National Fire Service wouldn’t it but to us that’ll still be fing would he regardless of the
Big names they put up for him there are John is the old fire engines look at that still I love them don’t you like that when we were kids used to run behind them didn’t you old F the old brass element oning Char St this is in pet Street pet stre that’s the
Fire o spam’s building is running up at the back of the fire engine then that Big O could be old old Tom Bishop’s house remember that we have the ladies who done Sterling work John the women’s voluntary service after the what they called it woman’s Ro volty service
Didn’t they I always prod I always produced a cup of tea even right in the middle of the bombing didn’t they yeah and that lady in the middle is Genie man she was a miror last off waser she well she was Al Alderman and she was one of
The women old them and and uh you got the genie man caught haven’t you that’s right here we have another batch of the wvs that that lady on there that’s got cakes and stuff like that in there you know and this is in St Margaret’s Institute if you want to know where we
Are little converted woles ice cream barer don’t it yeah well there I know K said a one like that what hit me and put me in hospital like a wooden box on the freewheeler another batch of the Civil Defense John they done Sterling work in
The town as we’ve already said but uh if anybody know any people on here if they could let me in John know yes there ni to know the names isn’t it yeah might be somebody who are something now this is the heav a stuff the anti-aircraft guns John had these up
On St Margaret’s Church fields and Walmer Road and by Christ when they used to open up the whole town used to vibrate right what’s this Jack well that’s a BL got a big torch and he’s looking for an airplane now that’s a search like John they accompanied them
Big ACTA guns but the Germans had the trick of diving down that beam light machine gun and so we’d put that light out and injure them people around about these are the buer guns John they had several of these around the town they had one in the uh Lo of YK club and
They had one on top of price is rough yes I remember that then there us to practice uh an aircraft used to fly up the coast that you with a with a Dr behind it ton of Dr yeah then they used to bang away that now we come to the balloom barriage as
You know after the fuer wolf raid that about a day afterwards they had them over the town but nearly all the water the ships had them yeah the smaller ones M sweepers in that and had them going up and down with but uh over the town there
Was nothing this was to stop the yeah 43 yeah the low wave bombers coming in 50 ft what happened they kept these balloon low with all cables hanging down steel so that catch up in the propellers or rip the Wings off I think you’ve got some shots of them yeah I’ve got some
Shots to show you dark now where we have the AR scene John you can see they make that girl bullets there’s one there look just on the right hand corner here that’s in the AR Club there you can see the bong bares see now there’s a little story behind there what
Jo cheek told me he said his mate went in and out of Lo of all the warriors were one of them up yeah and when the war finished they lied to balloon and the ship sunk well Lovely St John’s Church it’s my Parish church that is Jack yeah
That’s where I was christed joh my mother been a kirkly woman I went there they threw water on me and I never went back no more now this was taken just before the war was just before the war yes yeah now what we’re going to show you is that the Army came
Along and said oh well that’s a landmark for the enemy we’ll camouflage it well there she is all wrapped up then je yeah they what the Army done they put a big scaold and right the whole L of the t uh Spire put all this canas as around now
The good old easly winds coming who of course wle that lot the Army not to be out done now put all chicken wire around then the canvas on top of the chicken wire and again the old eastly winds and nearly all that canvas and chicken wi finished up on the chimney pots up
Kirkle although it was the beginning of the end for L of at War the Germans had another card up there sleeve the V1 flying bomb and the town certainly had its share of those John look a buzz bomb or Doodle Bug in Flight soon as engine coat that used to drop Bang
That’s right the yellow flame at the back that’s right used sounded like a bike engine that’s right doodled them Along this is it Caron Jack carnal yeah R is lying a little cottage there got destroyed look so you can see the force of a buzz bomb can oh yes they were froing things frightening things all blasted out John that’s L Farm Caron call and that’s an old bar
Look and that’s what a Doodle Bug Blaster done to it Minecraft TOS alt broon a Doodle Bug didn’t hit this building they h a clump of trees and this is the blast damage this was the 19th of the 10th 44 when I checked up on a list for the
Date now I’ve got a little surprise for you how would you like to see part of the bomb which hit the building lovely but I’ll just show you the southeast entrance first so people see oh yes I do you don’t sound you D I’ll just I’ll
Just put this through go and then I’ll see your bomman right I tell you what I’ll watch yours and you watch mine yeah that’d be nice I remember saying that the girl when I was young this is the southeast side of Minecraft TOS John look that’s a lovely
