The Blitz - 14th November 1940

Coventry City Council certainly manage to wriggle out of the damage they have done, as everyone thinks it was the blitz! Donald Gibson and company thought the bombing was a 'gift' as it solved their problem of what 'to do' with Coventry. Now we're stuck with his total disaster. Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff was also bombed, and left as a shell similar to Coventry, but it was rebuilt. Coventry Cathedral could have been restored as well. In fact Llandaff was hit by an explosive; Coventry's destruction was caused by incendiary devices.

Hi easterngreen , See my message left earlier today under the topic 'Shelters' On one of your lunchtime walks in Albany Road you might still find evidence (or the actual ones) of the shelters immediately behind the advertising hoarding adjacent to the railway bridge up the steps.

Hi Wearethemods. I did see your post on the shelters topic funnily enough just before I saw your post here. That sounds really interesting. Especially as I work right next to that area so another lunchtime walk is required I could just do with you clarifying a little more about the exact location. If I came out of Spencer Park (recreation ground) by the Albany Road bridge I would need to cross the road I assume. Then I can either go right and immediately under the bridge where there is then a set of steps that run up an alley leading on to Westwood Road. Or I can come out of the park and cross the road going left and there is a little set of small steps that leads up to a small open area with hoardings either side. Any thoughts I which area I should be looking at?

Hello again Easterngreen, You are right with the former route (the set of steps that run up an alley leading on to Westwood Road). At the top of the steps look left if you can behind what was (or is) an advertising hoarding. The two long shelters were there with entry access into them as described in the earlier post. The 'hatch' end was a foot or so above the mound. We got to them from this spot or alternatively through an entrance at the bottom corner of Westwood Road, ie. left at the end of the alley. Let me know how you get on. It will be interesting to find out if they are still there. If so, they might be covered with dense foliage of course. I have another interesting 'story' which I shall post under this topic later. Rgds. Gerry

Hi Gerry, Cheers for that. I will take a look and see what I can find. The area that I think you describe is covered in dense foliage but I'll have a peek. As you go up those steps and along that alley there is a small industrial estate in the area to the left of the alley (as you head up to Westwood Road) and I work in there so I think I may be literally a few metres away from the area! I'll let you know how I get on. Will keep an eye out for your other story too

During the School holidays in the early-mid 1960's our little gang of intrepid explorers aged about 8-9 would make dens in some of the empty houses awaiting demolition usually around the Butts/Spon End area. Sometimes however we branched out to Chapelfields and suchlike and it was on one of our expeditions that we decided to explore the exterior of a boarded up house at the top of either Duke or Lord Street not far from the junction with Craven Street. Some of the corner properties had been totally demolished after bomb damage and hadn't been rebuilt due to fatalities suffered there I was led to believe, but that's another story. The rear garden was overgrown and full of fense foliage. We hacked our way to the garden shed in the hope of finding another 'den'. We opened the door and found boxes and boxes of ammunition! Opening large wooden ones exposed smaller cardboard ones with 'Winchester Rifle Rounds' and stamped with a date of October 1942 or something. There were grenades in long boxes still wrapped in greased fabric, also pistol bullets '45's etc. We made a hurried exit but not after taking away some 'souvenirs'! Some we dropped into a drain in the street! Well that night whilst tucked up in bed I was given a rude awakening by my mother who informed me a policeman was in the front room and wanted to speak to me. Obviously one member of our 'gang' had 'spilled the beans' resulting in every one of us being visited in the same manner! Very quickly (I was not allowed to go near the property) Bomb Disposal had cleared the garden and shed of its contents, drain covers were removed and maybe (can't vouch for it) people temporarily evacuated. Apparently, the owner, as later reported in the Telegraph, had been an Officer in the Home Guard and was custodian of the Branch's armaments which should have been handed back at war's end. He seemingly owned another property where he resided, if I recall correctly. He was summonsed and a rifle was found in his wardrobe! Now, as an adult, I can't believe we handled the ammunition never mind took any! The innocence of childhood. Does anyone else recall these events?

I enjoyed that one. Glad it was you and not me. Like a lot of people on here my childhood was mainly spent on the bomb sites. At the beginning of Stoney Stanton Road was a roundabout, what we knew as the "five ways". Standing on one of the corners was a derelict house, still intact but too badly damaged to live in. Most of the glass was still intact. Access was easy. What a find inside, it had obviously been a doctors house/surgery. Books were still on the shelves, test tubes, glass things I did not even know what for, it looked as if when the bombs had dropped the people had just grabbed what they could and just walked out! Putting things in our pockets, which we thought might come in handy later on, I stopped to have a look at some of the books. Fantastic pictures of all sorts of ailments, with all the text telling you about it. I sat for ages reading some of them books. I can honestly say, those books had left a VERY, VERY big impression on me. They taught me about what children knew about but only in a crude way and I can say I certainly did not want to be part of the "swinging sixties". I had nightmares about those books and what I could pick up. It was not until very later in life I found out that we had penicillin, what a relief. Never ever went back to that house, glad when they knocked it down. I was about seven, what an age to find out about life.

There was a pub at this junction scrutiny, I cannot remember what it was called, maybe "The Five Ways", any idea?

Mount Street I think? The bomb site was owned by a nearby builder who until recently used to store his building materials there. He had wanted to build a new house on the corner but it was blocked by the council as it was much wider than the house which was originally there. I knew immediately the ammunition you found was Home Guard as they were forced to use American style weapons in the early days.

Hi Norm, Sorry, my recollection of the "five ways" is a bit hazy. I think it is because it was such a busy junction, mainly with buses, you took your life into the lap of the gods crossing it. Also, after finding that house, I never really went back there. I used to go the long way round. Ford St, round the back of Lady Herbert's Garden and play on the bomb sites at the side of Bishop St. by the scrap yard.

In the 50's I remember playing in a bomb damaged house at the top of Eden Street. Didn't find any treasures, but there were fabulous apples on the trees in the garden. My Gran used to live in Silverton Road and just past her house was a large gap where Garlicks the building contractors were. Gran said that there used to be houses there but they took a hit and were flattened

Hello everyone, just joined the forum. I'm looking to conduct an interview with someone who was living in Coventry at the time of the blitz. If you're interested in being interviewed or know of someone who might be interested please let me know.

Welcome to our forum NeilatJohnGood You might also like to get in touch with local radio BBC-CW who recorded lots of interviews to commemorate the 70th anniversary. They might be able to contact someone for you.

Hi Neil, as there appears to be no response to your request and being in Coventry for a few days I spoke to my elder brother and he said he would be happy to help. He has many memories of the blitz and could probably help more than I could. Perhaps a moderator could suggest a means of contact as it may not be wise to publish phone numbers, or alternatively, you could drop into his cafe (The Bus Stop) which is in the City Arcade, on any Mon, Wed, or Fri morning between 10-11am and ask for Bill. I hope this is of some help to you. Alan.