I asked James earlier tonight if his Then and Now blitz books had anything about a specific bombing. It got me thinking to have a look myself and I found the following at the bottom of my account. I'm originally from South East London and all my immediate family (Parents, Aunts and Uncles) grew up during during the Blitz. I remember the family telling me about a V bomb hitting Marks and Spencers in Lewisham where my Dads sister worked as a sales assistant. She was working on a till at the time of the impact and got blown to the floor with the till landing on her lower leg pinning her to the floor- causing a fracture and a rather nasty laceration over the calf muscle. She was eventually rescued and taken to a Hospital about 20 miles away in Farmborough South of Bromley Kent where they decided to try and save her leg. Apparently all the more serious casualties were taken to Hospitals nearer to the scene and rightly so. Her leg was saved and she kept a rather large scar as a reminder until she passed away last year and she hated the Germans albeit quietly until that day. By 1944 the Germans were losing the war. The allied invasion of Continental Europe went well, and before long Paris was relieved and the relentless march to Berlin was underway. Hitler was convinced that his secret weapons could still turn the situation around. By the autumn Britain was getting used to the V1 "doodlebug", a pilot-less plane, and was finding ways of coping with its destructive power. Spotters took to the roofs above factories and stores to raise the alarm and get people evacuated to the shelters. The V1s droned as they flew overhead. When they reached their target the engine cut out, and for a few seconds there was a frightening eerie silence as they came down - then bang, an enormous explosion. The V1 struck the crowded Lewisham town centre at 09.41 on Friday the 28th July 1944. It exploded in the crowded market area after impacting on the roof of a street level air raid shelter outside Marks and Spencers. Major damage was caused to the shops which also include Woolworths and Sainsburies and devastation was caused to the market at this point, 59 people died in this tragedy and a further 124 were very seriously injured. Hundreds of others suffered less serious injury. Casualties occurred in the shops, in the basement café of Woolworths and on passing buses. The Post Office was also badly damaged. This was the worst single V1 incident in South London. The blast area was particularly large and extended Up to 600 yards in each direction. This is probably indicative of the larger and more powerful warheads that were used by the Nazis later in the attacks.In total about 100 shops were very badly damaged and flats,shops and houses suffered varying degrees of damage across a wide area. The High Street in this point was completely re-built after the war on both side of the road. Lewisham in 1960
My Dad was a pupil at this school and for some reason he went home this day for lunch rather than have a school dinner. I found this rather fascinating video on You Tube (Can't believe it) At 12.30 pm, on Wednesday 20th January 1943, Sandhurst School was bombed. According to eye witnesses the pilot waved to the children in the playground as he flew at rooftop height over the school. ... YouTube - Sandhurst School bombed; 611 Sqn Pilot Interviews For some reason I really like those pilots I will post more accurate facts from my parents when I've spoken to them about it to re fresh my memory of their accounts. A photograph of Sergeant Fred Greenstreet (He can be seen in the start of the Youtube video above), in the centre of the picture, directing rescue workers. The men surrounding him with the steel helmets and the figure behind with the beret, are civil defence rescue workers. The photograph shows the aftermath of a raid by FW190 fighter bombers on 20 January 1943 when bombs fell on Sandhurst Road School at Catford in South East London. Sergeant Greenstreet had two sons at the school; one of the two, aged 8 years, was killed in the raid.
Drew, I lived in Ladywell for a while. There was quite a lot of Blitz damage on buildings all round there, and even shelter signs still visible in the 1990s.
Hi Paul, I left Catford in 1995 after living there since 1968 (when I was born). Small world and funnily enough I knew a Paul Reed/Reid who lived in Lewisham too. My parents house was a post war house that was built as a result of bomb damage top the old houses on that street.
Yes Drew Blitz Vol 3 page 427. Two photos of the scene as shown below. The notation reads. "The V-1 exploded in front of the clock tower in Lewisham High Street at 9.41am on the 28th catching unawares shoppers as they busied themsleves with their Friday chorse.The market stalls lined up outside Mark's and Spencer's Woolworth's and Sainsbury's caught the full force of the blast.The bomb had actually detonated on the roof of a surface shelter , demolishing shops on both sides of the street. For some reason, the blast from this bomb appeared greater than the others and properties were damaged out to 600yds.Dead and injured lay everywhere, with many bodies being brought up from the basement cafe of Woolworth's.In their 1800 hours summary that day , Home Security reported that 28 killed and 83 seriously injuredbut when the final figures were released in September the death toll had risen to 51 with 216 injured, again many casualties being caused by lethal shards of glass." It is also mentioned that two days before LLC hospital recieved a direct hit and 70 patients were injured , three later died of their wounds. the wounded from the above incident were also treated at the hosiptal.
