Norwich Air Raid Map restored ...

[chenrezig]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/map_shows_t ... _1_3342414

"It is an apparently innocuous map of Norwich with hundreds of tags in it. But each of the 679 tags tells a terrible tale. For they show where in the city the Nazis dropped their devastating bombs between 1940-1943. Now, members of the public have a chance to see the fascinating section on display for the first time - or view it digitally. The Second World War map - which has pinholes in addition to the 679 tags, suggesting more bombs may have landed on Norwich - was created by the Civil Defence Air Raid Precautions section."

I read with keen interest the story on the Norwich Air Raid map. My late grandfather worked at Barnard’s at the time of the raid. He had been working on the day shift – I was told that a gentleman who worked on the night shift and had a family asked him if he would mind swapping shifts so he could spend time with his family which my grandfather agreed to.

If they hadn’t swapped shifts it may well be that my grandfather would have been killed instead, as the man he swapped with was killed in the raid. The family version then goes on that he was so angry about it he signed up the next week – the date of the raid in the article was 7th July 1940, I have his RAF papers which say he joined on 15th July 1940 – I hadn’t known that it was the first raid of the war.

As to the end of the raid, I have a family connection with that too, as my Dad’s cousin Audrey was injured in the raid on Carrow as she worked at Colman’s.

My father also recalled cycling along Heartsease Lane when a Dornier flew over him firing its machine guns, a soldier nearby grabbed him off his bike and shoved him a in ditch telling him to keep down so he didn’t get shot. Once the plane had gone my Dad leapt on his bike and pedalled as hard as he could to his home in Supple Close, and he “belted down” the alleyway (it is still there between Aldi and a bungalow), and sprinted down the garden to the Anderson shelter. I never had a date for this so I do have to wonder was it the same raid as the one on the 7th/9th on Barnard’s as Supple Close is the opposite end of Heartsease Lane to Barnard’s.

-I am a bit puzzled as I had read the raid was on the 9th July? On the George Plunkett website
http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Website/raids.htm

it says the raid was on the 9th July. So I think I will have to check the map myself. There are also previous stories on the Archant website which states the raid was on the 9th.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/norfolk/hi/ ... 801870.stm


Liz