As a young man my father was caught in an explosion while fire watching in the Sheffield blitz. After some time in hospital he went on to join the army and served in India. Many years later he had to have a piece of shrapnel removed from his chest when it started causing him irritation after sitting in his body for nearly 50 years.
My family had just moved from slums just off West bar to a 'lovely' new house on Maltravwrs Road, the Wybourn, not sure which raid it was, but my dad always told how he was closing the front door, leaving the house as the raid began, and waking up five minutes later flat on his face, a land mine had hit the other side of the road, knocked him off his feet back through the door, he always joked he was glad he never had time to close it and lock it
Brilliant thank-you very touching my great grandmother was injured during Sunday 15th when the East end was bombed a direct hit on their house 32 Uttley Street Darnall she survived with serious burns and was transferred to Wakefield Hospital which is now Pinderfields specialist burns hospital and died April 1941 Harriet Davis aged 72 she had to go in next-door neighbours Anderson shelter the father survived with broken legs but his wife ,daughter aged 5 and mother in law all died heart breaking xx
I'm sitting here in Arkansas, (don't ask why a guy from Sheffield is living here), and having just watched this, and remembering what my grandparents told me of that time - I got a bit of a lump in the throat. An old fella in my old local told me that while all the bombing was going on, the german fighter escorts would fly around just strafing the place, and in some areas, they presented a greater danger.
I found out when I was about 15 in the 80s that our old next door neighbour was pulled out of the wreckage in the marples cellar alive and just about ok .. the day after she went back to work at the cinema across fitzalan square
That's the first time I've seen something about the Shefgield Blitz. When there have been documentaries about the Second World War...they always mention London and Coventry...but just a passing comment on the Sheffield Blitz....odd that. An excellent presentation...Cx
Yet another great video, keep them coming. There was talk of bodies still under Marples if I remember. I think I also read once that we had to put some of the dead in one of the arches in the Wicker, also there's still a patched up hole in the main arch where an un exploded bomb went through.
My mum told me of this, she was a girl when this happened, my grandad a 1st World War veteran worked for the gas board and had to be out all night. She said there was a rumour a downed airman or men got thrown into a smelter, I doubt that was true but rumours spread, she said the mines made a hell of a bang
...Seriously!! Worse than the nazi luftwaffe ..and on the things political, endless labour councils have done what for Sheffield..I've lost count of no go areas, Sheffield has turned into one big shithole now, under the watchful eye of labour..sorry about the home truth of reality...by a long former labour voter !
@Bob Green ..I know exactly where your coming from about council lies about reinstating people they move out of an area to ' build new improved homes ' ..yea right, only for the people they want to move in .