Coventry Air Raids

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25th August 1940

16 September 1940

14 October 1940

Coventry Cathedral also suffered during this raid, a foreshadowing of the future when an incendiary punctured the lead roof and set fire to the wooden ceiling below. The fire was spotted by the Cathedral Fire Watchers and the fire brigade were summoned. When they arrived they found the almost inaccessible fire was burning fiercely between the two roofs. It was thanks to their heroic efforts while properties all around were still being attacked, that the fire was eventually extinguished and the Cathedral saved.

14 November 1940 (7.15pm - 6.15am)

Operation Moonlight Sonata - So named because a bright moonlit night was necessary for success, their aim was to totally wipe out Coventry’s war production. It was also from this raid that the Nazi’s created a new word Coventrieren meaning to totally destroy. Almost 500 bombers were gathered together from the German occupied parts of Europe especially for this raid.

At 7.10pm when night had fallen the sirens sounded. Flares attached to parachutes were dropped, quickly followed by incendiaries. Unlike the regular incendiaries which people had become used to putting out with sand, these contained phosphorus. When the new incendiaries exploded they instantly started so many small fires that putting them out became an impossible task. As many as 30,000 incendiaries were dropped on Coventry during the course of the raid. The aim of these was to create large fires to enable the following bombers to easily locate their target.

A short time later the bombers began to arrive. They dropped around 500 tons of high explosives many of which were directed at the city centre and at civilian houses, rather than military targets. The local population fled to private or public shelters, or even hiding in cellars or under the stairs; wherever they could find some protection. Some air raid shelters were hit and completely demolished. In cases where there were thought to be no survivors the shelters were later sealed and the bodies never recovered. Many citizens stayed with elderly relations who were either unwilling or unable to leave their homes and were subsequently killed in the raid.

Coventry Cathedral (St Michaels) was hit by so many incendiaries that the four fire watchers could not put them out fast enough. Many began to puncture the lead roof and fall onto the wooden ceiling below. Once there they were very difficult to reach and smother. Eventually, due to the large number of incendiaries and the lack of sand, it became obvious that only the fire brigade could now fight the flames. The local fire fighters were already bravely fighting hundreds of fires and could not attend. When fire fighters finally arrived all the way from Solihull, the water supply failed and nothing more could be done.

Whole rows of houses were demolished by landmines; these fiendish creations consisted of a metal case attached to a parachute. Unlike other bombs, the force of the explosion was not directed into the ground making a crater; instead they were designed to explode before they hit the ground causing maximum damage and killing many civilians. Coventry’s tram system never worked again because so much of the track was destroyed and the cost of replacement was prohibitive.

When the raid was finally over there was hardly a water or gas main in Coventry that wasn’t destroyed. At least 568 civilians were known to have been killed, but it is possible that as many as 1000 innocent people actually died. Many bodies were never recovered or were unrecognisable. One mortuary was itself bombed, so identification for private burial became impossible. Another problem was that so many workers came from all over the UK to Coventry to work in the factories. If they died in the chaos of the raid, unless they had relations in Coventry to report them missing then they would not have been included in the official death toll figures.

I have been contacted by several people who say they are 100% sure that a relative of theirs was killed in the Coventry blitz, or had relatives who were staying in Coventry at the time but were never heard from again. I have checked local records, and for some people I have been unable to find an official entry for their deaths. This leads me to believe that the death toll has been underestimated. I am compiling a list of possible Blitz victims who have not been officially recognised as such. If you have reason to believe that one of your relatives was killed in the blitz I would be happy to add their name to the list.

16th November 1940

King George VI visited Coventry to view for himself the devastation caused by the Blitz. He walked through the devastated centre and looked at the Cathedral ruins. His Majesty spoke to many ordinary Coventry folk and his visit gave heart to the local populace.

20th November 1940

8th April 1941 & 11th April 1941

“Easter Week” - Coventry was again attacked. 8th April. The raid lasted seven hours. Thousands of incendiaries again rained down upon the city, followed by high explosives as before. Buildings were again damaged including Coventry Police Station in which several officers died, St Mary’s Hall and King Henry VIII School. Two nights later during a less intensive raid Christchurch was destroyed although the much more ancient Spire remains to this day. Other buildings damaged include the Magistrates Court, Council House, St Mark’s Church and The Central Post Office.

Perhaps most tragic was the bombing of Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital where many injured civilians were brought during the raid. The Hospital had a large Red Cross marked out on the roof but still during the night 25 Bombs landed in the surrounding area and the Hospital itself received10 direct hits killing 33 patents, 2 doctors and 7 nurses. The remaining doctors and nurses bravely carried on caring for patients throughout. Some even continued with operations. One patent was being treated for burns when he was blown off the operating table but thankfully didn’t suffer further injury. It is recorded that a delayed action bomb exploded the following morning, causing even more deaths.

4 Nurses on duty that night were awarded the George Medal for their bravery, Margaret Brown, Joyce Burton, Emma Horne and Julia Stoneystreet.

Wednesday 12/03/2008

Memories of the Coventry Blitz were brought to mind when workmen discovered an unexploded bomb on a Coventry building site. The bomb was uncovered at the site of the New Belgrade Plaza whilst digging a trench for water pipes. Although the bomb was small measuring approximatly18 inches long by 6 inches wide, it weighed 50kg and contained 22kg of explosives which would have caused considerable damage and loss of life had it exploded.

When the bomb was first discovered a 500m exclusion zone was set up, this was later reduced when the size of the bomb became apparent. However many homes and shops had to be evacuated and some residents were forced to spend the night in church centres around the city.

Thanks to the bravery of the Royal Engineers (Explosive Ordinance Disposal Division) the bomb was destroyed in a controlled explosion at the building site in the early hours of Thursday morning. It was decided to detonate the bomb in a specially excavated hole at the site near where is was found. Moving the bomb to a different location was not considered advisable, because upon examination the case was found to be damaged and leaking.

The discovery of this relic of the past was no surprise to local residents. Building work is now taking place in the city, much of it on previously undeveloped sites. This makes further discoveries likely.

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© J Hewitt Family Researcher