Bomb memorial backed by victim Bert's family

physical person. If you said to him to climb a bridge, he'd climb that bridge.

"If you went anywhere touchy, you kept close to Bert. You only had to look at him and he would calm things down."

George's son Steve said many of Bert's relatives are still alive, including his niece Belinda Walters, who also still lives in Bristol. The family are looking forward to the plaque being unveiled.

Steve said: "What happened to Bert was devastating, but it happened to families every day during the war.

"The legacy is that Bert's relations are alive now and are still living in the area."

Friends of Eastville Park chair Sarah West, who revealed news of the plaque in the Friends' regular column for the Voice in April, said the plaque was part of an improvement project for the former lido, now known as the Old Swimming Pool Garden, which is due to be unveiled during the summer.

it down.

He said: "The Germans used to send single bombers over. The trouble was, the bomber was being chased by a Polish squadron from BAC in Filton.

"It got rid of its bombs and the one that killed Bert was a 500lb bomb - it left a big crater."

The cousin Bert had been with in the park, who was on George's grandmother's side of the family, was also killed. George and his family do not know her first name but say her surname was Trotman.

George was not in the park at the time Bert was killed, having gone to Sunday school at St Mark's Church in Easton.

Bert was killed on November 24, the day Bristol suffered one of its worst night raids of the war, with 207 people killed in total.

During the evening, waves of German bombers dropped thousands of incendiary and high-explosive bombs and destroyed much of the historic city centre.

The area around Castle Street was particularly badly damaged and was never rebuilt, eventually becoming Castle Park.

George, who is now 92, has fond memories of Bert, who was tall and well-built from carrying coal sacks as part of his job.

George said: "He was a

Sarah said: "The garden is an area of peaceful contemplation for people but it has been closed off for a long time.

"We’re keen to get it open again but it has been difficult, because it is abused by those who graffiti the old brickwork and hold parties late at night in there."