72 years ago

[cherisy]

Hi

I hope someone can help me. My father lived in Henslowe Rd until 1944 when a V1 landed at the top of the street (I believe post war prefabs are still there) But can anybody help me with a story I was told as a boy. Apparently one lunch time about 43/44 my Dad and his friend were running out of his school (I believe near Upland rd) when the air raid siren went and a german fighter flew over the roof tops. He still remembers looking up at the pilot and went on to say that the plane went on to bomb a school in the catford area. Can anyone help ?

[computedshorty]

I hope this helps.

World War II Air Raid, Catford Sandhurst School

Details:

On this day, January 20th 1943, Focke-Wulf 190s and escorting Messerschmitt 109s bombed and strafed virtually at will. Four RAF balloon sites in Lewisham were destroyed, a gasholder at Sydenham was set alight, the President?s House at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich was damaged and there were three direct hits on Deptford west power station.

Worse, far worse, a 500 kg bomb fell on Sandhurst road school, Catford, blowing out the whole central part of the LCC school where many children were taking their midday dinner break.

When the dust and the smoke subsided, the scene in the dining room was appalling. Twenty-four pupils and two teachers were dead. A further five died on the staircase and nine on the second floor. The blast reached the staff room where three teachers died and another was killed in the science room. The incident prompted enormous publicity from national and local newspapers who were certain the bomb had been deliberately dropped at a time when many of the pupils would be together.

The Kentish Mercury described it as the fiendish onslaught of a murderous foe.

Altogether 38 children were killed. Among them were sisters, Brenda and Lorina Allford, aged five and seven, who died with their friends Anne Biddle and her sister Judith. Nine-year-old Ronald Barnard and his brother Dennis, 10, were both killed. A police sergeant, Norman Greenstreet who had an eight-year-old at the school discovered the body of his son after searching through the rubble. The six teachers who died were Mrs Ethel Betts, Mrs Virginia Carr, Miss Mary Jukes, Miss Gladys Knowelden, Miss Harriet Langdon and Mrs Connie Taylor.

Margaret Clarke, the headmistress said later that she was in her room on the top floor when she heard a distant siren. She went into the hail outside and the next thing she remembered was a tearing, rending sound and the hail, six yards from where she was standing, fell away. I joined some children who were going down the stairs and on reaching the ground floor started to pull the injured children clear. Before the arrival of the rescue workers, soldiers on leave and civilians who were passing by came in to help us dig, among the stifling fumes of the fire, in the debris. It was not until later that I noticed my own injuries and I was taken to Farnborough Hospital.

the only question the children were asking was ?how can i help, miss?? they took home the younger ones, tore up their clothing to bind the injuries and even helped the rescue work ? a grim job for youngsters of 14 and 15.

Many of the children were buried in a communal grave in nearby Hither Green Cemetery and the service, conducted by the Bishop of Southwark, was attended by 7,000 mourners.

The question that everyone asked after the raid was: why was there no warning? Apparently there had been confusion among the observer corps plotters, and problems with some faulty equipment helped the raiders reach their target with complete surprise. The alert did not sound until it was too late.

At an inquiry at Lewisham Town Hall, it was clear that the Civil Defence were quickly on the scene and there were congratulations for the volunteers, the Heavy Rescue Squads, the mobile units, the REME soldiers stationed at St Dunstans and the Canadians at Bromley Wood. The meeting mildly criticised police for their inability to control parents but also agreed it would have been impossible to stop the frantic efforts of relatives in digging among debris to find their little ones.

----------------------------------

From German records;

The attack

The German attack formation consisted of 28 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4U3 fighter-bombers escorted by Messerschmitt 109 fighters, which took off from a French airfield at noon. The planes were to attack any targets of opportunity, known to the Germans as a Terrorangriff (terror) raid. The German pilot responsible for the attack on the school was Hauptmann Heinz Schumann (born 29 November 1914, killed in action 8 November 1943) from Jagdgeschwader He was flying a Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 carrying a single 500 kg SC500 bomb. Debate exists whether Schumann deliberately targeted the school, or simply attacked what looked like a large factory (the school was several stories high). Mr Goss, who has written a book about the "Mini-Blitz" or the "Tip-and-run" raids by the Luftwaffe in this period of the war, includes a Luftwaffe "Action Report" in his descritpion of this raid which was completed immediately after the raid. The Action Report says that a large building destroyed in the raid was identified and targetted as a block of flats. Mr Goss also says that the RAF bombed Berlin 3 days before this terror-raid which was demanded by Hitler in retaliation. Witness reports suggest first flew past the school and bombed it on a second run. Another plane is alleged to have also strafed the playground and local streets.

