Hi, My first post here I live in the surrey area and have read online of reports of a V2 rocket that landed in the Chertsey meads area in Chertsey surrey on the 11th of February 1945. I was just wondering if anyone knows the whereabouts of the crater as I would be very interested in going to have a look. Thanks.
Hi Driver44, Welcome to the forum You may have seen this information before but after a quick google around I found the following from V2ROCKET.COM - The A-4/V-2 Resource Site - The V-2 Rocket Feb. 11, (01.46 hours) - Batt. 1./485 (Art. Reg. 1./902), Den Haag, V-2 rocket fired, impacted Chertsey, Surrey. (*JP) This from chertseylocal.co.uk: "A week after D.Day over a period of 9 months, four German crude and noisy V1 flying bombs dubbed ‘Doodlebugs’, or ‘Buzzbombs’ flew in from France or Holland and crashed in various places in the locality. These loud and destructive incursions happened into Chertsey airspace between June 1944 and April 1945. The last one in Surrey fell opposite the Canlo Club in Addlestone Road one Sunday lunchtime. Neighbouring children ran to look into the crater according to living eye witnesses. On a freezing cold Sunday the 11th of February 1945 at 2am in the morning, a V2 rocket, the product of the cutting edge of Nazi technology, and which was built by slave labour, fell on the frozen Chertsey Meads creating the loudest (double) bang ever heard in the district for those still awake to hear it. This particular V2 rocket had been launched from Holland (probably The Hague) just 6 minutes before. Its parabolic flight curve and 3000 mph descent and explosion broke a few windows, woke people up, and disturbed the contents of the sleepers chamber pots in Mead Lane. The evidence of the forty foot wide crater can still be seen, although it is filled in and covered with weeds." Other craters mapped closer to London are still visible on google maps. If you look about you may be able to find it! There are examples of others here: London V2 Rocket Sites…Mapped | Londonist Ash
Thanks AMWright , your googling skills are superior to mine , I will take alook into it. thanksvery much for the info in fact , I think I am going to go for a run around the meads and take the camera with me , see if I can spot it.
Thanks AMWright , your googling skills are superior to mine , I will take alook into it. thanksvery much for the info in fact , I think I am going to go for a run around the meads and take the camera with me , see if I can spot it. No problem at all. Sounds like a good idea! It will be there on google maps just might be difficult to see at first. You could always ask some locals. If you spot it post some pics. Ash
Hello Driver44 Landed 11th Feb 45 Chertsey Mead 1.50am From The Blitz ,After the Battle volume 3 no further info in the volume regards clive
Thanks CL1 - Im suprised theres no more info , I'm going to see what I can find out. there's three potentials I can see on googlemaps I only saw one , Im not sure if its a bush or not tho... What should I be looking for when looking for a crater on the map? , or is it just 'a bloody big hole in the ground'
Hello Driver 44 there were a number of V2 strikes this one looks possibly( I am assuming) like it landed in open ground and did minimal damage. It could have been an air burst but The Blitz then and now does not state that.However link below states impacted. Feb. 11, (01.46 hours) - Batt. 1./485 (Art. Reg. 1./902), Den Haag, V-2 rocket fired, impacted Chertsey, Surrey. (*JP) V2ROCKET.COM - Timeline of V2 Attacks might be worth you contacting the local history group A History of Chertsey - The Last Millenium have a look at this V-2 in the Bomb Dump - 12 December 1944 regards Clive
In case you have not managed to find it, there is a map in the research room of Chertsey Museum that shows where all the bombs fell in the Chertsey Urban District Council area during WW2. The research room is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12.30 - 4.15 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1.15 - 3.45 p.m. Reproductions of the map are on sale in the museum shop.
It looks as if the map is now online: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=204276006214531213008.0004a73fbac7bbc53746a&msa=0&dg=feature No entry for Addlestone Road, though. CS
This incident recorded on 'bombsight.org' may (or may not !) be the one, it is certainly in the right vicinity: http://bombsight.org/bombs/6112/ There is also an article here: http://www.rocremembered.com/chertsey-meads-ww2-sea-plane/
