Bomb-damaged Ilkeston Reading Barry Everley’s fascinating account of his wartime memories prompted me to dig out an article I put together around 40 years ago for the Ilkeston Local History Society’s newsletter. My information is extracted from the official ARP records which exist in the Reference section of Ilkeston Library. ARP Records of Bomb Damage in Ilkeston 1939-45 The first air raid on Ilkeston took place on 31st August 1940 at about 7.40am. Slight damage was done to houses on The Triangle, Corporation Road, Hallam Fields Road, Hadley Street, Devon Street, Cromwell Street, Trowell Avenue, Little Hallam Lane and Larklands Avenue. The fish and chip shop and greengrocers on The Triangle lost their windows. The pumping station at Gallows Inn was badly damaged and the Wesleyan Church and Hallam Fields Co-op had window damage. Slight damage was done to houses on Greenwood Avenue and Wade Avenue and a bomb went through the roof and floor of a
Story in Ilson
dialect By Jim Sumner
BE SURE THAR SINS’LL FIND THEE ERT At the’beginnin’ a th’War years ar gorra scholarship to ’Eanor Grammar Scowl so mi mam an’ mi dad reckoned ar must a ’ad a few brains someweer. So besides dowin’ a lotta ’omwok neally ev’ry nayt, thi arranged for me ta ay short’and an’ typin’ lessons ev’ry Monday nayt at Mr Pool’s erse at Loscoe: a shillin’ for short’and an’ a shillin’ for typin’. A saymed ta tay ta these subjects, an’ it worner long before I passed mi fost exam – wi distinction. Mi mam an’ dad were quite prerd on me. I allis ’ad ta walk theer an’ back whether it wa chuckin’ it dern wi rain or thi wa snow on th’grernd – that never worried me much. On th’same nate ar went, thi wa another pupil who was aying lessons anall an’ ’er name wa Doreen Daykin. Ow lived near may at Marlpowl so ar’d sayn ’er
dwelling on Larklands Avenue but did not explode. Further extensive damage was expected in this area owing to this unexploded bomb but apparently it was made safe. Damage also occurred to houses on Blackhills Drive, Little Hallam Land and Northgate Street. Repair work was carried out by Corporation workmen, Alan Wheatley Esq., J Cooper and J N Beardsley & Sons. The second raid took place five days later on September 5th at about 4.15am. Dwellings were damaged on Inglefield Road, Manners Street, Broomhill Avenue, Little Hallam Lane, Stanhope Street, The Triangle, Corporation Road, Kingsway, Cavendish Road, Trowell Avenue, Cromwell Avenue, Devon Street, Hadley Street, Queens Avenue and Nottingham Road. On Nottingham Road, shops and industry were badly damaged, a church and chapel slightly damaged. Numbers 363, 365, 367, 369, 371, 373 and 412 Nottingham Road were totally destroyed as was the old stable near the canal bridge. Number 3 Inglefield Road was also totally destroyed. Materials purchased from house numbers 363, 365, 371 and 373 Nottingham Road realised £15 each. That from numbers 367 and 369 realised £10 each and the material from number 412 realised £13. Local builders used for the repair of the properties were W N Henshaw, J W Stapleton & Sons, J Loseby, A Sheldon & Sons and H Sewell. On October 10th 1940, an unexploded bomb was found at the rear of Mace’s premises, Nottingham Road. Further air raids on Ilkeston occurred on November 26th 1940 at about 2.20pm when property around the Lord Haddon Road area was damaged, on December 15th 1940 between the hours of 6.45 and 11.30pm which resulted in damage to Hewitt’s Bakery and Norman Street area, on December 22nd and
knockin’ abert burra didner know ’er very well. Well, to cut a long story short, I wokked ever sa ’ard an’ I passed abert five more exams ‘wi dinstinction’. Mr Pool wa really prerd on me an’ mi mam an’ dad felt th’same. Then one nayt it ’appened. It wara Monday nayt an’ ar set off for mi lesson as usual. It worra a terrible nayt – rain wa commin’ dern like stair rods, burra carried on as usual. Bi th’time ard got to ’Eanor, ar wa soaked through burra kept gooin’. As I got to ’Eanor Empire, ar ’ad a lowk what films were on that nayt. One on ’em wa ‘Thray Stooges’ and th’other warra cerboy film wi Buck Rogers in it – tow a mi favourite films. Suddenly, a voice in mi ’ead said “Why dussner thar goo in to watch th’films instead gooin’ ta yer short’and and typin’ lessons? Nubdy’ll know.” I said to this ’ere voice: “I dossner dow that, mi mam an’ dad’ll kill me if thi find ert.” This voice said: “Thi wunner find ert, it’s dark in theer, an’ after yo’ll ay a bit a money left for a bag a chips at Elliott’s chip shop.” Afore a knew worra wa dowin, a went in the pictures an’ paid mi money – it wa tow late then ta ton back. A kept erter th’road a th’usherette’s an’ a fernd a seat near th’ front. I crerched dern low an’ started ta watch th’ film, burra couldner enjoy it, a kept thinkin’ thid be somebody ood say me. Suddenly the lights comm on cos it wa th’end of one of
