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Air Raid in Aston - Albert, Frederick and Victoria Roads

Ray, thanks for the full surname of John - I have only ever heard him referred to as Johnny Mack.

Brenda, next time you come to England, I will show you some photos of Emily taken on one of our camping holidays from Burlington Hall, when we were about 15/16 years old.
 
Hi there...not sure if you all still use this site but Emily Luckett was my Auntie. (Her sister Joyce is my mom). Would love to see some pics of her if you have any please!
p.s. "Johnny Mack" is visiting the UK next month.
 
i was at school when these raids were going on, i remember the teachers reading the register every morning and if no one answered to their name how we all knew they werent coming back, this happened time and time again in those terrible days.
 
It looks like I came a bit late to this party. Anyway regarding the Ettington Road bombing, I lived on the corner of Grange Road opposite the firestation and was in our air raid shelter when Ettington Road was bombed. As kids we rummaged around the site afterwards looking for "buried treasure." One of the houses destroyed on Ettington was occupied by the Malloy family who were relocated to a house on the corner of Little Oaks Road and Prestbury Road, the youngest daughter, Sheila Malloy, currently resides in Florida. Also some back houses and a factory on Witton Road opposite Prestbury Road were demolished on the same night. My dad was in the Guild Inn at the time and he said that some people who were sheltering in a malt house there were killed. I have been trying to find more information as to exactly what happened in the Witton Road case. I remember playing on the site afterwards but I can't seem to find any information about the buildings or the casualties.
 
hi gord here is a list of deaths for witton road..looks like there was also 4 deaths at witton road shelter

lyn

Search Results

Exact Matches

Name Aged Injured on Injured at Died On Died At
Hughes, Elsie Maud 50 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nathan Brookes 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nellie 21 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Neville 16 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Ronald Percy 15 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Elsie 46 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Horace Charles 55 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Similar Matches

Name Aged Injured on Injured at Died On Died At
Coley, Doris Winfred 44 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter
Coley, Frederick Dennis Rhys 45 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter
Hughes, Charles William 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston
Hughes, Elsie Maud 50 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Emma 57 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston
Hughes, Nathan Brookes 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nellie 21 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Neville 16 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Ronald Percy 15 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Elsie 46 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Horace Charles 55 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
From Our Archive
We Remember....
Thomas Brand Kidd (Civilian)
Killed at the age of 63 during an attack on 414 Victoria Road, Aston, 9 April 1941
Supported By
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and this for a death at no 112 ettington road

Exact Matches

No Entires Found
Similar Matches

Name Aged Injured on Injured at Died On Died At
Vaughan, Ada 64 10/04/1941 112 Ettington Road, Aston 11/04/1941 112 Ettington Road, Aston
 
Thank you so much for all the information. Strangely my surname is Hughes but we were not related to those killed. Where in Aston did you live?
Gordon
 
gordon...i was born in my nans back to back in paddington st just off summer lane...

lyn
 
hi gord here is a list of deaths for witton road..looks like there was also 4 deaths at witton road shelter

lyn

Search Results

Exact Matches

Name Aged Injured on Injured at Died On Died At
Hughes, Elsie Maud 50 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nathan Brookes 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nellie 21 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Neville 16 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Ronald Percy 15 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Elsie 46 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Horace Charles 55 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Similar Matches

Name Aged Injured on Injured at Died On Died At
Coley, Doris Winfred 44 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter
Coley, Frederick Dennis Rhys 45 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter 26/10/1940 Witton Road Shelter
Hughes, Charles William 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston
Hughes, Elsie Maud 50 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Emma 57 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston 26/10/1940 Witton Road, Aston
Hughes, Nathan Brookes 52 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Nellie 21 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Neville 16 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Hughes, Ronald Percy 15 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Elsie 46 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
Smith, Horace Charles 55 26/10/1940 Witton Road 26/10/1940 Witton Road
From Our Archive
We Remember....
Thomas Brand Kidd (Civilian)
Killed at the age of 63 during an attack on 414 Victoria Road, Aston, 9 April 1941
Supported By
lotteryFund.gif

wmp.gif
Sad to read all those names
I lived at 95 Witton rd in the 60s across the rd was shops there was a opening known as the opening it lead to a tea warehouse and back to backs on the right on the left was garages new builds that was where the bombed houses used to be our house ad replacement frosted glass in all the windows and a crack in the all wall
my parents did not live there at the time of the raid
they were waiting there turn in James St ???
 
