Coventry & Warwickshire in WWII

Hi Dreamtime, the irony of it all, if the Germans were unlucky enough to be shot down and captured, made POW, they were rewarded by being given practically double the rations of the British people. Farmers were ordered, even threatened, to produce more food so the NFU protested to their MPs. One protester stated what we have done is to support the Nazi notion that the Germans are the "master race" and are naturally entitled to better treatment than the rest of the world.

I remember as a lad going to some woods near Corley where Italian POWs were felling trees, they gave us bacon sandwiches and cups of tea with sugar in.

I thought sugar was rationed and bacon things haven't changed much then feed others before our own.

I remember the Italian POWs clearing the ditches on Taylor's farm. Most of them couldn't speak English but those that could were very good to us children. In their spare time they made little trinkets and I still have a tobacco box that one had made for my father. Later on, much later on when I worked down "Frankies" pit I got to know two Italians who remained here after the war, they were both very good to me when I started work there. It may be of interest that Frankie's Newdigate Colliery was never owned by the Newdigate family. What they did own was the land that it stood on and the mining company that owned the pit paid Sir Francis Newdigate two pence for every ton of coal over the weighbridge. It's also interesting that the weighbridge operator was in the direct employ of Sir Francis and when the pit was taken over by the NCB it was discovered that a bit of false bookkeeping had been going on. After that the NCB paid Sir Francis nothing. This is what I was told when I started there, true or not I really don't know.

Yes I'm sure this computer knows my age. As I was saying, Italian POWs dug ditches on a lot of farms, I remember them having a huge argument, one day I asked the guard what it was about. 'Potatoes' he said but they had a mass of food with them. I have posted before, one stayed and married a Coventry girl and lived in Ansty, died a couple of years back. They also filled in a couple of bomb craters, that had just missed the main railway line. If my memory serves me correct there was something on rations we were cut down on even more near end of war, can't remember what it was. When my father was a boy he worked on the narrow boats, lost a lot of education, so later on my sister read the daily paper to him, then I took over, some words and things had to be explained, and as it was late 30s then the bombing I believe it as helped my memory. The sirens sounded, we prepared for the shelter, bombs began to fall over the city, guns were hammering away, we stood in the garden, my brother waved his fist "Why don't you sod off" he yelled, then the bombers seemed to get nearer, "Oh bloody hell he heard you" yelled my elder sister as we scrambled and dived for the shelter.

The film at the cinema was a sort of desert island film, a guy was throwing sticks at a coconut tree, he then tried to shake the tree to dislodge the coconut, when the 'Sirens Are Sounding' flashed on the screen, "Aren't you a lucky sod' a voice came from the audience. My old aunt said to my dad, "If one of them there bombs it's your boat Arthur, will it sink''. Girl came into the shop, "Gosh them barrage balloons ain't half up a depth this morning". Old lady in butcher's shop, eyeing her weeks ration of meat on the counter, "Don't know why I bothered to come, you could have pushed it through the letter box".

1939, Government official called at house to talk about the billeting of soldiers, needing to talk to the husband about soldiers being in the house while he was at work. Woman answered the door. "Is Mr ----- at home please?" Woman, "No he ain't. What do you want him for?" "I want to talk to him about billeting soldiers in your house". I will call again, when do you think he will be at home?" The woman thought awhile, "I'll tell you all you want to know, for we be one, we be, and what I don't know, he don't know."

I was about 14 years of age, when I met a girl at a birthday party, we dated in a fashion. To cut it short, a few weeks later she invited me to meet her parents, I put my bike by her fence and walked round the side of the house with her, and wham, her family were in the back garden almost naked, little tiny briefs were all they were wearing. When her mother stood up was when I ran to my bike and fled, face like a beetroot. The point of the story. They were 'naturists' and regularly visited a nature camp (Corley Woods I believe) so although this was the middle of the bombing, people did manage to try and put the war to one side when they could.

My brother was teasing a man, mending a broken window, the morning after the guns had been firing. Kept saying "put in plenty of putty". The man, annoyed, turned, "If you don't b-----r off I'll put a pane in your head without any putty". A mother told her girl she would not go to heaven if she was naughty. Well, I've been to the cinema twice, the theatre, and a party, can't expect to go everywhere.

Morgana, the Germans had the Baedeker Guide to Britain and this book was used to decide which cities were going to be bombed. They became known as The Baedeker Raids. This Guide book has recently been re-published in English and can be purchased. The Germans also had detailed photos they had taken pre-war of British cities and industrial plants.

The so-called 'Baedeker' raids were bombing raids on historical cities aimed at demoralising the population - places like York, Exeter, Bath, Norwich & Canterbury were bombed despite being of no strategic importance to the war effort. They chose these cities as they had high ratings in the guide. It was a waste of time and resources, and achieved nothing apart from damaging or destroying a few historic buildings. (I believe the Germans had heavy losses as well.)

My good lady wife lived in St Christians Road and has anecdotes about the house being subject to a bomb but has no details as to when. Do records exist about damage and if so where can I find them

There's an exhibition at Upton House in Warwickshire "Banking for Victory: A country house at War" This is one of the illustrative banners around the building

We went to Upton House a few months ago and I took a photo of that same banner! Fascinating place. I've just started writing a short story inspired by that banner.

Hi, A neighbour of mine has very kindly scanned me a copy of the "details of Damaged Properties" forms for some of the houses on St. Christians Road, Cheylesmore for 14/15 November 1940, and the houses to be demolished (8/10 April 1941). {Reference: Coventry Records office (?)}. Transcription (beware in case transcription errors ): 20 St. Christians Road, Occupier: Gilder, Owner: Gilder. 22 " ", Smith, Smith. 24 " ", Norris, Norris. 26 " ", Hall, Smith & Berry. 28 " ", Wallace, Hollingworth. 34 " ", Mercer, Mercer. 36 " ", Prince, Prince. 38 " ", Pittaway, Pittaway. 40 " ", Hayfield, Hayfield. 42 " ", Scrimshaw, Scrimshaw. 44 " ", Jennings, Jennings. 46 " ", Scott, Scott. 48 " ", Mullis, Mullis. 50 " ", Rethbudge, Rethbudge. 52 " ", Bingham, Bingham. 54 " ", Shrapnel, Shrapnel. 56 " ", Butler, Butler. 58 " ", Feltham, Feltham. 60 " ", Callow, Callow. [all have broken tiles, all have cracked plaster, all have plasterboard damage and all have broken windows.] {Reference: Coventry Records office (?)} 38 St. Christians Road - Owner: Pittaway - to be demolished. 40 St. Christians Road - Owner: Hayfield - to be demolished. Also outside of the Damaged properties forms: here (familyresearcher.co.uk/)- it states that number 30 St. Christians Road was hit on the 19th of November 1940 and the couple living there lost their lives (Ernest Leslie Hollingsworth and Lillian Hollingsworth (nee: Downes)) - they were buried in London Road Cemetery. As for exact records of other houses or the exact details of damage- I believe the Bomb Census survey records 1940-1945 (nationalarchives.gov.uk) are your best way to go. Hope this helped , Luke.