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Air Raid in Aston - Albert, Frederick and Victoria Roads

ChrisM

ChrisM

Super Moderator
Staff member
Another fragment of information about the Birmingham Blitz.

I have recently come across a contemporary report about a series of incidents in the above roads and due to its Home Guard involvement and the naming of several names have recorded it here.

I am 99.9% certain that this occurred in Aston but I believe that the latter is not the only area of Birmingham to contain three roads of this name. So I should be very grateful for any comment from forum members and, of course, any further information about this air raid.

Chris
 
I lived in Ettington Road which is two roads lower from Albert Road. bombs were dropped in Ettington Road and demolished properties opposite the fire station, dont know the date but it was about 1942.
My grandfather was on fire watch ( from Albert Road school ) and told me of this many years later.
 
Had a quick look around. Interesting site - will have to go back again and read more of the stories!

Kaz
 
My Nan & Grandad were bombed out of back 155 TOWER ROAD (Next to the HP VINAGAR BREWERY) around then.
Any one have any info on that raid?
 
I doubt that there is a complete record of the thousands of bombings in Birmingham or any other city, so identifying a particular air-strike would be nigh impossible.

Checking the WW2 Brum Victims database, these are the bombing dates for the above streets where fatalities occurred...

192 Albert Road Aston - 23/11/40
17 Frederick Road Aston - 28/7/42
1/173 Victoria Road Aston - 30/7/42
2/173 ditto - 30/7/42
412 ditto - 9/4/41
414 ditto - 9/4/41 (4 casualties)
415 ditto - 9/4/41
427 ditto - 9/4/41
Ped ditto - 9/4/41
262 Ditto - 30/7/42
Baths ditto - 30/7/42
165 ditto - 30/7/42
97 ditto - 30/7/42
112 Ettington Road Aston - 9/4/41
189 Tower Road Aston - 30/7/42
HP Sauce ditto - 30/7/42
 
Thanks for that, Icarus. It tells us that in one small area of the city the attacks were serious enough to cause fatal fatalities amongst friends and neighbours on at least four different occasions; and there must have been many, many more causing damage and injury but thankfully no loss of life.

What a nightmare it must have been.

Chris
 
Thanks Icarus, Its the raid on the HP 30/7/42 that must have taken out my Nan & GRANDADS house No back of 155 Tower rd as the house was right at the side of the HP factory vats.
It was lucky for at that time they were both staying at my Mom & Dad new house in Ward End just to get away from the bombing in the city.
Dad told a story that Grandad Woolley & he were standing in the garden at No5 Moss Vale Grove & Grandad said "LOOK BILL, SOMEONES GETTING IT TONIGHT" little did he know that on return home it would be gone.
How many poor ones had to go though that! such sad times. Thank God my Granfolks lived to tell the tale.
 
where we had our premises Tysley Chadwick there was a bomb site in front of it and to the side other businesses just there was Betts Transport a metal work shop and a patern makers, anyone remember seeing any of these places in Albert road.
 
Hello Baron,
If this is the bomb in Tower Rd,that I am thinking, it could be the one that damaged our house in Clifton Rd.The house No. is the problem,the No's.that I am thinking of were even.The only other bomb dropped on Tower Rd.I think was on the corner of Thomas St.
 
Ray,I know a stick of bombs landed at the back of 170 Tower Rd, just across from my nans as we used to play on the bombed out buildings as kids back AROUND 1947.So it may have been the same raid that took your house?
 
Baron,
That's the one,it was also one of my playgrounds and a short cut to Tower Rd.
We quite possibly met there,if we ever had a fight,and you want to continue it,meet me in the field at the back of my house,if I don't turn up,start without me.lol
best wishes,
Ray.
 
Ray,did you ever go to one of the firework nights (5th Nov) that the folks in Tower Rd held on the Bombed site?.
 
