The map is composed of 3 ordinance survey maps mounted on 6ft sheet of chipboard. Each bomb is marked with a metal pin and a cardboard tag. The condition of the map was poor; over the previous 70 plus years it had deteriorated badly – smoke from cigarettes, pollution in the atmosphere and gases released by the chipboard had discoloured the paper heavily, the pins had rusted, ad the labels had curled.
In 2014 the process of conserving this piece of history began, Yuki Uchida from Norfolk Record Office spent 5 months conserving the map. The labels were catalogued, washed in de-ionised water to remove chemical and prevent further deterioration, the map was cleaned and all the materials stablilised. The 679 labels were straightened out and returned to their original positions – a large complex task. At the end of the conservation process a scanned version of the map was made available at Norfolk Record Office to view and to buy on CD allowing public access to the information for the first time.
In 2016 some friends and I decided it would be a good idea to digitise this information, we approached Gary Tuson at Norfolk Record Office and asked permission to do so which was willingly granted, Jess MacDonald, Richard Jeffery and I then set about making this happen with a view to having it ready for for the 75th anniversary of the first Baedeker Raid of 1942. We missed the deadline, so we’ve hung on. It is the 80th anniversary on Wednesday the 27th of April 2022, it seems fitting now to release this.
The plan is to eventually add photographs to as many locations as possible from my accumulated archives, I have hundreds of images, this is a lengthy task, so please bear with me. Should anyone have any family pictures of bomb damage which may extend this, please get in touch via email. Scans are always welcome.
What we have done is catalogue the bombs by weight, you will also notice you can sometimes see the bombing patterns, so the direction of travel is visible through the impacts by date. The intention is to give local residents more of an idea of exactly what happened in their area during both the Baedeker Blitz and the other raids which took place during Second World War.
You can also view this map direct in Google Maps here.
Feature image at the top of the page is a section of a the April 1947 aerial photograph of Norwich, showing bomb damage to the section of the city to the south-east of Waterloo Park. The bottom right corner just touches Wensum Park, you can see damage to the top of St Martins Road, Patteson and Buxton Road, as well as areas of damage to Jolly Gardeners Court. Air raid shelters and slit trenches are also still visible in Sewell Park. (Photograph: Author’s personal collection).
With thanks to Jess, Richard, Gary and all at Norfolk Record Office.
Below is a low res copy of the bomb map. You can purchase this in hi-resolution on CD here.
*Addenda:
In response to comments in a few emails regarding question about gaps in the map. The map isn’t a complete picture of all the bombs that fell. It is a record of ‘recorded incidents’. We are also aware of other spots where things clearly happened but went unrecorded, or in some instances where pins may have gone missing. As stated the map sat in the city engineer’s office for 70 years and I’ve previously heard stories of pins falling out already from some sources.
It would perhaps be interesting to compare it to some often other bomb maps, there’s at least one other independent one, and there’s also Wally’s Map in the Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell which may have other sites listed.
Elements we know are missing include a number of unexploded devices, particularly the bombs retrieved from the rear of a house in Anchor Quay, Coslany, a 250kg that was retrieved from Waterloo Park, and one in Theatre Street.
Also St Paul’s Church and St Michael at Thorn as commented on by Sue Law below, which hadn’t occurred to me. If anyone spots anymore please let me know by email.
I have also had a conversation with Richard Lamb via email about a bomb known to have been dropped on Collins Court and Angel Road which isn’t marked, we have located using post-war aerials where you can see the chalk marking from the infil.
It is also worth noting that later Baedeker Raid in May and June were in some instances partially mitigated by diverted them away from the city and out over Poringland and Stoke Holy Cross Starfish site, none of these are indicated on this map, but may be added later as a separate layer – whilst I don’t have them pinpointed in the way the Bomb Map allows, I do have a rather Heath Robinson list of known locations as well as many of the raids across Norfolk, including the V2 impact sites. So keep an an eye on this for updates.
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Really excellent to be able to see this information in a clearer manner than on the original map (of which I have a copy). What is interesting is that a bomb was dropped and demolished at least two houses on the junction of Angel Road and Collins Court (north side) in Old Catton and which damaged the side of no. 11 Collins Court where my Mum and her parents were living at the time. Nothing is shown on the map and I wondered whether you had any idea as to why that is the case?
Fantastic beginnings! I am a family historian and had relatives directly affected by these raids (29/30 Apr 1942). Was wondering if in the future there will be associated photos showing the damage of the area (directly linked to the damage with a particular ordinance dropped). Also, interested in copies of the damage reports regarding the homes on Globe Row and damage to/on the two shelters at Chapelfield Gardens.
Hi Sean, damage reports are held by The National Archive and so far haven’t been digitised, so it woudl require a visit to access them, but I can assure you it’s worth it. The Shelters is a thorny one, as there’s a bit of an urban myth surrounding them which has somewhat clouded the issue, I’m not sure they were even hit.
I suppose though that incendiary bombs are not shown… ?
