Plymouth during WWII
While for many the Blitz will always be associated with London, other cities also suffered. One of the primary targets for the Luftwaffe was the major naval base at Devonport, Plymouth. During the Blitz, Plymouth suffered tremendous damage it was described as the worst-bombed city in the country- also with many casualties.
For the first 9 months of the war Plymouth went the way it had in previous wars - At distance. Air raid control centres were organised underneath the guildhall and Devonport market, they were to be the centre of activity. In early summer 1940 the blitz began, schools and churches were destroyed. In the dockyard the damage was heavy, some of the old buildings including the ropery and the mould loft were gutted by fire.
For the first 9 months of the war Plymouth went the way it had in previous wars - At distance. Air raid control centres were organised underneath the guildhall and Devonport market, they were to be the centre of activity. In early summer 1940 the blitz began, schools and churches were destroyed. In the dockyard the damage was heavy, some of the old buildings including the ropery and the mould loft were gutted by fire.
The night of April 22nd/23rd 1941 saw the worst disaster of the blitz, an air raid shelter in Portland area had a direct hit, 72 people died. The city centre was completely destroyed. shops and houses, all that was left of the guild hall and the St Andrews church were empty shells
Children were affected in that their schooling and night time was disrupted. People heard the raid warning and went straight to a shelter until they got the all clear. Mr Roy Lidiard who lived and worked in Plymouth at the time said ''My most vivid recollections of these nightmarish times was one of the six nights between April 21st and 29th 1941 when Luftwaffe unleashed probably the most ferocious, hideous sustained attacks during the Plymouth bombardments". Plymouth was affected so
badly because most of the blitz was at night. The war came and no-one seemed to
believe it had really happened and that it would not last long, but in the
first few months a substantial amount of shipping was sunk and quite a few
people knew someone or lost someone, this brought the reality of the situation
to the surface quickly.
The first bomb to drop on Plymouth dropped on the North Prospect area. It was a shock to everyone and no-one could really believe it, crowds of people turned up outside the bombed houses, but it was a forerunner of what was to come. It was really surprising how people can cope in times of trouble.
The anderson shelters were earthy and damp but whether they liked it or not people had to leave their beds and stay in their shelter for as long as it lasted. They got quite used to the gunfire and the planes above the morning after the raid you would see a lot of people wandering around, but help was always at hand-community centres were set up with rows of beds and hot drinks and refreshments were offered.
The first bomb to drop on Plymouth dropped on the North Prospect area. It was a shock to everyone and no-one could really believe it, crowds of people turned up outside the bombed houses, but it was a forerunner of what was to come. It was really surprising how people can cope in times of trouble.
The anderson shelters were earthy and damp but whether they liked it or not people had to leave their beds and stay in their shelter for as long as it lasted. They got quite used to the gunfire and the planes above the morning after the raid you would see a lot of people wandering around, but help was always at hand-community centres were set up with rows of beds and hot drinks and refreshments were offered.