Hi Lyn, I couldn't find Paddington Street on my map so I guess it has gone. I used to take the Perry Common #5 or Perry Common Court Lane #5a into town from Witton Road via Alma Street, Summer Lane and Snow Hill. As kids we would sometimes go to the terminus in Court Lane and the "clippie" would let us clear out the ticket box, we would then use the tickets for our home made buss which was basically a garden shed.
Do you remember the ditty "See all the palm tree's swaying, way down summer lane?" Also did you know that the famous composer Albert William Ketelbey, who composed "In a Persian Market Place" and "Bells Across The Meadows" once lived in Alma Street?
 
hi gord the song palm trees swaying has been mentioned a lot on the forum..very well known but i did not know that albert ketelbey (who i have to admit never heard of ) lived in alma st so thanks for that info...yes sadly when paddington st was demolished they never kept the street name but it was where berry close is now...what lovely memories of your home made bus just proving that in those days we made our fun..all it took was a little imagination..happy days:)

lyn
 
Lyn, I have written extensively about my childhood experiences in Aston and Birmingham, as part of an autobiography for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. As a result I have researched and accumulated a lot of historical information as well as anecdotes and pictures which would be far too much information to include in this format. If you are interested, perhaps there is a way we could discuss what would be the best approach to sharing some of this information.
Gord
 
hi gord well of course i am interested in anything historical about aston..many thanks for offering to share some of your work with us all...not quite sure yet how we will do it but have just sent you a private message and we can have a chat about it...thanks gord

lyn
 
Hi,

My relative Bertram Stringer lived at 160 Victoria Road but was reported as a civilian casualty at 427 Victoria Road on 09/04/41. I’m trying to find out why that was. Is there a list of AFS volunteers who were killed in Birmingham as I suspect he was a member and may have been fighting a fire there when he was he was killed?

Thanks in advance!
 
Welcome to the Forum, Corbo12.

The night of 9/10th April 1941 was one of the worst in the Birmingham Blitz. In his book "Heroes of the Birmingham Air Raids", Michael Minton gives details of several of the incidents and identifies a large number of men in the Civil Defence services and others who were given awards for bravery on that night. They include the AFS, Police, Home Guard, ARP, BCT, Fire watchers, railwaymen and others. The detailed descriptions give you an idea of the conditions endured by everyone concerned. Losses of members of those services are unfortunately not identified but there were undoubtedly a number.

No comprehensive list, as far as I'm aware, exists for AFS losses and its likely that one has to rely on fragments of information and a good deal of luck to find much out. "Squirt" was the local AFS magazine and I have seen at least one Roll of Honour published in it detailing AFS deaths but this only covered a couple of months in late 1940. If you can somehow access copies of this publication covering the second quarter of 1941, it might give you some information. The Central Library might be worth contacting. And they might have other ideas to help you.

I hope you can make progress on this and please keep us informed. Perhaps other members can make further suggestions.

Chris
 
This plaque (I don't know its location) lists all the Birmingham firemen who lost their lives between 1939 and 1945. I assume that this means that they are the men who died whilst on duty.

Bertram Stringer is not listed. In view of the press cutting it looks as though he may have died at home (but in that case, how is it that his wife and children were apparently spared?). In which case he was presumably off-duty.

The fact of his being off-duty - if he was - doesn't of course preclude the possibility that he DID serve as a fireman, or even as a factory fireman for his employer - but he may not have died as a direct result of that service.

Chris

(Grateful acknowledgment to Matt Felkin for this image)

)AFS Memorial copy.jpg
 
also on the same date that bertram died the house at no 435 only 4 doors away from bertrams house was hit resulting in 1 death..maybe bertram went to try and help injuring himself was then taken to his own house and died as a result...just a thought..his death certificate should give all the answers

Last NameForename(s)Date of InjuryLocation of InjuryAgeCivil Defence Status
JohnsonAnnie Steedman09/04/1941414 Victoria Road, Aston67CivilianView
KiddRoland Garner09/04/1941414 Victoria Road, Aston63CivilianView
KiddThomas Brand09/04/1941414 Victoria Road, Aston63CivilianView
SwinglerHenry09/04/1941Victoria Road, Aston20CivilianView
UnittBenjamin Stanley30/07/1942262 Victoria Road, Aston25CivilianView
VillersSidney09/04/1941435 Victoria Road, Aston34CivilianView
 
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