December 1944

  14 Responses to “December 1944”

1. 

   David Bally says:

   Monday, 3rd February 2014 at 7:55 pm

   I was born and brought up in and around Billericay Essex, although I have now lived in Hampshire for 26 years.
   It is shocking to finally discover that my old home town was right in both the V1 and V2 flight paths, and that many fell in the area.
   Also the reality of the horror of a V2 strike, really sank home when read about the Hoffmans Ball Bearing factory in nearby Chelmsford, which took a direct hit

   The following is from the excellent website chelmsfordwarmemorial.co.uk

   “At 1.28 a.m. on 19th December 1944 a German V-2 rocket struck the extreme western edge of the roof of Hoffmann’s C Factory’s Cage & Assembly Department, which fronted Rectory Lane, approximately level with the garden of 11 Henry Road which runs off the northern side of Rectory Lane.
   The rocket exploded before reaching the earth bank which ran alongside the outer west wall of the factory, leaving a small crater, 12 feet across by 6 feet deep. The explosion devastated a large area of Hoffmann’s, demolished properties in Henry Road, damaged hundreds of others in the town, and caused Chelmsford’s greatest loss of life from a single war-time incident.
   Official figures put the total fatalities from the incident at 39 dead and 138 injured, including 47 seriously so. Thirty of the dead were workers on the night shift at Hoffmann’s, while nine others died in Henry Road, including 2 year-old Pamela who died from severe shock when 6 Henry Road was hit by the blast from the explosion. Her body was removed to the wartime emergency mortuary established at the former race course grandstand at Galleywood Common.”
   The bomb dropped on a building in which, only a quarter of an hour before, men women, and girls had been singing Christmas carols to the accompaniment of a Salvation Army Band. The band had left the building when the crash came, but they returned and helped with the rescue work/ Many people were still humming the familiar Christmas tunes, when the explosion ripped through the building”

   In 2009, Mr Bert Upson, a survivor of the blast recalled his story to the Essex Chronicle.
   “I was in the middle of setting up a machine and woomph!,” said Mr Upson, 88.

   “Things flew everywhere and the place was in total darkness. A few minutes later came the flames.

   “I shouted at the girls to get out. Someone said the canteen hadn’t been hit so I told them to go there.

   “I kept four fellows back with me and said we had to do whatever we could to help.

   “We got bodies and people who had been injured and half dragged and half carried them out to the surgery.

   “Sister Ham was in charge that night and, after taking several bodies down, she screamed ‘don’t bring any more, only bring people who are injured, not missing arms and legs’, so we had to leave the bodies of the dead at the surgery door”

   Mr Upson and his colleagues spent the rest of the night rescuing people from the burning rubble of the factory and several homes in Henry Road which had been “smashed to pieces”. In total 39 people were killed that night.

   “We kept going until seven o’clock in the morning when American airmen arrived from Boreham in their trucks. We did quite a lot during those hours. We did what we could.”

   The soles of Mr Upson’s shoes burnt through on the smouldering debris as he ferried the injured, dead and dying.

   Hoffmann’s later gave him 30 shillings and seven coupons to buy himself a new pair.

   The attack deeply affected him at the time, and he still thinks about the many young lives that were lost that night.

   “I went off and didn’t go home for a day or two, where I was I don’t know, but I just couldn’t take it.

   “A lot of them that were killed were young lads and such lovely girls.”

   Sadly, bombsights also attracted theives, it was discovered that four gas meters from damaged houses had been opened and approximately £2/6/0 stolen from them.

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2. 

   Kevin Murray says:

   Wednesday, 11th July 2018 at 11:00 am

   My mother, Ursula Latchfield, who passed away on 9th July 2018 and who was 17 at the time of the missile-strike, had just passed through that department, on an errand, when the bomb struck.

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3. 

