Blitz in Colour: Dereham Road Baptist Church 1942

Blitz in Colour: Dereham Road Baptist Church 1942

Dereham Road Baptist Church opened in 1904. Closed temporarily in 1942 during the Baedeker Raids. Sources point at this being a result of the first raid on the Monday night; the 27th of April; this would fit the pattern of most of the bombing being of the north and...
Blitz Ghosts: Church of St Julian of Norwich

Blitz Ghosts: Church of St Julian of Norwich

One of the best known Blitz victims in Norwich, because of the famed Julian of Norwich. It was hit head on by a 250kg High Explosive bomb and all but obliterated as you can see. Beautifully rebuilt, and a fabulous little church, a nice calm space that feels more like...
Blitz Ghosts: St Michael at Thorn, Norwich

Blitz Ghosts: St Michael at Thorn, Norwich

St Michael at Thorn, Norwich. Or it was. It stood just behind the Archant building, sort of opposite or adjacent to the shops that survived the flame-grilling of Bonds in April 1942, this is 11 years before the bombs fell in 1931. So I’m standing roughly, within...
Blitz Ghosts: Aylsham Road

Blitz Ghosts: Aylsham Road

Aylsham Road, Norwich, April 1942 and nearly now, one of my first Norwich Ghosts. There are two pictures of the area. Both I believe taken by George Swain. The top Blitz Ghost is the first one I ever did, and the bottom one is the last. A 500kg landed here, it blew...
Norwich Blitz Ghosts: St Giles

Norwich Blitz Ghosts: St Giles

Upper St Giles Another Norwich Blitz ghosts, Baedeker Raids again, not entirely sure which night to be honest 27th or 29th, I’m thinking 27th when Barn Road copped a load. What is interesting here though as much as anything is you can see how the new Cleveland...
Blitz Ghosts Norwich: Danger UXB

Blitz Ghosts Norwich: Danger UXB

More in the Blitz Ghosts Norwich series. I’m not sure where the above picture is exactly, Originally I thought it was possibly at Harford dump, which is where most of the defused stuff ended up, or it might be the depot in Ipswich, turns out it’s in Anchor...
Baedeker Blitz: The Hubbards

Baedeker Blitz: The Hubbards

Thomas Hubbard, Aged 52, Died 28-4-42 Norwich Garden of remembrance. Memorial cemetery. Farrow Road, Norwich. “The date that sticks in my mind is 28th April 1942 and the time 10.30 At that moment I was in the Anderson shelter in my garden on St. Martins Road,...
Blitz Ghost: Alexandra Road and Helena Road

Blitz Ghost: Alexandra Road and Helena Road

Alexandra Road, another Norwich Blitz Ghost. A 250kg bomb took out about 4 properties, quite a precise slice, which is still very evident if you look at the row today the missing block was replaced with a more modern variant of the generic terrace, a pattern you can...
Blitz Ghosts: St Benedicts Gate

Blitz Ghosts: St Benedicts Gate

On the 28th April 1942 this was the result of a 1000kg Hermann that burst on what is now the traffic lights at the bottom of Grapes Hill. The men aren’t short, they standing in the edge of a hole that was rather wide and very deep caused by the blast a Herman...
Blitz Ghost: St Bartholomew

Blitz Ghost: St Bartholomew

One of the few real reminders of the blitz on Norwich that is easy to visit is the church of St Bartholomew, Heigham, Norwich, it’s quite easy to find sitting just of Heigham Street and Waterworks Road. On the night of the 27th of April 1942 when the first of...