大象传媒

This story of a family event was inspired purely by a chance meeting of two cousins in a restaurant, sitting having a meal and reminiscing about bygone days. One mentioned the air raid in 1943 and would never forget the state Nanna was in after being rescued and taken to their house, the other mentioned of seeing the rescue, it then became apparent that in almost 60 years neither had known of the others involvement and a decision was made to record our recollection.

NANNA'S ORDEAL

Following an air raid on the night of March the 11th 1943 considerable damage had been caused by bombs on residential areas of Thornaby. Our house with many others in James Street had roof damage, ceilings down and windows blown out. We were extremely fortunate as three to four streets away the houses were demolished and our local ARP warden had been killed.

The intervening streets of houses had considerable blast damage, at least as damaged as our own house. Following the 'All Clear' as people started to emerge from the shelters, information started to circulate and it became apparent that other parts of Thornaby had suffered damage. My mother was extreemely concerned about Nanna, her mother, and was enxious to check on her. As I accompanied her, everywhere we walked deris, glass and slates littered the streets and crunched underfoot. We arrived at the house in Prospect Place where Nanna was being cared for by my Aunt. Nanna had been terminally ill with cancer. To our extreme concern we noticed the damage to the houses in the vicinity ~ some a few hundred yards away in Stephenson Street were almost demolished. On arrival at my Aunt's we saw reccue workers bringing a stretcher out of the house. They explained that Nanna had been placed under the table for her own protection during the raid as she was too ill to go to a shelter. When the rescuers arrived they found her lying there among chimney soot, broken glass and debris from the ceiling. As the wardens took her away, wrapped heavily in blankets, they carried lanterns to light their way to my uncle's house in Georgiana Street ~ a less damaged area.

NANNA'S CONTINUING ORDEAL

On that awful night when the German plane dropped the bomb, my lovely little Nanna (Kate Huitson) was asleep in her downstairs front room, where the windows were taped up for safety. Then the blast came and poor little Nanna was suddenly covered in soot and broken glass. No ambulance that night, so two men carried her on a stretcher to our house three streets away. I can remember how we picked splintered glass from her face, hair and body and gradually bathed her gently until all the soot was washed away from her. Sadly my lovely little Nanna passed away a few short weeks later. I will never forget that dreadful night as long as I live.

COMPILED BY ~ Keith Featherstone and Nancy Maughan (nee Huitson) the respective cousins mentioned (at the ages of three score year and ten) on thei 19th day of October in the year 2000.

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