Drew I was born in Lewisham and lived briefly lived in Hither Green Lane. I find it fascinating to see shots of the High Street from that period. I must show these to my older Sister. Thank you for making this post. Robert
I spoke to my Father ref the Sandhurst School being bombed and I got the facts about my parents wrong. He was a pupil at Holbeach School (Not a million miles away) and he saw the aircraft flying away from Catford towards Hither Green (Up Brownhill Road infact) towards the schoool. Apparently the pilot was straffing Brownhill Road has he headed in the direction of the school. Another picture of rescuers clearing the rubble. War memorial and children's mass grave, Hither Green Cemetery In the background is a memorial to all the people of Lewisham who died in the Second World War. In the foreground is a grave containing 31 children aged 5-15, and a teacher that were killed in the bombing. Sandhurst School memorial in the School grounds In the memorial garden the name of each person, who died when the school was hit by the bomb, Is inscribed on stone plaques laid down on the ground of the memorial garden. Before After the bombing. After the war. After the rebuild
Hallo Drew have you seen the interesting discussion asking whether the famous picture of a Heinkel over the Den is fake or real? Airminded · Trouble at Millwall Kind regards
Strange how so many of us have a SE London connection.....I was born in the Old Kent Road and later lived on New Cross Road.....I recall my mother telling me about the V1 that landed on the local Woolworths....it was opposite my primary school St James's and about 300 yards from where I lived....but it is no longer a Woolworths and nothing to say what happened there....without looking in the ATB book I recall over 100 died..... Went past it last Sunday on my way to Dover!
Hi, Amazing seeing my old primary school again - and the video of the bombing that I didn't know existed! I was born in Arngask Road (runs parallel to Brownhill Road) - in my grandparents house where my mother lived as a teenager during the war. Of all the stories she's told me about the blitz she remembered the day the school was bombed most vividly. The day Sandhurst Road School was bombed she was just about to sit down for lunch with her mother and one of my uncles, who was home on leave, when he threw her against the kitchen wall (having heard the guns of an approaching aircraft). She remembers being terrified at seeing the slates flying off the roof of a neighbouring house through the kitchen window and hearing the roar of a low flying plane. She heard the bomb that hit the school explode but by that time she was more worried about her younger brother who had been running an errand to a shop in Brownhill Road - he had sheltered in someone's front garden. As for the Lewisham V1 - she overheard my granddad telling someone about having seen a severed horse head on the pavement outside where he worked (a small engineering works somewhere at the back of Marks & Sparks). I went to Sandhurst Road School from 1960 – 66 where (at that time) the benches in the playground all had plaques remembering those who died. What I was told as a child was that at the time of the attack there were children lined up in the playground who were going to see a matinee show in Catford (the theatre at the bottom of Brownhill Road). They were apparently strafed prior to a bomb being dropped on the school which penetrated the roof and exploded in the dining room. John
Hi John and welcome to the forum (I used to live in Engleheart Rd between Brownhill and Sangley Road) Thanks for your comments. Cheers Andy
Small world indeed Andy My Sister in Law came from Englehart Road. At the end close to the Catford one way system. Another memory springs to mind. Timpsons Bus Garage. Used to go on trips to the seaside from there. Maybe just before your time? It became a National Express Garage. Gone now I think. Ahhhhhhhhh. Those were the days. Rob
Hhaha I remember Timpsons! We used to mess about in there as kids and used it as a short cut ! I lived at 94 next to the 'straight alley' not the 'crooked' one Cheers Andy Rob whats her name...We may have dated
Andy She would have been classified as a child molester if you had dated her. :icon_police: By the time you were of age, she was already married to my Brother (recently celebrated their 25th Anniversary in fact). Pauley was the family name. They lived there many many years and were quite a big family. Rob
I think I'm older than you think lol What number did the live at. They would probably know my brothers and sister all older than me-The oldest is 51 this year. Cheers Andy
Andy Unless you are telling porkies about the age shown on your profile, she is 12 years older. At 52, she may well have known your elder siblings. She lived at No. 4 and has a younger brother called David, similar age to you. You might have known him. Rob
LOL...Is she called Lorriane? I just rang my dad and I'm thinking of someone else......I'm sure my sister used to knock around with someone down that end of the road