Building no no please please please can can I show you my piece of fil yeah certainly but I’ll just showed this is one of the guidance veins of the uh the German V1 flying bomb that came down uh in the garden um towards the latter stages of the war November
1944 um unfortunately it caused extensive damage to the house but uh fortunately nobody was hurt um I understand that the flying bomb had been directed uh towards centry in the Midlands uh and the anti-aircraft batteries at Hopton managed to uh wing it but they didn’t succeed in bringing
It down over the sea and of course it landed here in what used to be um a Shrubbery with some quite tall trees no it’s been restored very well I think it’s a credit to the uh the builders who actually did the the restoration that they managed to match
Everything in pretty well shipyards John they the man who helped to build a Moine sweeps that during the W I must apologize for not having won of Brooks but Hey I John has that ship let go of that balloon but this is the te piece R by the sail ring now you can see the ship it and the market badly damaged this one I’ll put in John because if you look right at the Right End Corner you’ll see the little old
Beach buffal Ops at the market yeah top right and yeah and there was another bomb dropped over the other side there which was nearer to the be than this one but but you can see how that little old bule escaped the War years and they’re still standing and going
Strong what we’re looking at here John is a public upright shelter they didn’t sink them all below ground you know they built some standing up above ground and the bottom of it this shelter in the background you can see process and if you look over to the right a bit you’ll
See the ampt dock where all the mtbs were this was more or less at the beginning of the war John these are German aircraft when they crossed over to bom England they used to machine gun and bomb the light ships what weren’t armed and there you can see the crew of the
Light ship getting away from the uh but even then they used to machine gun them same as our Pilots when our Pilots bailed out they used to machine gun the pilots going down in parachutes that’s why I don’t like the German winning at the Olympics and
Things like that yeah well I mean yeah John Suddenly it was all over we covered all the youth movements the forces we covered the bomman we covered the patrol service Coastal forces and here we are celebrating Victory the war being over Along Came the victory parties John this one is in woring
Road and as you know there was several over the town I was in the Far East when all this thought was going on so but this is the uh one of the victory parties this is the beon street Victory party John some of them little kides went through some of the bomb you
Know well you know Jack I think the women with families during the war deserves a special mention they had a lot to put up with while their men were away and Jun Rogers now living in Kirkley Cliff has a special tribute dedicated to all the
Moms how proud we were when our eth army pressed on from to Brook to Rome there were sights just a staring you could see back here at home the grand old girls of ler some well past their Prime never wanting any medals though they earned them all
The time sharen every day with a ration book in the hope of finding something they could cook with weary feet and shoulders bowed they toddled down the High Street to join the K and crowd some poor old girls of Britain have got rheumatism in their legs
Marching up and down the street so as not to miss the eggs they’d scof at tins of pineapple or a posh new hat but would have climbed up half a mountain for a bit of cooking fat some dear old girls of Britain were Mighty hard to beat sharper than
Sherlock Holmes searching out food to eat they gazed behind the counters with eyes sharp and Keen they knew what they were after but was very seldom seen some poor old girls of Britain are got arthritis in their joints dodging in and out of shops to get value for their
Points so now you youngsters the Y year still in the prime of your life feeling fit and fine in spite of the Warriors of strip you owe it to to your mothers who stood there in the coup getting things not for themselves but getting them for
You well Jack we’ve come to the end of our last of at War it’s our famous Memorial um it’s what 50 odd years ago since it’s over we never want to see another War like that do we son we certainly don’t John we have seen enough
War in our time and we even this we were only youngsters then but when you look around you don’t want to wish war on anybody and when this video is shown at schools and Young and the colleges and where young people are I hope that it
Will be a reminder of how their older parents and grandparents went through on this Frontline Town yeah I agree with that because I go around the schools John and I tried to teach the youngsters what their grandads and that went through for him till we meet again jack till we meet
Again John farewell never good boy old friend always Farewell Oh L St is ever changing and the mixture of the new and old will be included in the next Jack Rose video which will be produced later in the year the video will make the perfect Christmas gift please watch the local press for full details or telephone LOF 560 563 A
2 Comments
My village up north was hit too.
Most programs have you thinking it was only Coventry and central London that was hit by the luftwaffe.
John Easter was quite vocal for Lowestoft. If I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure he used to own a trophy engraving shop in Bevan Street in the 1980's. What a great find 🙂