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The Demise of a Searchlight and Gun Crew.

What I shall now describe can be a tribute to the members of the Ack-Ack and Gun Crew that lost their lives in what I regard as typical ‘Brits at War’ in defence of our country during the ‘Blitz’ period of 1940-41.
This night in particular I left me with a memory that I shall never forget when this air raid
destroyed the houses near our home and we had to find other accomodation outside the B’ham area as quickly as possible. This raid did seem to me, to be a direct attack on this
Searchlight located in the sports field of the VALOR Co Ltd in Wood Lane,Erdington
B’ham, next to the A.M.A.C factory where I worked.
This searchlight was a little different from the other ones in the area as it was a brilliant
white light compared to the others in the district as they seemed to be on half power in comparison. This searchlight would come on and stay stationary pointing upwards at a 90% angle,within a few minutes the sirens would sound the alert and it looked like this proceedure was a warning to all the other units in the area of an intended raid.
Now this night in question it seemed to be the target for the ‘Jerry’ bombers as a stick of
6 bombs was laid across the Bromford Lane, [1] starting with the railway sidings, [2] the
Golf Ball Developments, [3] Aston Chain and Hook Co, [ 4] The Searchlight and Gun Crew taking a direct hit, [5] the houses opposite where we lived, [6] the houses further up the road. IT seemed so tragic for the members of the searchlight and gun crew as
many were killed and injured and they seemed to be the only casualties of that attack as most of the local people were in the shelters and were not so unlucky. That site was closed and a light never operated from that site again.
We had a English roller canary whose cage hung in the window and his trilling used to go on and on, and we had a job to shut him up ,yet from that night on this bird never sang another note and he became silent from then on.
If that bomber and its crew arrived back at it’s home base they could rightly claim a ‘Bullseye’ and say a job well done,yet I always had the feeling that perhaps it was a ‘Lucky’ strike for them and just ‘Unlucky’ for the Army crew in action defending our way
of life against the ‘Hitlerite’ mob in early October 1940.

Just one of those memories of a Wartime Teenager.

Freddy Dyke.

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