大象传媒

This story is by Harry Creed.
I was 18 and was working at W T Flathers, Sheffield Road, Tinsley during 1940 when, I think, probably the first bombs were dropped on Sheffield.
We had to go to the air raid shelters - all the night shift except for the crane driver and his mate, I think they were the first 2 casualties of the war in Sheffield.
On the night of the Sheffield blitz, Thursday December 12 1940, my parents had gone to the Palace Theatre, Attercliffe Road to see a variety show. I think it was the Phylis Dixey show.
I stopped at home with my younger sister, aged 10, and when the sirens started approx 6.30 - 7 pm we went to the shelter along with our local air raid warden Stanley Walker.
As the siren started all the people in the Palace Theatre had to leave so my parents decided to walk up to the Robin Hood public house, just past the Stanniforth Road junction. My father played the piano there several nights per week and knew the manager very well - a Mr Biddulph. They sheltered in the beer cellars while the bombs started dropping, until one bomb hit the canal bank behind the public house and water started to seep into the cellars.
Approx 3 or 4 am my parents decided to risk it and walk up Stanniforth Road to the Manor Estate where we lived on Ravencarr Road they reached home at about 4.30 - 5 pm to find us still sat in the shelter. The bombing was now tailing off so I went back in the house, had some breakfast and went down to work at Tinsley. I vaguely remember getting there either by a tram which was still running or a lift in one of the few lorries still running.
On the Sunday night, December 15 1940, we invited my cousins up from Ecclesfield for tea and a game of darts (I still have that old 1930s dart board) when the sirens started I think it was approx 7 - 7.30 my cousins and my mother went into the shelter leaving my dad fire watching along with the ARP warden.
About 8pm the warden shouted into the shelter "I want you lads at Creed's House at No 25, the roof is on fire - caused by an incendiary bomb". My two cousins and I man-handled the galvanised wash tub up the stairs into the front bedroom where we saw the dressing table smouldering and the roof on fire. We put it out eventualy with the stirrup pump and people bringing up further supplies of water. We kept the incendiary bomb which I've give recently to my nephew.
While all this was taking place a land mine hit the corner of Ravencarr Road and Alison Crescent and killed all the occupants. The house was approx 80 yards from us.
To finalise, I and two mates from Flathers, where we worked, went to the Cutler's Hall in March 1941 and volunteered. A sad end - Bill joined the RAF as air crew and was killed and the other Dave joined the army and was also killed.

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