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WW2 Perry Barr Bombing Spring 1941

  • Thread starter David Stratford Smith
  • Start date
D

David Stratford Smith

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My Father was on fire duty outside our house in Anstey Road when a delayed action bomb fell, we were all in the air raid shelter when instead of waiting for the explosion he ran towards the crater.
The bomb exploded and he went up with it, then landed to be covered in paving slabs, He was only just alive and taken to Beeches Road School, then to the basement of Lewis' department store, then the General Hospital. After the raid was over my Mother emerged to find his tin helmet swinging on the gate, she then followed his trail to try and find him, he was unconscious for two weeks with massive head and back injuries and it was a year before he was well enough to work again.
This was the same night that Steelhouse lane Police Station was hit.
 
Hi David :) Excellent recall of your Father,s narrow escape from death,
glad he recovered eventually,
ps I have one "Harper" lady married into my "Morgan" side of Family,
no details at present (at Work, borrowing Comp :cool: )
Do you have Harper/Morgan connex , Hockley/B,ham ?
Rsvp anytime, Thanks & best regards JohnY
 
Hi David :) Excellent recall of your Father,s narrow escape from death,
glad he recovered eventually,
ps I have one "Harper" lady married into my "Morgan" side of Family,
no details at present (at Work, borrowing Comp :cool: )
Do you have Harper/Morgan connex , Hockley/B,ham ?
Rsvp anytime, Thanks & best regards JohnY

John there is a piece in this months Friends Of Key Hill Cemetery newsletter about a grave with Welsh righting on it. It's a John Morgan with connections to Hockley and Ashtead. There also is the name Felix on the memorial.
 
We lived at 118 Anstey Road the corner house at the top r.h side. The house on the other corner was built for Mr. Laurence who had owned the farm where Johnson the builders built the Blakeland estate.
He was a great old man who had the first television in the area, we would be regular visitors as kids to watch the children's programmes, he also filled his garden with vegetables and grew Fuchsias in his greenhouse.
His daughters married name was Pleadon and they left India for Kenya following independence, I don't think life was any easier for them and I remember stories of her sleeping with a loaded gun under her pillow during the Mau Mau troubles, they had two daughters Judith and Nester.
 
My grandparents lived at 33 Nelon Road Witton he was Wallace Stanley Smith and he organised the home guard for the immediate area, I have all the names and locations given to each member. Is anyone interested?
 
Welcome to the site David: It really brings it home when you read stories about war time in Birmingham in WW2. Glad to hear that your father survived
even though it took a very long time before he was able to function
properly again. Thanks for posting.

There is a member on this forum ChrisM who will be very interested in the Home Guard members list for the area that your grandfather was the organiser for.
 
Yes please, David - EXTREMELY interested !! (Thanks, jennyann).

Please feel free to contact me direct, either through the website contact page or via IM.

Chris
 
My Father was on fire duty outside our house in Anstey Road when a delayed action bomb fell, we were all in the air raid shelter when instead of waiting for the explosion he ran towards the crater.
The bomb exploded and he went up with it, then landed to be covered in paving slabs, He was only just alive and taken to Beeches Road School, then to the basement of Lewis' department store, then the General Hospital. After the raid was over my Mother emerged to find his tin helmet swinging on the gate, she then followed his trail to try and find him, he was unconscious for two weeks with massive head and back injuries and it was a year before he was well enough to work again.
This was the same night that Steelhouse lane Police Station was hit.
Hi David, My husbands Father, George Willis, was in the local Home Guard he lived at 32 Elmbridge Road, he would love to have information about his Dad's service as he never really talked about what he did very much think he mentioned about being on duty in the Park. He worked at Tucker Eyelets on Walsall Road so was not able to join the Forces as he was in an essential job and the Home Guard was his contribution to the War effort. If you had photos that would be even better. Hope you can find information on this for me, it would have been his 102nd birthday today. Thanks in anticipation, Doris Willis
 
Doris - Whilst we live in hope, it looks as though David Stratford Smith is no longer a member of the Forum and so I'm afraid it's probable that he won't see your reply. (Don't think I ever heard from him in 2009).

As far as your husband's quest is concerned, I suggest three things:

- rake around within the family memory (anecdotes etc.) and the family records (documents, images, insignia) for absolutely ANY fragment of information, however small, relating to George Willis's Home Guard service and post it here in the Forum.

- have a look in the main, lengthy Home Guard thread within this Forum to search for further clues:
- and also have a good look at the many bits and pieces of information I have online about Birmingham HG men and units:
(At the very least, the last two above will provide a pretty good feel about what HG service was like if you lived in Birmingham).

I also have some tips online about how to trace individual Home Guard members. (It's not easy: there were perhaps 40/50000 of them in Birmingham units and patchy records). See:
Please let us know about any progress.

Chris
 
Hi Chris
Many thanks for the information. I have looked at most of it already but have found a bit more after 'digging' into it a bit further.
Thank You
 
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