Due to inefficiencies of the warning system, the air raid siren had not sounded by the time the German planes arrived. Many children were having their lunch and the attack destroyed the area of the school where they were eating

A picture is attatched .

Recuers tie a chain around a large piece of debris in hope of moving it to get to trapped children.

[computedshorty]

cherisy

These are the details of the Flying bomb on Henslow Road.

30/6/1944

11.34 am.

South end of Henslow Road Junction of Underhill Road E. Dulwich SE22.

V.1. Flying Bomb ( Doodle Bug.)

Three persons killed.

This was the first of 4 V1's that fell in a fairly small area of East Dulwich causing widespread damage. 4 houses were demolished and 15 badly damaged in Underhill Road. 2 were demolished and 6 badly damaged and 87 damaged in Henslowe Road. 20 houses and other buildings damaged in Barry Road. Part of this Flying bomb site remains relatively undeveloped and had 1940's prefabs erected on it.

The prefabs have gone now 2012.

[JaneL]

I know this is an old thread but a remarkable one. 

I moved to Calton Avenue Dulwich as a child of 3 in 1954. Only after reading this thread and some other local history have I realised how much death and damage was sustained locally in WW2 by the flying bombs. I and friends (I remember Jeremy and Tony who lived in Calton Avenue) aged about six or 8 played on a rocket damage site where Townley Road joined East Dulwich Grove. I was told it had been a church but I’ve just grasped it was a church hall, probably attached to St Barnabas. 
Our large 5-bedroom house was rented from Dulwich College via managing agents. It was shabby and had no heating beyond a multi-fuel stove we installed and several 3-bar electric fires scattered round. There was a coal shed, an outside loo - also an indoor one - terrifying ‘geyser’ for hot bath water….my parents had a messy divorce around 1962. If they had bought the house when they could, rather than divorcing, they and their children might have ended up pretty well off! 

[sandyman]

2 hours ago, JaneL said:

I know this is an old thread but a remarkable one. 

I moved to Calton Avenue Dulwich as a child of 3 in 1954. Only after reading this thread and some other local history have I realised how much death and damage was sustained locally in WW2 by the flying bombs. I and friends (I remember Jeremy and Tony who lived in Calton Avenue) aged about six or 8 played on a rocket damage site where Townley Road joined East Dulwich Grove. I was told it had been a church but I’ve just grasped it was a church hall, probably attached to St Barnabas. 
Our large 5-bedroom house was rented from Dulwich College via managing agents. It was shabby and had no heating beyond a multi-fuel stove we installed and several 3-bar electric fires scattered round. There was a coal shed, an outside loo - also an indoor one - terrifying ‘geyser’ for hot bath water….my parents had a messy divorce around 1962. If they had bought the house when they could, rather than divorcing, they and their children might have ended up pretty well off! 

Fascinating - I'm fairly local though not that old enough to know for sure, but I would guess the bomb site was on the left as you drive up Townley towards the lights where the box-shaped smaller houses (probably 1960s) are. 

Edited October 27, 2023 by sandyman
spelling mistake

[Kathleen Olander]

2 hours ago, JaneL said:

I know this is an old thread but a remarkable one. 

I moved to Calton Avenue Dulwich as a child of 3 in 1954. Only after reading this thread and some other local history have I realised how much death and damage was sustained locally in WW2 by the flying bombs. I and friends (I remember Jeremy and Tony who lived in Calton Avenue) aged about six or 8 played on a rocket damage site where Townley Road joined East Dulwich Grove. I was told it had been a church but I’ve just grasped it was a church hall, probably attached to St Barnabas. 
Our large 5-bedroom house was rented from Dulwich College via managing agents. It was shabby and had no heating beyond a multi-fuel stove we installed and several 3-bar electric fires scattered round. There was a coal shed, an outside loo - also an indoor one - terrifying ‘geyser’ for hot bath water….my parents had a messy divorce around 1962. If they had bought the house when they could, rather than divorcing, they and their children might have ended up pretty well off! 

It was a church, it was called Christchurch, I will try to attach postcard I have of it.

Here it is

[ed_pete]

Yep - clearly shown as a church from this OS map from the early 1900's

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/find/#zoom=16.3&lat=51.45639&lon=-0.08270&layers=298&b=11&z=0&point=0,0