   Margaret Dyson says:

   Tuesday, 1st October 2019 at 4:49 pm

   12th December 1944: 229 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill, Kensington. When the V2 hit, my grandmother Caroline Alice Cozens (a widow 79 yrs old) was in her kitchen in the basement of the house. My cousin (Frederick Smith) was in the flat on the top floor when the V2 hit. My cousin fell 4 floors – he survived with a shoulder and leg injury. He recovered well but always had a stoop when walking. My grandmother was pulled from the ruins with just shock and a few bruises. When the firemen arrived, my Uncle (son-in–law to C.A. Cozens) who lived in the house discovered that he had come to the wreckage of his home. When the demolition squad arrived, another cousin’s husband was in that squad. A real family affair! I have visited Kensington Archives and have seen the destruction that took place. It was very fortunate that the casualty list wasn’t much higher.

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   • 

     Margaret Dyson says:

     Tuesday, 1st October 2019 at 4:58 pm

     12th December 1944;: Can I add to my comments, please, 229 Lancaster Road was a type of mews house, with an archway entrance to the horses ‘stables, housing horses from the milkman, rag & bone, butcher, etc. All the horses were killed..

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4. 

   david belasco says:

   Tuesday, 16th June 2020 at 12:40 pm

   my father survived the v2 attack on bowes road 14th dec 1944 a direct hit on his house and synagogue next door but lost his mother and two sisters in hit

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5. 

   Janice White says:

   Friday, 28th August 2020 at 10:55 am

   My mum, Phyllis Joan Webb, was killed by the V2 strike on the Hoffmans Factory, we lived at 7 Henry Road. I understand we were in the same bedroom and it was the first time for weeks she had gone to bed in the bedroom rather than sleeping downstairs, as she had the flu. I was apparently saved by the Wardrobe and rescued by an American Serviceman to whom I am sure I owe my life! Also, I wish to express my gratitude to the Hospital Staff who looked after me , I believe I was there for around 17 days, as I understand it, this was with regard to my sight.

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   • 

     Diane Curtis says:

     Wednesday, 18th August 2021 at 3:32 pm

     Hello Janice My parents lived at 8 Henry Road my father was on duty as a spotter that night and saw the rocket hit. The only way he new which house was ours was because we had a yellow privet hedge and leaves were sticking out of the rubble. He fund me still asleep in my cot although I had fallen down from the top floor. He broke the rungs of the cot and snatched me out, I didn’t have a scratch. A family of all boys took me in and looked after me. The American servicemen made a human chain and moved brick by brick until they found my mothers foot, the mattress had wrapped round her and a doctor said she had minutes to live as she was suffocating. They took a chance and pulled and out she came. I was told there was a front page newspaper article saying it was a miracle that I had survived without a scratch. My father also helped people in Hoffmans and saw some terrible sights in there. My mother said that she told the young woman next door to bang on the wall if she was frightened. Also that she was killed by a rafter that pinned her to her bed and that her baby daughter had survived. My mums name was Edith and my dad was know as Win

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6. 

   W J Dowe says:

   Monday, 7th September 2020 at 5:10 pm

   My mum told me that she was working on the night shift when the V2 hit Hoffmans where she worked on inspections of ball bearings. She considered herself very lucky as the lady working next to her, who they affectionately called ” aunt Eadie” was killed outright. Mum said she didn’t know much about it other than seeing flames when she eventually came round. The fear of being burned was what scared her. They treated her for head wounds and said she should go to hospital which seemed to worry her even more , she refused. She said she felt embarrassed when mum, with her head bandaged up and her friend, arm in sling arrived at Ipswich rail station with people staring at them, they were glad to get home. Mums maiden name was Connie Baldwin, she passed away in 2004 aged 83.

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7. 

   Tony Griffin says:

   Sunday, 22nd November 2020 at 8:20 am

   Incident Number 358

   The rocket hit my fathers aunts house in Jevington Way in December 1944. The impact killed his aunt Winn and injured his cousin John Sullivan, they were in bed together when it struck blowing the pair of them across the road killing Winn instantly and badly injuring John. He went to hospital with many cuts, burns etc and a badly broken leg, when he was discharged he went to live with my dad in Exford road. My dad lost touch with cousin John some years ago but remembers the incident well even now in his mid 80’s. Thanks Tony

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8. 

