大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People's War site by CSV Storygatherer Robin.D.Bailey on behalf of the authors Phyllis M Rowe and Ivan Rabey. They fully understand the terms and conditions of the site.

These are extracts from a book of the same title - see Part 1 : Introduction.

1941: January to April inclusive.

Even the main target areas had a brief respite at the turn of the year, but hostilities resumed with a vengeance on the morning of 11th January, 1941.

January 1941:

11th: The enemy machine-gunned Maenporth near Falmouth, fortunately with neither damage nor casualties.

12th: During the evening, considerable damage was done by four bombs at Swanvale. One produced a crater some 50鈥� x 25鈥� in an allotment garden, another fell on Whitethorn Farm and the railway line, derailing a train and fracturing the Shell Mex pipeline. Two minor casualties resulted and four houses in Brooke Road were damaged, as well as several in Swanvale and Boslowick Roads.

17th: St. Eval airfield was machine-gunned.

22nd: Perranwell was machine-gunned and at Ponsanooth a double-decker 鈥榖us was sprayed with machine-gun bullets.

25th: Two serious raids took place on St. Eval airfield, when bombs of all types were used; An raid-raid shelter received a direct hit, more than twenty service personnel were killed and many others, including civilians, were injured. Eleven of the dead were buried in St. Eval Churchyard, others in St. Columb Cemetery鈥檚 Services plot. Some bombs fell in the 鈥渄ecoy鈥� area and did no damage.

St. Ives was also the target for and evening attack in which fifteen houses were demolished, many others damaged, one person was killed and four others injured.

31st: Early in the morning, six bombs fell at Newlyn (Penzance); four failed to explode, causing the occupants of some sixty houses to leave their homes until the afternoon of 4th February.

February 1941:

14th: A stick of high explosives fell harmlessly into the sea between Falmouth and St. Anthony Point.

11th: The Trebelsue Emergency Landing Field near where R.A.F. St. Mawgan would soon be constructed, was bombed during the afternoon.

17th: Six bombs caused some damage in another attack on St. Eval, but no casualties.

19th: Falmouth was raided and damage resulted at the Docks and Castle Drive.

21st: Incendiary bombs fell on Stanbury Farm, Morwenstow during the evening, no damage was done.

22nd: Another raid on Falmouth caused serious damage to more than thirty houses in Dracaena Avenue, three persons were killed and three others injured.

24th: One house was damaged when a parachute mine descended on Toll Gate Farm, St. Winnow.

March 1941:

2nd: Four bombs fell on St. Eval during the evening, but failed to explode. A 鈥渟tray鈥� bomb fell at Feock late in the evening.

11th: Four bombs fell near the railway line at Truck Hill, Probus, doing slight damage to the track and causing broken glass and fallen ceilings in nearby cottages. The same evening, four bombs were directed at Par Moor, resulting in telephone wires and electric cables being blown down.

12th: St. Eval again, with some damage to airfield buildings and to glass at nearby Trevisker Farm. Also, during the evening the 鈥渦sual small stick鈥� of four bombs fell near the railway line in a field between Buckets Hill and Trewirgie Road, Redruth.

12th/13th ?: The Churchyard at Cardinham was slightly damaged when a bomb fell on nearby Glebe Farm and two sheep were killed. As part of the same rather pointless raid, two bombs fell on Pensula Farm in the same parish.

14th: More structural damage done at St. Eval during a short raid. This was a fiery night for south-east Cornwall generally; Ten high explosives and some 800 incendiaries fell in the Liskeard Police Division. About 100 incendiary bombs fell near Dozmary Pool and reports of bombs falling at Sibleyback, Tevol, St. John, Treluggan Manor, Landrake, Heskyn Woods and St. Germans indicated that raiders were fleeing from Plymouth鈥檚 defences.

20th: Another widespread raid occurred during the evening when 76 high explosive and literally hundreds of incendiary bombs fell on the County. Most fell in a triangle bounded by Botus Fleming, Rame Head and Lanreath, no doubt the spin off from a heavy raid on Plymouth, but Redruth also came under severe attack centred on the railway station. Considerable damage resulted to many houses and business premises, six persons were killed and fifteen injured, some seriously. Again in the evening, more bombs fell on St. Eval.

