大象传媒

Incendiary Raid

German Luftwaffe Air Raid on the Great Western Railway sidings Near Maesglas Housing estate.
Circa 1940.
The sidings had among the many vans laden among them a loaded van of none other than Whiskey.
This went up in flames and smoke.

The area depicted in this scene is the old road to the docks.
The Bridge over Main Railway lines to Cardiff and West Wales Countless men went over this bridge in 1939. Marched on their way to the ships before embarking for France.
Before future air raids were to come. The sound of marching feet of countless men.
Throb of engine vehicles towing big guns and machines of war.
Guns and Tanks. Night and day in a continuous stream went the many Soldiers of the British Army.
The B.E.F off to France.
On one occasion Men in ranks were marching and folks would collect to give the boy's smoke.

And to the shock of many a girl friend and wife to see their boy friend or husband marching off to France.

Away at annual Training T.A camp. They were mobilised and had little choice.

The author's cousin was one of these men and later taken prisoner at Dunkirk.

Spent the war in Stalag Luft Three.
Some of the smoke screen contraptions that put up a acrid screen of burnt oil mixed with a water to give out a dense blanket of smoke over the whole area when the docks were expected to be under imminent expected attack.
Local people may look back remember this changed area.
Now very much changed as the road to Comet and the various new trading buildings.
Recently the author returned to walk this area through Maesglas past the Muffler club and on to the old road.
The bridge is now in a rusty condition. And soon I fear will be dismantled along with the ghost of past footsteps of generations who once trod this way.
But no footsteps of the past can be heard.
Remain now only a scene captured in a paint on a canvas reached from link to my site on this page if you wish to view.
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Home of Mar Davies. Incendiary Bombed.
Also during this raid the house three doors away from Author had a direct hit with an incendiary bomb on house at 110 Maesglas Avenue Newport Gwent.
Mrs Davies. Also Depicted in a painting was rescued from the flames. Brought out from the house by volunteer local Men in the A.R.P.
Many Men from the Maesglas Area trained to become fire fighters and rescue workers in those war time years.
Maesglas="[Greenfield]"Nick Name "MOSCOW" for its left views of red flag flying high.
The incendiary bombs were scattered over this area of the estate on what was a residential area.
Though we were just children at the age of thirteen and fourteen.
In an eagerness to take part and be considered to be helping to do ones bit.
Would accompany the neighbour on duty patrol of fire watching in the area.
The night of the incendiary attack. The men of the A.R.P. had done a good and effective job at containment of the bright burning incendiaries by a swift dab of a bag of sand on the offending bright light of the burning bomb. That would in know doubt be a guiding light for the droning aircraft above.
Possibly we were in hindsight more of a hindrance in our innocence of youth and inquisitiveness to see the bombs burning brightly when one lifted a sandbag.
This inquisitiveness not only took the young.
Often elder people would flock to observe bomb damaged buildings and would go out watching the planes caught in the searchlight and the shell bursts and shrapnel flying and whining every where.
This attack by the German Luftwaffe was their part in effort to demoralise the British spirit before the final attack of the German forces on this Country.
Far from it even though short of food and night attacks with lack of sleep.
One often would hear of some town in the country having a harder time.
We were so cemented together in our unity of the defeat of our then foe.
A nation of British we stood together.
Mrs Davies was rescued from the burning house and the fire extinguished.

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