75th anniversary of first fatal bombing attacks on Solihull
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the first fatal bombing attacks on Solihull during World War II.
On 19th November 1940, 11 residents died when German planes dropped bombs on the area.
High explosives and incendiary bombs fell in Lyndon and Shirley – also on Solihull High Street, hitting Winfield chemist, Fitters jewellers and Duddy’s wool shop.
Other bombs fell in Malvern Park and Park Avenue, narrowly missing the ancient St Alphege Church.
Newspaper reports at the time also noted that a further 40-50 residents had been injured in the attacks.
Those killed were:
Ivy Frith, aged 39
Margaret Gumbley, 34
George Atkinson, 40
Beatrice Foster, 51
Charlotte Moore, 43
Edith Ellen Rawlins, 38
Cyril Allen, 36
Eveline Scragg -.known as Eveline Mayne, 35
(all in the Shirley area)
Jack Guthrie Sutherland in Olton, 39
John Wilfred Oliver in Lyndon, 31
Reginald Phillip Mansfield Whitehead in Lyndon, 30
Three nights later, on 22nd November, another nine people were killed in the air raids.
Bombs were dropped in the Elmdon area, killing people in Jillcot Road, Rangoon Road and Marcot Road. The incident saw three generations of one family killed as a bomb fell on 25 Rangoon Road.
Those killed were:
Ernest Harry Harrington, 54
Joan Margaret Harrington, 12
Lillian Muriel Clark, 32
Tom Sainsbury Woods, 58
Martha Amelia Woods, 52
Winifred Irene Bushell, 28
Patricia Ann Bushell, 2
Bertie Sealey, 45
Gwendolen Sealey, 42
Cyril Jones, 19
(all in the Elmdon area)
In total, 38 Britons are known to have been killed in what was officially called the Urban District of Solihull during the war – as well as three German airmen who were shot down over Earlswood.
The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Glenis Slater, said “It is always with great sadness that we must commemorate the deaths of residents of the borough.
“The bombing attacks in 1940 were the first that impacted so seriously on Solihull and are a stark reminder of the tragic events that happened around the country during the Second World War.
“This time of year we remember the soldiers who gave their lives but we must not forget the civilians who were killed in the course of conflict either.”
Further details on the bombing raids can be found at www.solihull.gov.uk/Resident/Libraries/Local-family-history/bombingsinsolihull this includes images of the casualty sheets of those who died.
If anyone has any more information regarding those who died in the attacks, the Heritage and Local Studies team would greatly appreciate if you could contact them by emailing heritage@solihull.gov.uk or calling 0121 704 6934.
Read more: http://www.solihull.gov.uk/news/ArtMID/820/ArticleID/986/75th-anniversary-of-first-fatalities-in-Solihull
Picture: Duddy’s Wool Shop (1939) from the John Arnold collection at Solihull Central Library.