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The bombing of Catford School

by ICT Suite@Goldsmiths Community Centre

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Contributed byÌý: ICT Suite@Goldsmiths Community Centre
People in story:Ìý: Wyn H
Location of story:Ìý: Downham, South East London
Article ID:Ìý: A2333468
Contributed on:Ìý: 23 February 2004

1940-1941. I was 16 at the time, the sirens used to go to let you know that an attack was imminent but it didn't this day, a plane got through and it was a German fighter plane and he was flying down at the height of the tram lines on Downham Way, you could actually see the pilot in the plane. The bullets went whizzing past the window of the room where I was with my little brother and I threw myself over my little brother to protect him. The pilot was machine gunning all the way down Downham Way. We could smell gas and thought it was a poison gas attack. There were some barrage balloons not far from the house, in Downham playing fields, and where the bullets had hit the balloons the gas had come out of them. I didn't hear about anyone being hurt by the bullets but when the pilot got to the bottom he flew over Catford where he dropped his bombs on the school. The children were playing outside in the playground, many were killed and teachers too. They are buried in a mass grave in Hither Green Cemetery.

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Message 1 - Catford School

Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Pete Mason

The aircraft also strafed Catford Railway station.It was shot down at Newhaven by an RAF gunner on one of the crash boats. He heard the sirens go off in Lewes (which was unusual as incoming aircraft would be picked up along the coast and Newhaven would sound before Lewes) , he turned the guns north and hit the aircraft which came down in the sea. Local legend has it that he was an old boy of the school.

Ìý

Message 2 - Catford School

Posted on: 04 March 2004 by snipes

The school mentioned was possibly Sangley Road School close to Brownhill Road, SE6.
A number of FW 190? came in low dropping bombs around Catford and hit the school. The death, injury toll was high. My mother was on duty at the time at Lewisham Hospital. I recal that she spoke of the terrible injuries suffered by the children.
The National Press carried reports, the following day, of how the German airman must be very proud of the death and injury of such young children. Which was the method adopted to bring hate to Germany. But it has to be appreciated this was also the German attitude to spread hate to the Allied Forces .... it is a natural outcome of war to hate ones enemy, encouraged by the authorities.

Ìý

Message 3 - Catford School

Posted on: 11 August 2004 by snipes

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Message 4 - Catford School

Posted on: 15 June 2005 by MrMeccano

I also remember that day. The following is an extract from an article that I wrote some time ago

During the latter part of the war, maybe January 1943, I was sitting in the kitchen having lunch, when I heard aircraft coming, I looked out of the window and saw a German fighter passing over next door at roof top height. I could sea the pilot in his helmet he was so close. There had been no warning. When I got back to school every body had seen the fighters one boy said that he had nearly been killed by the machine gun fire, but the teacher said â€˜either you were killed or you were not killed you could not be nearly killedâ€™ I think the comment was lost on the class. When my father got home that night, he said that the school at the back of his works had been hit with a lot of children killed. [On 20th January 1943, in a lunchtime raid by German fighters on London, they hit Sandhurst School killing 6 teachers and 38 children.]

Message 1 - Bombing of Catford School

Posted on: 08 May 2005 by John Cakebread

I was a young boy in Hither Green Hospital at about this time. A german fighter plane flew low over the hospital and shot out all the leaded light windows in our ward.

I remember feeling the weight of the glass on my body. The man next to me picked me up and put me in his bed which was clear of glass. I think he must have suffered cuts to his feet as the floor was covered in glass.

We found out later that the planes had also attacked a Catford school, so this was probably related to that incident.

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