Bomb maps - WW2 bomb census

[flyjoe180]

If you have an interest in the Battle of Britain period, specifically the London Blitz, then you should have a look at this link for a census of bombs dropped on London between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941. You can zoom in and out and click on some places for pictures. As well as the aggregate map, you can find the locations of bombs which fell between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941, during the week of 7th to 14th October 1940, or the first 24 hours of the Blitz (7th September). You can also locate different defences built to prevent a German invasion.

Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census

[Guest]

Some of those dropped near me Joe.

We were not far from Hawkers, Sebee Gorman who made Davis Escape gear, Marconi KLG plugs & many others.

But all missed but 50% of the glass in my bedroom window became lino for the rest of the war. Being young I thought it a natural thing to put lino in windows.

There is somewhere, think it was the book By Prof R V Jones, showing where the Flying Bombs left their mark. Interesting as it shows how British intelligence managed to fool the people in charge of the V1 to altering the navigation of the bombs in order that they landed north of London.

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

It's quite stunning how many bombs were dropped and in such concentration. I don't think people realise now days the hammering that London and other British cities received from the German military. I imagine however, that it would pale in comparison to a map of those dropped on some German cities. It must have been very frightening for you Laurie. Did your family have an Anderson shelter? I always thought the Anderson shelters were not that good a place to be, more of a comfort thing for the British people issued by the authorities. But watching Blitz Street a while back showed them to be rather resilient to bomb blasts. A direct hit of course would have been curtains for the occupants.

[Guest]

Frightening no Joe which is a strange thing. I was very young & family life went on as usual. Parents must have been scared stiff but life for me was a joy. Certainly I was well cared for and shielded as I did not at any time remember any adult being scared or panic. At school later in the air raids were still going on on the siren sounding we would casually file down into the school shelters & chat & giggle looked after by those brave teachers. Life just went on. Strange thinking back but the adults were just fantastic.

Anderson Shelter but when young a Morrison Shelter which was a fortified metal table in the front room. Later the Anderson. Being round it was very strong. Set in a two foot 6inch hole in the ground which was lined with concrete & the metal bit above ground was covered by about 3feet of earth. It had bunk beds & candle lit. It was in fact for a child very cosy almost Enid Blytonish. I would see through the door on occasion a V1 pass over with the red of the exaust with a horrible roaring dull noise. I found from the conversation that if you heard the noise you were OK.

Not sure about the hits. Most people were killed & damage done by the blast & not the hit. So the shelter was protection I suppose really from the blast.

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

Thanks for the insight Laurie, this is very interesting stuff. My aunt had stories about seeing dogfights and other events, but never talked about the bombing so much.

[Guest]

Should add Joe that I was in the Surbiton or more near Chessington on the outskirts of London. So we did not experience the devastation like Central London nor were we near an airfield.

But you would walk down the street & a house & another there would be missing. Pauline's Aunt a few doors away they lost their house fortunately no casualties.

Most of the boys, including me, during break became fast moving Spitfires.

Thanks Joe this has recalled many memories.

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

I am enjoying hearing them Laurie, I have always been fascinated with this era of British history. My whole family, as with most other British families, was involved in the war in some way. My Grandad, the brother of the Ajax crew member/submariner I spoke of in another thread, was a fireman in London during this time. He had been denied entry into the RAF due to a stomach issue (he was a boxer). The issue later turned out to be something minor, but he faced as much if not more sometimes, danger fighting those infernos and dealing with falling debris and shrapnel and bombs, than he would have in the air.

Was that you portrayed in the movie Battle of Britain Laurie, running down the tube platform with your arms out making Merlin noises?

[Guest]

Interesting Joe my father & father in law were what they called Aux. Fireman called on when wanted. My father being a carpenter was building RAF rescue launches.

Ha ha no not me my mother would not have allowed that !!!!!!! When she was looking ?

Was that the Ajax of the River Plate Battle ?

Laurie

[flyjoe180]

I have seen the regular and auxillary fire uniforms at Hendon when I visited there years ago. It was quite interesting to see what equipment my Granddad would have worn and used. I do not imagine for a moment it would be easy fighting huge fires with stirrup pumps!

My Granddad on Mum's side was in the Pioneers (engineers). He later helped to bury the dead and clean up at one of the concentration camps, an act which haunted him for the rest of his life (I recall it may have been Belsen). On Dad's side, my Granddad was a fireman as noted above; his brother (my Great Uncle) was in the Royal Navy, and his girlfriend/my future great aunt who passed away last year, built radio sets for Wellingtons. I was named after one of my Great Uncle's friends, Joe Dawson, who was a soldier and captured by the Japanese in Burma. He wasted away to almost nothing in Japanese captivity. After the war he was actually prescribed daily Guiness by his doctor! I just don't think the doctor meant gallons of the stuff however.

