Black Saturday - 70th Anniversary

[Kathy Taylor]

As I am sure you are all aware the 7th September is the 70th anniversary of the Blitz and to commemorate this event there is a new exhibition that will tour the borough next week, and from 20th September it will be at the Old Town Hall, Stratford. The exhibition features the memories of local people who experienced those terrible days as well as a display of wartime artefacts. See the attached poster for details of the venues.

September 7th was a lovely summer day with the sun was shining from a clear blue sky. Just before 5 p.m. the sirens began to wail their warning as the distant sound of approaching aircraft was heard, rapidly swelling to a roar as the enemy armada of an estimated 300 German bombers, escorted by hundreds of fighters appeared, flying high from the east and following the River Thames.

The first bombs dropped on the Ford motor works at Dagenham, closely followed by a rain of high explosive and fire bombs on Beckton Gas Works. Next to be hit were the Royal Docks and factories of North Woolwich and Silvertown and the houses of the workers. The bombs continued to fall all over the boroughs of East Ham and West Ham Great columns of smoke rising hundreds of feet into the air obscured the light of the evening sun. Brilliant orange and yellow flames leapt shot out from the factories and warehouses whilst the Civil Defence workers tore into the debris of the demolished buildings, looking for those buried in the ruins. By 6 p.m. the raiders had gone and the men, women and children were dazed and shocked, rendered homeless but thankful to have escaped with their lives.

By 7.30 p.m. the bombers had returned and the attack on London continued. For hour after hour, the docks were bombed, and the factories and warehouses. Streets of small houses were reduced to rubble. Schools, churches and hospitals suffered the same fate as succeeding squadrons of enemy bombers kept up the attack with their escort of fighters. Bursts of anti-aircraft fire could be heard from the local defences and Spitfires dogged the enemy fighters. Gas and water mains were fractured, telephone and electricity services were disrupted and amongst this the fire service and the ARP Wardens were dealing with burning buildings and un-exploded bombs whilst at the same time carrying out rescue operations and the evacuation of people to rescue centres. The all clear finally sounded at 4.30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

That night 146 men, women and children were killed and hundreds more were severely injured in the boroughs of East Ham and West Ham alone. 300 tons of bombs were dropped on the East End and the glow from the fires made night look like day.

There followed 56 consecutive nights of relentless bombing. The raids continued with little break throughout that winter and until the end of May 1941, during that time 1,151 local people were killed.

[Andy C]

Kathy,
Thank you for posting this reminder to all of this anniversary, my mother and father were some of the many that had to find new homes following the first night of the bombing. They lived in Rivett Street, Tidal Basin, and from information I found in the Archives at Stratford, the street was hit by High Explosive bombs at 21.25 hours on the 7th September. This forced them and my Grandmother who lived 3 doors away to move out.

The reason for this reply is to ask fellow members if we should start a record, of where their family's went to escape the bombing, or set up new homes and if they ever returned.


Andy

[Robert Rogers]

One of the first `Public` Buildings to be hit was the HQ of both Fire and ARP at Abbey Road depot, E15.

There is a memorial to those killed on the front gate of the modern council depot there.

[billyboy]

  My parents wher bombed out twice in the plaistow area my sister was evacuated during the blitz........they stayed in plaistow the rest of there days after the war ....My self i was unable to stay in WONDERFUL NEWHAM as it became known due to another kind of blitz....PS  the only thing that upset my mum was the loss of her photos of her parents and family who all came from east london.....

[ALANF]

My family were also bombed out of their house twice. I was born, in 1942, after they had moved to the third house in Plaistow. Three older brothers and one sister were evacuated to Somerset, where they were not very well treated.  My oldest sister was married in 1942, the year I was born. How is that for an extended family?   
Alan

[Will.B]

We were in plaistow through out the Blitz, Mum would not let her children be evacuated on there own and Dad could not get away from his work at Becton Gas works,so we were evacuated with Mum to Swaffam in Norfolk. We were billeted with a retired Army colonel who put us up in the top attic of the house, he made it very clear from the start that he did not like having to take us in and we were not made very welcome, so Mum decided to return home the very next day, we were all pleased about that and I am sure the colonel was too.Dad was surprised to see us back but I think he was also as pleased as we were to think we were back, so I can say yes I was evacuated but only for one night.
We got a taxi to the station and the London Steam train was just pulling out but the taxi driver managed to get them to hold on until we were all on the train,can't imagine that happening today so I hope Mum gave him a good tip.Will