A rather macabre incident arising from an attack on Falmouth; A bomb which fell in the cemetery, failed to explode but before it could be removed, the Home Secretary had to issue an exhumation order similar to that required for the removal of a body. The crater produced by this 250kg bomb was some 16鈥� deep, it having hit a tall tree, 鈥済etting a wobble on,鈥� before striking the ground.

21st/22nd: Bombers attacked south-east Cornwall in two distinct 鈥渨aves鈥� - the first at 9 p.m. and then again at 2.30 a.m. Twenty -seven high explosives and hundreds of incendiaries were dropped over almost the whole area as the enemy built-up to the infamous five-night blitz on Plymouth. Incidents were reported at Towell Farm, St. Dominic; Deer Park, Stokeclimsland; Carbeile Mill, St. Germans; Mount Edgcumbe; Millbrook, Torpoint; Picklecombe Fort; Wearde Quay Halt (near the railway line); Antony and St. John鈥檚 Lake. Considerable damage was caused, two cows were burnt to death at St. Germans, but there were no civilian casualties.

24th: At about 6 p.m. twenty-one 50 kg bombs were jettisoned by a lone raider at Chapel Carn Brea, St. Just-in-Penwith. All failed to explode and no damage was caused. Visibility was very poor that day and the raider made land flying very low near Land鈥檚 End. Subsequently it was thought the pilot saw the hill in front of him and rather than chance losing height he unloaded his cargo, did a smart about turn and fled ! It was in such ways the war affected the more remote parts of Cornwall.

More bombs were dropped during the evening at Southdown near Millbrook and in marshland at St. John鈥檚 Creek.

29th: Four bombs dropped in the sea off Falmouth Breakwater, causing neither damage nor casualties. Summercourt was an unwitting target with eight bombs falling at Pencorse, Little Resparva and Arrallas, fortunately causing only slight damage.

April 1941:

1st: The enemy attack St. Eval and neighbouring Carnewas and Downhill Farms, dropping twelve high explosives and over 100 incendiary bombs, but there was no damage to either aerodrome or farms. Later that evening about 100 incendiaries fell on Tregonetha Farm, St. Wenn, not far from St. Eval, but again no damage was caused.

Just before midnight four bombs fell at Swanvale and Cambridge Place, Falmouth, causing slight damage.

Further bombs fell at Freathy Cliff and Higher Tregantle Farm, but caused little damage.

2nd: Nancekuke Aerodrome received some attention, when damage was also caused to adjoining Laity Farm.

At the same time as hundreds of incendiary bombs were falling almost all over the county, stretching fire-fighting resources to the limit, seventeen bombs were dropped around the main target of St. Eval aerodrome. Many farms in the vicinity were affected among them, Tregonna, Engollen and Trevisker, as well as Eddystone and Teburrick in neighbouring St. Ervan. Two bombs fell near Tolverne on the River Fal, sinking a destroyer, damaging another and injuring a nightwatchman.

4th: In just over an hour mid-evening, 57 bombs were recorded as having fallen on Cornwall. At Penzance, Rosevean House was damaged and two persons were slightly injured; three other houses were destroyed, six badly damaged and 120 scarred in some way or another. Four bombs fell near a Report Post at St. Just-in-Penwith, but caused no damage. Charlestown, Duporth, Crinnis and Trenarren were machine-gunned from the air, but neither casualties nor damage were reported. Another raid on St. Eval resulted in minor damage, and at St. Merryn
aerodrome, huts were damaged and there were four slight casualties.

5/6th: In the space of some five hours either side of midnight, there was a wide scattering of bombing. Incidents were reported at Falmouth, where the Falmouth Hotel suffered glass damage; at Gibbons Farm, Penryn; at Venning鈥檚 Farm, Fowey; Polmear; Par and Pencoose Farm, St. Gluvias.

8th: The residential area adjoining Morrab Gardens at Penzance was extensively damaged during the evening with gas and telephone installations affected. Four bombs were dropped, also during the evening, on Falmouth Docks causing some damage, but a 鈥渟tray鈥� bomb fell harmlessly on Gyllyngvase Beach.

