Nottingham Blitz
Encyclopedia
The Nottingham Blitz was an attack by the German Luftwaffe
on Nottingham
during the night of 8-9 May 1941.
) network. It was developed because of the foresight of Nottingham City Police Chief Constable Captain Athelstan Popkess
. The city was divided into zones, controlled by report and control centres with 45 auxiliary fire service stations.
By the time of the raid, Nottingham had built a significant number of public shelters. The John Player & Sons
tobacco company had built a network of tunnels at its factory and under local streets sufficient to house around 5,000 of its workers.
The raid on the night of 8-9 May by the German Luftwaffe was targeted at Nottingham
and Derby
. The X-Gerät beams set up to cover the Rolls Royce
works were detected, and radio counter-measures diverted the attack to the moors north east of the town.
A Starfish
decoy fire system located near Cropwell Butler
in the Vale of Belvoir confused the aircraft, and many of the bombs intended for Nottingham
were dropped on open farmland in the vale.
Firefighters successfully tackled a fire in the south transept at St Mary's Church after an incendiary bomb burned through the roof. A turntable ladder was positioned on High Pavement
to enable them to direct a hose on to the roof. The vicar of St. Mary's, Neville Stuart Talbot
noted:
There were fierce fires at Trivett's Building near St. Mary's Church, in Short Hill and three of the Boots' factories in Poplar Street, Island Street and Station Street.
were killed, and 20 others injured. At University College, 45 people were killed.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
on Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
during the night of 8-9 May 1941.
Defence preparations
Nottingham was the first city in Britain to develop an ARP (Air Raid PrecautionsAir Raid Precautions
Air Raid Precautions was an organisation in the United Kingdom set up as an aid in the prelude to the Second World War dedicated to the protection of civilians from the danger of air-raids. It was created in 1924 as a response to the fears about the growing threat from the development of bomber...
) network. It was developed because of the foresight of Nottingham City Police Chief Constable Captain Athelstan Popkess
Athelstan Popkess
Athelstan Horn Popkess CBE was Chief Constable of Nottingham City Police from 1930 to 1959.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He was the youngest Chief Constable ever appointed at the time, and achieved a notoriety following an investigation into corruption in Nottingham City...
. The city was divided into zones, controlled by report and control centres with 45 auxiliary fire service stations.
By the time of the raid, Nottingham had built a significant number of public shelters. The John Player & Sons
John Player & Sons
John Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:...
tobacco company had built a network of tunnels at its factory and under local streets sufficient to house around 5,000 of its workers.
The raid on the night of 8-9 May by the German Luftwaffe was targeted at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. The X-Gerät beams set up to cover the Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
works were detected, and radio counter-measures diverted the attack to the moors north east of the town.
A Starfish
Starfish site
Starfish sites, or bombing decoy sites, were deliberately created simulations of burning towns that were constructed in Britain during World War II. The name came from the code name for one of the sites, "Starfish", itself from the original code, SF, for Special Fire.Starfish sites were used to...
decoy fire system located near Cropwell Butler
Cropwell Butler
Cropwell Butler is a village in the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, one mile to the east of the A46 in the NG12 postcode. The next village to the south is Cropwell Bishop....
in the Vale of Belvoir confused the aircraft, and many of the bombs intended for Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
were dropped on open farmland in the vale.
The Raid
There were over 100 bombers in the Nottingham raid. Emergency services tackled 97 fires on the night of the Nottingham Blitz on May 8 and 9, 1941. Records list 12 fires as serious, 40 as major and 42 as medium. In some cases, fires started by incendiary bombs were put out before they took hold.Firefighters successfully tackled a fire in the south transept at St Mary's Church after an incendiary bomb burned through the roof. A turntable ladder was positioned on High Pavement
High Pavement
High Pavement is a street in Nottingham, England. It is one of the earliest streets in the city, and most of its buildings are listed.-History:...
to enable them to direct a hose on to the roof. The vicar of St. Mary's, Neville Stuart Talbot
Neville Stuart Talbot
Neville Stuart Talbot was born at Keble College, Oxford on 21 August 1879 and died on 3 April 1943. He was a bishop in the Church of England.-Family:He was the third child and second son of his parents...
noted:
We had a visitation - nothing compared with some places, but still a very real taste. Began about twelve. We had gone to bed, and tried to believe that the explosions were our guns, but soon one and then another were unmistakable - one was not far off down Friar's Lane. Peering out of the top window, I soon realised that big fires had been started, so, there being a lull, I went down. I found a fire going in the South Transept of the Church. It took a long time really to put it out.
There were fierce fires at Trivett's Building near St. Mary's Church, in Short Hill and three of the Boots' factories in Poplar Street, Island Street and Station Street.
Buildings destroyed
- St. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, NottinghamSt. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, NottinghamThe church of St. John the Baptist, Leenside, Nottingham was opened in 1844 as a parish church in the Church of England. It was destroyed in 1941.-History:...
, remains demolished and site cleared after the war. - St. Christopher's Church, SneintonSt. Christopher's Church, SneintonSt. Christopher's Church, Sneinton is a Church of England church in Sneinton Nottingham.-History:St. Christopher's Church, Sneinton was consecrated by Rt. Revd. Edwyn Hoskyns the Bishop of Southwell on 1 December 1910...
, rebuilt by 1952 - Stadium Hotel, Parliament Street
Buildings damaged
- St. Mary's Church, NottinghamSt. Mary's Church, NottinghamThe Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest religious foundation in the City of Nottingham, England, the largest church after the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the largest mediæval building in Nottingham....
- Nottingham Masonic Hall
- University College Nottingham
- Moot Hall, Friar Lane
Casualties
Casualties were heavy. There were 159 people recorded as killed with 274 injured. At the Coop bakery on Meadow Lane, 49 employees and members of the Home GuardHome Guard
-Military:*British Home Guard*Combat Groups of the Working Class *Confederate Home Guard, during the American Civil War*Croatian Home Guard and Imperial Croatian Home Guard*Danish Home Guard...
were killed, and 20 others injured. At University College, 45 people were killed.