My Great Uncle Bob was a stoker on HMS Ajax at the Battle of River Plate. He went on to serve in submarines, finally being captured by Italians when his submarine, HMS Saracen, was hit by Italian destroyers. He was sent to POW camps, from which he escaped, was caught with Italian partisans and was sentenced to be shot as a spy. He was reprieved by Field Marshall Kesselring (who happened to be visiting at the time) as they were on their way to be dealt with and claimed they were just sailors. Sent to POW camp in Berlin, he was caught as part of an espionage attempt on a railway (they were packing the earth under a bombed railway line they were repairing with ice so it would melt in the spring and buckle the lines, but the ice thawed early). He was 'tried' by the Gestapo for sabotage and sent to a concentration camp for his efforts by the Germans, and after experiencing the horrors of that, was posted to a another POW camp from which he was liberated at the end of the war. A book was written about him by Dennis Holman 'The Man They Couldn't Kill'. He also appeared in a 'This is your life' episode on TV. The archives for 'This is your life' shows are available online. His name is Robert Oldfield. He had other escapes too: prewar - riots in Jamaica, an enormous earthquake in Chile, and a backfire on HMS Wanderer. Wartime - leaving a pub in London which was bombed a few seconds later, falling between his ship and a dock in Gibraltar (drunk), his first submarine HMS Splendid nearly being rammed near the Isle of Man, a fight with Arabs in Alexandria, a time bomb in Haifa, HMS Maidstone (on which he was a passenger) narrowly escaping hits by torpedoes twice in the Mediterranean, and missing his submarine which was sunk that voyage (I think this may have been HMS Splendid).

[Guest]

Wow Joe you have a lot of history there.

Missed most of mine. My Mother & Father came to live in London in 37 & the rest of the family were in Hull & Sunderland so I very rarely saw them. My mother's cousin was lost in the submarine Truculent there was a fault in the T class originally & it sunk. I remember when evacuated going to an Aunts & Uncle was there. I stood in the hall for ages & went back for more views of this, to me, great big rifle with its gun grey muzzle & the well used shiny stock.

Laurie

[Guest]

Some of those dropped near me Joe.There is somewhere, think it was the book By Prof R V Jones, showing where the Flying Bombs left their mark. Interesting as it shows how British intelligence managed to fool the people in charge of the V1 to altering the navigation of the bombs in order that they landed north of London.

Laurie

RV Jones was my physics teacher at college. He was so very good at explaining, which what teaching is all about. On one occasion he demonstrated angular momentum by climbing on to a giant turntable with a heavy dumbbell in each hand, held downwards. An assistant turned the turntable at a medium speed. As the Prof moved his arms out, his rotational speed dropped magically, with no external force.

[flyjoe180]

Laurie, out of interest again, did you ever collect shrapnel or souvenirs from bombs or German aircraft? I have heard stories of kids doing that and trading them, much as kids might have traded gum cards in the 70s/80s (what do kids trade now days?). My uncle had a small collection of bits from bombs but he lost them many years ago. I recall seeing those lions along the Thames in London, they were pock-marked as were some buildings, presumably from the bombs dropped during the Blitz.

[flyjoe180]

From the sounds of things Steve, you were lucky to have had Professor Jones as a teacher. My physics teacher at school would have snapped the turn table if she had tried that. She had angular momentum issues of her own

[Guest]

In fact, I have just ordered his book "Most Secret War. British Intelligence 1939-1945" £6.00 He told us about some of his work on Radar.

[Guest]

Laurie, out of interest again, did you ever collect shrapnel or souvenirs from bombs or German aircraft? I have heard stories of kids doing that and trading them, much as kids might have traded gum cards in the 70s/80s (what do kids trade now days?). My uncle had a small collection of bits from bombs but he lost them many years ago. I recall seeing those lions along the Thames in London, they were pock-marked as were some buildings, presumably from the bombs dropped during the Blitz.

Yes I found a 4" bit of shrapnel in the garden on the grass. Can only think it came from a disintegrating buzz bomb (V1) as they got called. It was about 20 mm thick so probaly came form a bomb of some sort or a V1.

No idea what became of it. Bit young at that time for swops.

Laurie