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Ashley Street

KJSScott

knowlegable brummie
Ashley Street ran between Gooch Street and Bristol Street, can any one confirm that this Street was destroyed by German bombs in November 1940,
I know it no longer exsist in the Birmingham A-Z
 
A number of deaths are recorded for Ashley Street, during a air raid on 19/11/1940

see https://www.swanshurst.org/barra/

Unfortunately there is a fault on their search link you will need to enter Ashley Street in the location of injury box

And a King's Commendation (KC) was awarded to PC A.238 John Ernest Franklin for action when a parachute mine fell in Ashley Street during that raid

Colin
 
During the 1960s I worked in Ashley Street at was then the Min of Pension and National Insurance
On the other side of the road was the National Assistant Board. It was only open the Bristol Street end and I remember my Gran telling me that it used to be a through road before it was bombed during the war in 1940s. There were some other gov offices but I can’t remember as they closed shortly after I started there in November 1960. At the end of the corridor of The MPNI on the right was a door which we went through
and there were deserted offices so not sure what used to be there
Christine Ketteringham née Broughton
 
Welcome to the Forum, Christine.

Ashley Street was indeed severely damaged during the Birmingham blitz. A year or so later, it became the training ground for the Birmingham Home Guard Street Fighting School with the church as its base. This image shows a number of course members lined up across Ashley Street in 1943/44 with Bristol Street running across the back of the photograph. and the church on the corner to the right.

I have online a number of further pictures of these activities and also more information about the School, if you want to look at it further. They are on several pages and the best starting point is this one: http://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences60BhamFightingSchool.htm (It's quite safe to click on).

Chris

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