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The Blitz

Hello Lucy, from an old bloke in Australia. There was no need to make up stories on the night you mentioned because I remember it well. I had my head stuck in a bedstead and couldn't go down the Anderson shelter. Dad sat with me until a land mine landed by parachute which either shrunk my noggin or opened up the beadstead bars from the blast. Much fear, much speed on release and hair standing up right now at the thought of it. David Weaver, the coalmans son from Gladstone Steet Aston now in Australia. Kind regards, and have a ride on the swings in Aston Park for me. David.
LucyJayne said:
I have read through this thread a few times, I can't say I have enjoyed it as it just seems the wrong word to use but its been a real eye opener!!
I have shown my parents some of the pics. My Grandparents lived in Hockley and my Dad would've been 2 years old when the worst night hit brum, i'd love to ask them what they did and what it was all like and when I told my Dad this he laughed and said my Grandad would love the opportunity to brag and exagerate to the extreme what happened, and said I would probably believe every word he said!! lol
But anyway, thanks for this thread =)
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Sorry if details have already been published elsewhere in the Forum but I have only just seen this:

53 KILLED AT BSA WORKS
The headline that never made the papers

On the night of the 19th November 1940 Birmingham suffered one of its worst air raids of the blitz when a German bomber dropped two bombs on the Armoury Road site of the Birmingham Small Arms factory at Small Heath. Many night shift workers that night had stayed at their machines when the sirens sounded and when they did decide to vacate the factory floor the intensity of the raid made it impossible for them to reach the air raid shelters safely. That night they chose to shelter in the basement of the reinforced concrete factory, only one worker would be pulled out alive after being trapped for 9 hours, 52 were crushed to death when the complete factory building collapsed on top of them after two direct hits. Wartime reporting restrictions meant that the raid could not be reported by the media.

For the first time in 70 years there will be a wreath laid at Armoury Road at 2 pm on the 19th November by Jon Price the organiser of the BSA Memorial Appeal and webmaster of the Made in Birmingham website.

A small gathering of motorcyclists, some on BSA motorcycles, will proceed to the Birmingham Council House after the wreath laying to attend the Birmingham Air Raid 70th anniversary day organised by local school teacher Doug Smith. The exhibition, in conjunction with the Birmingham Air Raids Association, is in the banqueting suite and will be open to the public from 10 - 4 pm, there is no admission charge. Charles Cundall's painting of the BSA disaster, owned and commissioned by the BSA and presented to BMAG when the factory closed in 1975, will be also on show.Two military vehicles will also be exhibited outside the council house beside the Frankfurt Christmas Market.

There will be also an evening ticket only event commencing at 7pm which will attended by former BSA electrician and 1948 Olympic Games medalist, Tommy Godwin. Tommy's BSA racing bicycle will also be on show.​
Chris
 
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Morning David. It was a large two page picture and when made smaller the text went a bit fuzzy so I hope you can read it o/k.
 
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I know this is not in Birmingham but it is typical of the true British attitude that went with the conflict. i/e Carry on regardless.
Book lovers browse happily in the ruins of Holland House in Kensingtan London.
 
View attachment 64171 Again I was too young to remember this, but I have heard the original recording since and it always sounds frightening. W. Churchills voice added to the importance of any bulletin he sent out.
 
Stitcher said:
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This was a common site all over Britain and I certainly remember food rationing in the later part of the war and after.
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There were a lot of this type of pictures shown in the papers, but I think it was more of a morale boosting thing, most of the pictures were posed, to show a "We can take It Mr Hitler" type of attitude.

Nick
 
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brummie nick, there may well have been 'Morale Boosting' propaganda during the war, but I certainly remember my mom queuing for all types of food just after the war. I also remember her taking the newspaper for wrapping. We also took our own newspaper to the chip shop because my mom said "you don't know how clean other peoples newspapers are".
 
Hi All,

My Mom was like nost women at the time. If she saw a queue she stood in it. More often than not she had no idea what was on offer but knew that it must be in short supply. Only trouble was that she usually made me stand in it with her.

Old Boy
 
Hello Old Boy, your mom must have been like all the others then, Ha Ha.
Another thing I remember was my mom saying a shop was no good if there was never a queue there.
 
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Lived o Mait Lane Yardley during the blitz, spent many many nights under the stairwell in the pantry, OR out the back in the corrageted stell shelter Dad made. Land mine up the street buit was defused before it went off, Looked all over the shrapnell pieces as a kid. John Crump OldBrit now in Parker Co USA
 
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We all know that food was in short supply during and after the war and everyone was encouraged to grow their own veggies and fruit, and also to keep chickens for the eggs. Some members may be just a little too young to remember the advertisements that were everywhere then.
 
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There was a brief reference to 'Gas Bags' on the roofs of cars or on a trailer for commecials on the Midland Red thread, but I will post this here because it does involve the home front.
 
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I have looked for a more suitable thread for this one bit can't find one.
We all know that scrap or unwanted metal of all sorts was collected and used in the War Effort.
 
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Although this photo shows the aftermath of an air raid in Coventry with a mobile canteen being used so people can get a little refreshment, I have posted it because this must have been a common scene in parts of Birmingham.
 
Indeed, these little tea vans, many funded (as this one is) by the American YMCA, kept the spirits high when all was disaster around. This picture shows the true 'British Spirit' of the blitz years - devastation all around, but where there's a cup of tea there's determination to carry on.
Note also the ages of those present - the young men are at war, the young women are in the factories, only the youngest and older ones are around in the view. There was never any question of us losing, was there?
 
Stitcher, what remarkable and moving photograph from such harrowing times, we did't have much but what we had we shared.
paul
 
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