- Contributed by听
- WRVS Volunteers in Carmarthen and surrounding area, South West Wales
- People in story:听
- Harold A. Tetley
- Location of story:听
- Coventry
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A4454354
- Contributed on:听
- 14 July 2005
On November 7th 1940, I married my wife Eileen, after 2 days honeymoon we returned home to a newly built house.
On November 14th at precisely 7pm the air raid commenced on Coventry and did not end until 7am the following morning.
Land mines were hanging from rooves all over the City, which was destroyed by incendiary bombs and high explosive bombs. Streets and roads were blown up, the water was cut off or contaminated, which meant the fire appliances were without water to fight the fires that engulfed the City. Thousands of people were killed and maimed. At about 2am a neighbour urged us to joint them in their "Anderson" shelter when the local doctors house was completely destroyed. Hospitals were bombed and casualties were in stretchers adjacent to the destroyed hospitals. Factories and shops were destroyed. The following day old buildings outside the city were comandeered as temporary factory space. The Government cancelled all rationing in the city for nearly a month and water was delivered to all households by water carriers, all water had to be boiled. It was said that had the raid continued the city would have been abandoned. Eileen's brother (20) was killed the next week, he was a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain, we lost many good friends on the day.
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