9th: Just after 2 a.m., the Shutta area of Looe suffered a firebomb attack with over 500 incendiaries being dropped, but apart from a little damage to four houses and one garage, no real harm was done. That evening two high explosive and several incendiary bombs fell on Barn Farm, Ruanlanihorne, but no damage was caused. Several firebombs and three high explosives fell on Torpoint during the late evening. The fires were soon under control, but damage was caused to private property and four persons were injured.

10th: A raid on Predannack Aerodrome gave a clear indication that attacks were coming more often and larger bomb loads were being released, a trend which culminated in the vicious five night blitz on Plymouth.

11th: Pennivean, Bodmin felt the effect of more than 200 incendiary bombs around midnight and a stray high explosive fell on Rasoon, Madron, but no damage was caused at either place.

The attacks were now coming thick and fast and the records show a trail of indiscriminate bombing of places which by no means could be thought of as military targets.

Dr. H.J. Hewitt鈥檚 account: 鈥� ...the siren sounded at 9.55 p.m. no one was surprised, it had sounded so often, but this night Saltash was a target. Was it to bring down the railway bridge ? We had the usual lights: a few flares and hundreds of incendiary bombs in our own streets and
houses. We had the usual sounds; the engines of 鈥榩lanes moving overhead, the sharp reports of the A.A. guns, the crashes of falling slates, bricks, stones, windows breaking, fanlights breaking, glass falling inside and outside the houses, doors burst open, shrapnel falling on roofs and pavements, the explosion of bombs, the explosion of a ship in the river off Bull Point, wardens running to get ladders, to extinguish fires, to rescue people. There was a new smell: compounded of soot and old, moist mortar.....Members of the 2nd Saltash Scout Troop, under their Scoutmaster, had joined the AFS and as the Saltash Brigade (and other brigades) were fully occupied combating fires in Fore Street, the Scouts were directed to go to the Railway Goods Stations were a shed and a coal dump were ablaze. As they set to work with their hoses, two bombs fell very near; troop-leader Donald Cummins was terribly injured; Bernard Doidge was wounded in the back by shrapnel and Sydney Cummins was wounded in the arm and leg. The Scoutmaster, Douglas Vosper, with the aid of a soldier rushed the first two to the First Aid Post at St. Stephens where Doidge鈥檚 life was saved by Dr. Harry immediately extracting the shrapnel from his back. - Donald Cummins, who was already dead was posthumously awarded the Bronze Cross; Sydney Cummins and Bernard Doidge were awarded the Silver Cross by the Chief Scout and Mr. Vosper was awarded the Bronze Cross and decorated with the British Empire Medal by King George VI. In all seventeen firemen including five members of the reinforcing crew from Newquay died in this holocaust.鈥�....

12/13th: During the night, sporadic bombing of such unlikely places as Redmoor, Lanlivery, Merabule Farm Lostwithiel, Portshallow Farm near Ninemaidens and at Madron, caused no damage.

13/14th: Par Docks was bombed around midnight; one house was demolished and telephone and electricity cables, gas mains and sewers were damaged. Bombs also fell at Grampound Road, Tresillian Barton, and Bejowan, Colan, which had no effect, but damage was caused at Burnick, Probus.

14th: Haile Mills Valley, Gwennap caught many of the firebombs which rained down during the early hours. No damage or casualties resulted, but later in the day a stick of bombs dropped between Spit Beach and Par causing damage to electricity cables and several cottages.

14th or 15th (actual date hazy): Three high explosives and about 150 incendiary bombs fell at Carn Brea Lane, Pool, Redruth causing damage to some 30 houses and slightly injuring two women and a child.

16th: Just before 4 a.m. incendiary bombs fell on Poldhu Cove, Mullion; Penzance Docks were machine-gunned and a bomb fell at Carnyorth near St. Just-in-Penwith, but none of these incidents resulted in damage or casualties.

18th: A quite intensive raid on Tregeseal, St. Just-in-Penwith at 9.40 p.m. caused extensive damage to Holman鈥檚 Foundry and adjoining houses as well as dwellings in Fore Street and Market Place. About an hour after the Tregeseal bombing two stray bombs fell at Clahar Water, six miles from Helston and then all went quiet for a couple of days until five bombs fell in fields near Trenethick Cross.

