大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War by Judith Harridge. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
I joined the Special Constabulary in 1938, because of the IRA problems in Coventry, one of my jobs was to check pillar and telephone boxes for packages. I was also trained for police duties, law, first aid, and gas drill.
I worked at Coventry Climax engine at the Friars Road factory, and then the re-armanment factory at Widdrington Road. I was one of the first one to go on the new machinery producing fire pumps. I worked from 7am-9pm for over a month but people were getting fatigue so the hours were then reduced. A night shift was started in 1940, and I was made a charge hand over the machinery.
Before the Blitz there had been 43 air raid in Coventry- including two whistling bombs, the sound of which would go "right through your body".
One night a friend and I went to Nuneaton and when we came out the siren started, I dashed home to Green Lane. Next morning the people at work were saying had I seen the road near the "Wheatsheef Pub", apparently there were two bomb craters in the road-I had motorcycled down that road using the white lines in the middle, and so I had not noticed them!
One evening I was cycling down Kenilworth Road,and as I turned into Warwick Rd a flare opened up in the sky, and heard what I thought was a bomb coming down; it turned out to be an anti-aircraft shell,it hit the sand bags outside a sentry box,- there was a poor chap in the sentry box at the time.
On the night of the Coventry Blitz I was doing the night shift at Coventry Climax- I had volunteered to undertake fire watch duties. All the other employees were in the air raid shelter. A string of incendiary bombs fell on the factory, unfortunately some landed in the part stores, the containers of which were all made of wood and so they set alight. So I was there with about 6 firemen (works) with our coats putting the fire out. Later another set of incendiary bombs landed, including an explosive one which landed on a duck board by a machine, I put a bucket of sand on this bomb and as I turned round it exploded! The sxplosion looked like a "Christmas Tree"! Later we had a string of bombs across the factory, one hit a boring machine and tipped it over, another hit the sprinkler stop valve system and flooded the factory; eventually I managed to turn the water off. Seven bombs then fell across the factory, luckily one bomb landed about 10 feet away from my brick shelter, and I felt it tunnelling underneath but it did not explode, another landed about the same distance away and didn't explode (these were delayed action bombs,and were later dealt with by the bomb disposal people). Another bomb then hit a gurder and as it came down it broke a fin and landed on a pile of camshafts and broke them up into little pieces- I went to have a look at the damage and saw what looked like grease inside the bomb, the firemen and I put our finger in to smell it!
Around the factory on the other side of the canal (Foleshill Rd) there was an ARP and furniture depot and these were now on fire, our firemen tried to put these fires out so that the fire would not spread to us!
A parachute mine then landed in the canal adjacent to the test shop and destroyed it, our canteen was also destroyed- the clay from the bottom of the canal was blown upward and it destroyed both the roof and a wall of the factory. I was walking along an aisle in the factory and was blown against a wall on the far side - I literally flew though the air. This clay also damaged a lot of machines.
At about 3.30 a.m I was walking around with the firemen to see how much damage had been done- we were walking across the yard when we heard some more bombs coming down , so we dashed to the air raid shelter beside the canal, and a bomb came through a side of the canal, and onto the floor of the air raid shelter but it did not explode!
In the morning when the all clear was given, about 7am (after about 12 of bombing-, done by 500 German Bombers)the day shift gradually started arriving and members of the management arrived. I then had to show them all the damage, it was 11 before I could leave. To get home I had to climb over all the bomb damage carrying my bicycle over rubble caused by the previous nights bombing- Broadgate and QueensRoad were very bad. In the meantime my girlfriend, Cis, had gone to work and had found her place of work burnt to the ground (Bushill's),and she had heard my factory had been badly damaged and feard the worst. When I went home- I saw a parachute mine caught between two trees. At that time I was living in Moat Avenue, Green Lane ,the windows of my house were blown in, and the glass was stuck in the ceiling and on the far wall, also the front door and roof were blown off, this had been caused by a parachute mine landing in Beanfield Avenue. There was no water, electricity or gas. I then rested on the sofa for a few hours. I then took Cis on my motorcyle to Norhampton for a rest!
We went to the cinema and the sirens went an nobody took any notice! We came back on the Sunday and were stopped at least 6 times by police to see our identity cards(they were stopping everybody who did not need to go to Coventry). It was weeks before we got water, electrity and gas back- it was the week before Christmas for the gas. At Christmas I was given a 拢1 extra bonus for working it such terrible conditions. Later I was called into the office and was told that the government had comandeered the Market Hall, Oswestry, and that the factory was to be transferred there. I was the first person to go to Oswestry so that the heavy machinery could be set up.
Easter 1941 I heard they were bombing Coventry again, and I came home Friday evening and was appalled to see the damage. Cis was working at Centaur Rd, School First Aid post- I asked her to go to Oswestry with me ( we had got married 8th February 1940).
I taught young people in Oswestry how to use the machinery.

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