Baron,
If you were standing in the wide entry,looking toward the bomb site,on your left,was a yard that lead to Upper Sutton St.(first house was the Lucketts),then there was Philips & cross's stampings,then there was a high wall,climb that wall and you were in my yard.The only name of people in the Tower Rd. yard that I know was Hubble,they also had a greengrocers in Clifton Rd.
I have a feeling that I may have gone to a bonfire there because one year,some one burnt all our wood.by setting the brewhouse on fire,we made a raid on the brewhouse of those we thought responsible,but got caught.
 
mike-g said:
I lived in Ettington Road which is two roads lower from Albert Road. bombs were dropped in Ettington Road and demolished properties opposite the fire station, dont know the date but it was about 1942.
My grandfather was on fire watch ( from Albert Road school ) and told me of this many years later.
Click to expand...

Hi
I remember my dad telling me that he was in bed and the house next door was demolished by a bomb. He was living in Ettington Rd opposite the fire station at the time.
 
Ray you mentioned the Lucketts house......was this the Lucketts who had a daughter named Emily.....l remember a girl by that name who went to Burlington st sch....Brenda
 
I remember one particle raid possibly the 30/7/1942.

I had been evacuated with my mother prior to the raids to Hagley in (Worc.)

My mother heard of the raids on the radio so I was taken with her to visit my Dad & Grandparents who lived at 4 & 6 Sandy Lane Aston.

We arrived in Birmingham to board the tram for Aston in Steelhouse Lane we were told that the tram would only be going as far as the stop before Victoria Rd.

We arrive at Lichfield Rd. Victoria Rd stop and got of the tram, no-body was expecting what we saw in front of the tram.

The corner of Lichfield Rd. & Church Lane was a massive pile of rubble across the Erdington bound track all the buildings shops & homes on this corner were flattened almost down to Frank Grounds yard by Church Road.

Both sides of Church Lane was flattened, after the war the site was a second hand car dealers and was there for many years afterward.

The scene I remember was the smell of wet burning embers, dust, and the strong smell of gas from factured mains.

Victoria Rd. there was not much damage the Dairy was standing along with a few houses and the Salvation Army Church but behind Pugh Rd. was flattened along with the Church Lane.

Lichfield Rd. towards Birmingham very little damage,the Shops of Taylors (Toys), Grocers, Butchers (Robinson ?) Greengrocers (Birds?) on the otherside Humphies (cycles), Vine (Pub) and Doctor Goulds on corner of Sandy Lane along with Atwoods (newsagaents).

In 1990's my Uncle George Cross (Tramman George of local radio) told his story to the family never heard before.

Under the debris's across the tram track on Lichfield Rd. was an un-exploded bomb which had drop under the tram track it was defused by Bomb Disposal but not removed till later.

To enable tram services to continue to Erdington , Shortheath & Pye Hayes the Tram operators BCT laid a temporary track over the bomb, Uncle was give the job of taking the first tram over this, safely over normal service resumed if at a slower pace.

Thankfully my Dad & Grandparents was safe, Dad was on Fire Watch Duties at HMS Witton ( GEC works in Electric Av.) this was a Royal Navy establishhment during the war.

A Mr. Dudley Poole a foreman at GEC works was later awarded the MBE for services to the Navy in the manufacture of Sub-merseable electric motors for Submarines.

They are not Happy memories but thankfully we lived through them, people just got on with it, a bit different to this day's our am I being and old moaner ?
 
Brenda, it was Emily Luckett who lived in Upper Sutton Street and went to Burlington Street School, she married Johnny Mack? and emigrated to Australia. Unfortunately she died at the young age of 43. Her husband came to our Reunion last year at the Barn.
 
Sylvia and Ray thank you for all the information on Emily...so sad she died so young....l know Emily and Mavis Clark were pals....sadly they are both gone now...but l did'nt know she had emmigrated to Australia...l think us brummies must have had wonderlust in our viens, so many of us traveled afar....BUT...we never forgot out roots.....Brenda
 
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
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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
 
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