Bombsite
Encyclopedia
A bombsite is the wreckage that remains after a bomb has destroyed a building or other structure.
many Europe
an cities remained severely damaged from bombing. London
and other British
cities which had suffered the Blitz
were pock-marked with bombsites, vacant lots covered in the rubble of destroyed buildings. Many postwar children in urban areas shared a common memory of playing their games and riding their bicycles across these desolate environments. There were often abandoned bombshelters of the 'Anderson' type nearby.
In London, Liverpool
, Bristol
, etc., across the channel in Berlin
and other places these sites were constant reminders of the death and destruction of the war. This was a contributory factor to the European psycho-sociological
outlook of the 1950s and 1960s. The German city of Dresden
suffered a previously unprecedented level of destruction.
, an author who would return to this bombsite motif again. Also, author Graham Greene references to bombsites in his 1954 short story "The Destructors
".
World War II bombsites
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
many Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an cities remained severely damaged from bombing. London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and other British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cities which had suffered the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
were pock-marked with bombsites, vacant lots covered in the rubble of destroyed buildings. Many postwar children in urban areas shared a common memory of playing their games and riding their bicycles across these desolate environments. There were often abandoned bombshelters of the 'Anderson' type nearby.
In London, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, etc., across the channel in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and other places these sites were constant reminders of the death and destruction of the war. This was a contributory factor to the European psycho-sociological
Social psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all...
outlook of the 1950s and 1960s. The German city of Dresden
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
suffered a previously unprecedented level of destruction.
Bombsites in Literature and Media
The rubble of Viennese bombsites and the remnants of the city's battered infrastructure serve as a backdrop to much of the action in the movie The Third Man, written by Graham GreeneGraham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
, an author who would return to this bombsite motif again. Also, author Graham Greene references to bombsites in his 1954 short story "The Destructors
The Destructors
"The Destructors" is a 1954 short story about teenagers who destroy a house, written by Graham Greene. The story is ironic—showing how destruction is allegedly a form of creation....
".
External links
- Photograph: Bristol's last Bomb Site
- London Discovery Tours offers walks around the London bomb sites
- Photograph: Open spaces in Portsmouth where bombs had fallen
- Photographs: World War 2 Bomb Sites
- On Google Maps: V2 sites in Walthamstow
- Summary of 'The Destructors' by Graham Greene (from litsum.com)
- Summary of 'The Destructors' by Graham Greene (from enotes.com)
- Other essays analysing Graham Greene's 'The Destructors'
- http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Search/Search.aspx?query=z.i.H4sIAAAAAAAEAO29B2AcSZYlJi9tynt_SvVK1-B0oQiAYBMk2JBAEOzBiM3mkuwdaUcjKasqgcplVmVdZhZAzO2dvPfee--999577733ujudTif33_8_XGZkAWz2zkrayZ4hgKrIHz9-fB8_In7dfLn9-ZNf49f4NX6PX_dskV3kvyb9-pj-_-tOyqL9wa85wt-959ei_z94nWf1dP5FMZuV-Zsir8ev8vNimS_yZTv-oqrz58Xb_M28aNzHp8u2vv4NHjzc2b-3d-_Bl_O2XT26e3eaTef53jhrmrzd5j_Gy7y9-669a1qOf3p18Xtcfrb7Cy8-O2_2fmbnZ_JZ0VZ1kZUHP7N_72eoxS9sPtv9u3_Nezu7-w9G9O-nD-nfewf7o3u7Ow8_HX26s7Nzj_7d3b3P_z7Evwf49-E9_nd_l__dG326-2DvAP_ep5a7BwcPRp_u7ezj3_0d-mTv4S5Bu3f_4f7owc4OtT_Yufdwd_Tw4MGDT0e7OwcPqYO9-3sPqM8H-w_2HlAD-vTBw9H-wb179LX8fLijP3dHBOnBzsO93wT0SksiWNoSxX7N37lHW_nguwV9vUxeVqtVXp9XbWUmxMzSr5nUVdW-zOps0fza3mT9Wrs7-PU3M-1_d_zzG9P_f713r6-b03cGxq_p_c3vZufm119Tfwe4Xzs7n9ou_T_Q56-5wz0uWvem-_3Xocal_cL-hfd-XfqjXliw4Z-_Pj7axV-_Hn8-sTA6f_Nr5yEU-ydD2bFQzjtQ3N_8Wh1CsX8ylD0Lpe5AcX8TZXILA3-YKWEy7eK335D-_1vu7N6l_-0-3L-f7uw84v_hu9_Y_-5gJ9279-j-Q_ofyEuUy1e23-CvXzufNPYb8wdPSe4w9X7_tXLX3Pv9125WK_s5_jAj-a3si5dT96L7_depao-h7F_81ST3vzJ_4fm1Z1dL8_uvaf74dfD_Zu2NJ_jr184zh4H_B_2-8r-wf_y6TQAt_PPXfvfsuZsu-sN-kdUebt4fv1EzrVb5k_WSxNRBDT41AH8ccB7s3Mfvvw5x2to2D_76dea1_CEUwl8Gwsf0_1_rYAe_Ei856fL_-PVe5Fd50_IrGyH8P7YX2cv3BQAA&sx=AllEditorialImages of London bomb damage and related material]
- The Psychological effects of war and violence on children By Lewis A. Leavitt, Nathan A. Fox on Google Books