   Jason Lee says:

   Sunday, 27th December 2020 at 3:04 pm

   My mum kathleen was a born on June 24th 1944 she was living down Costed Manor Brentwood Essex when a V1 hit near there unsure of exactly where but her older sisters Dorothy and Peggy remember the glass breaking on the house, my mum was in a cot and the glass landed next to her head they then went into the anderson shelter. I believe that the intended target would probably have been Highwood hospital as that was the most obvious big installation near there looking like a factory with large chimney and long buildings. If anyone knows exactly where it hit down Costed Manor the newest part there when I was a kid in the 70’s was the retreat I also worked at Highwood in later years before it was demolished for housing.

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9. 

   Albert Scott says:

   Thursday, 4th February 2021 at 12:56 pm

   V2 strike in sea wall Clacton on Sea 18th Dec 1944.at 16.29

   During WW2 several boys would gather on the roof a building opposite the War memorial on Clacton sea front. Many events of interest were witnessed but on the 18th of December the usual four or five lads would gather awaiting anything of interest when suddenly there was a massive explosion to our right. I remember that I fell to the floor expecting explosions, as I looked to see what had happened I saw a large column of smoke and debris rising followed at once by the most deafening whoosh about 6 or 7 seconds after the explosion. This happened appx a quarter of a Mile away on the cliff face s/w of the pier. There was damage to 346 properties 65 seriously damaged and 12 casualties.

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10. 

    geoffrey roger parr says:

    Friday, 2nd April 2021 at 3:39 pm

    My parents lived in Footscray Road Eltham a third of a mile from 11 Westmount Road Eltham where the V2 landed. Fortunately the full charge did not explode but still killed an 11 year old girl and injured 29 others. My father had gone to work but my mother was at home awaiting my imminent birth. She was in shock after the explosion and I believe windows and ceiling plaster were damaged in the first floor flat.
    Three days later on Monday 4th December I was born – on my due date. (I have been very punctual all my life!)
    I did not discover this until i was 60 – I am 76 now- and I often reflect how close my mother, then myself, my younger brother, my 4 children and 7 grandchildren came to never existing.

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11. 

    Mike Parr says:

    Saturday, 3rd April 2021 at 10:02 pm

    The V2 that hit Westmount Road Woolwich !/12/1944 did not fully explode luckily as my mother was a few hundred yards away at 49 Footscray Road Eltham eating a meal as a treat when the ceiling came down and the windows blew in. My brother has also commented on this and, considering how far away that V2 was launched to have landed that close, we are certainly lucky to be here. Interestingly her cat ‘Mick’ [I think I was named after it] used to hide under the gas cooker some minutes before the air raid sirens went off so she and pop had advanced warning. I imagine it could not detect the V2s supersonic speed as the V2 arrived before its sound. My mother was rescued picking glass and plaster from the plate by a warden before she could do herself damage. The current lockdown is difficult to deal with but wartime problems are unimaginable to most of us lucky ones not to have experienced it. It is a pity that we did not think to ask our relatives of their wartime experiences when we were younger as we were so far removed and the post war attitude was ‘forget and rebuild’. Think of all those Spitfires and Hurricanes that were scrapped!

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12. 

    Elizabeth Moody says:

    Monday, 2nd May 2022 at 5:36 pm

    Wendover Road, Eltham, Woolwich – 13 December 1944

    My mother (aged 15), her older sister and younger brother were asleep in bed upstairs when the V2 landed in their back garden on the morning of 13 December. They awoke to find themselves lying in the front garden, essentially uninjured apart from scratches. Their mother had been in the kitchen with the dog and just had time to duck under the kitchen table. This saved her life. The house collapsed completely on top of her and she was buried for 6 hours before she was finally dug out. The dog died during this time. She was seriously burnt and spent 8 months in hospital having pioneering skin grafts which saved her leg. Her husband was at work and was fetched home by his brother to watch the efforts to rescue his wife.

    Sadly the two women in the house next door were killed when their house collapsed.

    My mother and her younger brother are still alive and well and their older sister died at the age of 90. They stood in the cold in their torn night clothes watching people trying to dig their mother out, not knowing if she was dead or alive, until eventually neighbours took them indoors. Needless to say, in those days they received no counselling and just had to get on with their lives while their mother hovered between life and death for some months and every single thing the family had owned had been destroyed. A very tough and resilient generation.

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