As Richard comments, the original bomb map does not include all the bombs which were dropped on Norwich. Two other notably blank areas are the sites of St Paul’s church Barrack St (now under St Crispins Rd) and St Michael at Thorn (corner of Ber St and Thorn Lane, now a car park). Both were destroyed on the morning of 27 Jun 1942 (http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Website/raids.htm), St Paul’s by incendiaries.
Is there any documentation as to what was and was not included in the Bomb mapping?
Sue
Thanks Sue, you are correct and I had actually noticed either of them were missing, which is annoying as I’ve Ghosted both of them here and here. Please also see the addenda, we are aware that the map isn’t a complete record and will eventually add another layer for various other sites such as unexploded ordinance, and ones that are missing.
Just to add to Nick’s previous comments, any errors in location in the google maps version are entirely mine! It was absolutely fascinating trying to work out the current location of long gone streets, but I know I didn’t get it as exactly right as I wanted to, which is why some of the locations are slightly off, and why so many of the bombs are marked as ‘unknown’ in terms of weight or date. It’s very much unfinished business as far as I’m concerned, and I do want to amend/add more to it – or perhaps create an entirely new map which can take in all of the new information that people have.
What I have absolutely loved about this is adding a layer to Norwich that so many of us didn’t fully understand. Seeing the city with new eyes, and hopefully giving voice to stories we didn’t know before.
Very interesting map indeed and clearly a lot of hard work over a very significant period of time to generate. My father was born just of Hall Road, Norwich, in 1888 but from 1939-1945 was in London itself as an ARP warden in Brondesbury. But his sister and her husband were living in Norwich at Trafford Road, and with a shop in White Lion Street in the centre of city. His name was Walter Manthorpe and ran a health food shop there, well known in its day. He was a quaker and a pacifist during WWI, so had a tough time. They had two sons, of whom the younger, Jack Manthope, joined the RAF and was killed in May 1942 in a flying training accident in Scotland. Manthorpe Close in the City is named after him, but obviously that was not around in WWII. I spent 6 years at UEA, 1965-71 and I see that was bombed a bit as well – and more so out towards Hellesdon on the other side of Earlham Road where the original village at UEA was constructed.
How much bombing did the aerodrome at Horsham St. Faiths get during the early part of the war?
That would be an MoD thing and only probably accessible via their records, although it’s possible Norfolk Record Office may have some material, failing that a lot of stuff is centralised at the National archive if it relates to bomb surveys. It may still be classed as classified.
My Dad lived at 2 Adams Road in Sprowston and told us that that area was bombed on the 27th June 1942 (his 13th Birthday). His family home was damaged in the blast and, in his effects, we have two pieces of, what I assume, are bomb fragments. His recollections were reliable
I think that one of the “unknown” bombs just north of Lothian St was an SBC50. This was an incendiary bomb container. I think that at least two other SBC50 were dropped on the same night, in the same area – 18th March 1943. One of the impacts is recorded on your map as an S9C50, the other is maked as unknown. SBC50 were quite unusual, but there is reference to them eg https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/units/air-historical-branch/ahb-translations-from-captured-german-documents/german-air-operations-against-britain-from-january-to-march-1944/
There were bombs dropped on Railway Street, which was where the VW dealership now stands, one road that still remains can be seen to the right of the garage. My Grandad was away with the R.A and returned home to 2 Railway Street to find that the windows had all been blown in. The front bedroom had the bed blown against the back wall of the bedroom, and the bed was full of shattered glass. This is when number 4 Railway Street, to the left of number 2 as you faced the house was destroyed. I had always wondered why my Grandad had an extra piece of garden running down the side of his house and no one else did, later he told me, but I was too young to realise it’s significance. The bomb had landed directly opposite and destroyed those houses, which is why there were still prefabs there in the early 70’s. I can’t remember now if there was two or more prefabs, and you didn’t have access to a camera in those days.
I also remember quite clearly at the end of the street was a brick wall with a set of big black open slat gates which looked onto what appeared to be a meadow. It was in fact probably the overgrown sidings from the station and not a meadow, but I was told an American bomber crashed there and the ammunition was going off for ages. The bomber was a B24 the ‘Lady Jane’ 42-95133 RAF Horsham St Faiths, now Norwich Airport, and had clipped the nearby church tower, whilst making a second attempt at an instrument landing having gone round from the first attempt to land. the pilot had somehow fought with the plane and managed to avoid all the houses and crashed in the sidings, all 9 crewmen lost their lives. There is a photograph of the remains of the aircraft in situ on the internet.
Hi
My grandfather was on duty as a home guard he was killed by a bomb dropped on Waterloo Park on 27th April 1942. His 11 year old daughter my mother Barbara Harbach and his wife Olive were in the bomb shelter at Angel Road. They lived in Elm Grove Lane
I’m sorry, that’s terrible. William is remembered here. https://www.invisibleworks.co.uk/baedeker-blitz-norwich-deaths/
There were quite a few houses bombed on the Mile Cross Estate where l li.ved as a child.