21st/25th: The stage was set for the centre piece of the destruction by explosion and fire of the City of Plymouth - the 鈥淔ive Night Blitz鈥�, which was also to have serious peripheral effect on south-east Cornwall, especially Saltash.

On 25th January 1971, Dr H.J.Hewitt (the first Headmaster of Saltash County Grammar) presented a 28 page account of 鈥淪altash in Time of War鈥� to the Saltash Old Cornwall Society. The following is an edited extract:

鈥�......Terrible blows had been struck (on Plymouth) a month earlier by successive raids on 20th & 21st March. Equally heavy attacks occurred on April 20, 21, 23, 28 and 29. In two ways these attacks on our great neighbour affected the Borough: - First, Saltash sent some of its
firemen to help combat the fires in Plymouth (as did many other Fire Services). Six of our AFS men thus engaged were killed instantaneously in King Street, Devonport. The second effect was a nightly exodus from Plymouth to Saltash of wretched people who had no idea where they might find shelter, but were determined not to pass the hours of darkness in that constantly battered city. In the evenings a large number came into Saltash by rail or ferry, and trudged in bewilderment through our streets towards the country. No rest centre had been prepared, no accommodation was available (they scarcely expected any), but many people (especially in St. Stephens Road which led out to the country) offered a sitting room floor to these pitiable strangers.

To sum up, by Monday evening 28 April, we had seen the spectacle of a great city and dockyard in flames and the black smoke rising from the fuel tanks at Thanckes (Torpoint); we heard the startlingly sudden reports from the A.A. battery and the deep zoom of the naval guns; had
watched the long pencils of searchlight beams sweeping across the night sky and their intersecting; had finished our 鈥淲ar Weapons Week鈥� with credit (by raising more than their target of 拢25,000); had buried our dead firemen with moving ceremony; had often heard the siren announcing the nearness of danger (between New Year鈥檚 Day and 11th April the siren had sounded 100 times); were aware of the presence of a few hundred Plymouth refugees in our midst as well as a few hundred service men. In short, we had signs of war all around us, but the shops were open, the children about to resume school after the Easter holiday...鈥�.

Dr. Hewiit鈥檚 narrative continued, with great attention to detail, to tell of the devastation of Saltash, of many tales of heroism, of near misses and, above all, of simple quiet courage in the face of terrifying adversity.

22nd: Just after 2 p.m., two parachute mines fell, one each side of the road, at the foot of Treskilling Hill at Bowling Green, Bugle seriously damaging one bungalow and injuring three people. The story goes that a little boy, living in an encampment, might also have been killed, but
as by next morning the travellers had moved on, the question was unresolved.

27th: Some damage occurred and there were four slight injuries when 14 bombs were dropped in an area bounded by Sennen; St. Buryan and Porthcurno.

28th: At about 9 p.m. at Goverseth, Foxhole, just as dusk was falling, Mr. J.H. Drew had just reached home and was talking with a Mrs. Adie (an evacuee) when the sound of an approaching aircraft was heard, Mrs. Adie identified it as a Junkers 88 and within seconds came the first explosion, the house - in which Evan Drew aged 7 had just been put to bed - 鈥渏umped鈥� as all the glass was blown out. A second and third bomb fell in quick succession in a neighbouring field. The fourth bomb was a direct hit on Carpalla Farmhouse killing a family, although some persons in the house miraculously survived.

Minor damage was also caused at Catra Farm, Gorran.

29th: Another bad night (around Saltash), but much less damage was inflicted. Unexploded bombs fell at Bicton Farm, at Botus Fleming, at Moditenham, at Hatt, at Burraton and on the railway sidings at Wearde, Saltash.

Twenty-one attacks were mounted against targets in Cornwall between 10 p.m. on 29th April and 2 a.m. on 3rd May. The majority of bombs fell in the eastern half of the County, being side effects of the continued heavy bombing of Plymouth.

(date hazy): A bungalow and five huts were demolished at Kelynack, St. Just-in-Penwith where three children were slightly injured. Two cottages were also damaged at Nanckuke.

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