By Danny Corns 23rd between 6.25pm and 6.25pm with slight damage to property on Longfield Crescent, Quarry Hill Road and The Triangle. A smaller raid had preceded this one the previous night and this caused slight damage to houses in Ladywood Road and Wharncliffe Road. The last air raid seems to have taken place in the early morning of August 17th 1942. And this caused slight damage to properties on Kingsway. Incendiary bombs were dropped during the early morning of September 5th 1940. These landed on the Stanton New Works and caused a number of fires. Some landed in mine-holes near the bunkers opposite Cope’s Field and one went through the Power House roof. The pattern that emerges seems to confirm the fact that the raiders thought they were over Derby and bombing Rolls Royce due to the intersection on their radio beams. It had since been disclosed that these guiding radio beams were deliberately deflected from their true positions by our scientists. It appears that the German airmen had the luck to miss one important site, Rolls Royce, and bomb another, Stanton, purely through chance. Even though I was only a 5-year-old at the time, I still remember much of the bomb damage that occurred as the houses involved became something of a visitor attraction to local people. I remember my mam taking me to Hallam Fields School on Cavendish Road, passing that very badly damaged house on Inglefield Road. A photo of this can be seen on the cover of the History Society’s ‘Ilkeston At War’ publication. Another distinct memory is of the six houses destroyed at the bottom of Nottingham Road. My grandparents lived on The Triangle and I remember climbing in through the blown in bay windows. My most vivid memory is of the Heinkell I.II approaching Stanton at about 5.15pm on Sunday 29th September. A
Nubdy’ll know. th’films, so a crerched dern even lower till th’ new film started. Ar watched it but summair ar couldner enjoy it like I ought ta dow. Ar comm ert before the end an’ didner bother abert any chips. I went straight ’om. When a walked in mi mam said: “Ey ya ’ad a good lesson tonayt?” I said “Ar, I ay, mam” burra felt rotten inside cos ard tewd a lie. Ow said “Ar’ll get you some supper then.” At that exact moment thi worra knock at th’door. Ow oppened it an’ theer stood Doreen Daykin. Ow said, “Bein’ as Jim didner goo for ’is lesson tonayt, Mr Pool asked me to call ’ere wi this certificate…Jim’s passed wi dinstinction.” Ar felt summat inside me goo all cowd an’ trembly. Then mi mam tonned rernd on may an’ ow let rip! All a could dow wa stand theer, an mi mam gen may a rayt roastin’. A few minutes later mi dad comm back from Winfayld’s pub an’ ay gen me a good gooin’ o’er anall. It wa one a th’wost nayts ard ever experienced an’ ard nobody to blame but misen. Remember, be sure thar sins’ll find thee ert.
Even though I was only a 5-year-old at the time, I remember the bomb damage . . . the houses involved became something of a visitor attraction pal and I were playing on the ‘backs’ of the houses on Frog Row off Crompton Street when this plane approached from the direction of Ilkeston. We could actually see the pilot as it flew in the direction of the New Works furnaces when this dustbin like object fell out of the Heinkell. We heard the explosion which turned out to be a 2.000 klg bomb that fell next to the junction of the Erewash and Nutbrook canals, making a large crater and killing many fish. The Heinkell was later shot down near Ingoldmells after being chased by Pilot Officer I S Smith, a New Zealand Hurricane pilot. The German pilot, Ober Leutenant Zinner and his three man crew survived, beings taken as Prisoners Of War. I believe that it is very important that Barry and other contributors to Ilkeston Life continue to send in their memoirs of the past. It is 50 years in 2016 since the Ilkeston Local History Society was started. We are putting together a series of events to cover the year and we hope to speak to people who have memories of working in textiles, lace, collieries, the Council, shops, schools, etc. in our area. Please write your memories down. We can be contacted as a group on the last Saturday of any month at the U Choose Smoothie Bar, 1 Bath Street, Ilkeston. PS That was a terrific picture of the bombed houses on Nottingham Road sent in by Sarah Munro last issue. Nobody was killed, I understand, and a family friend’s cat that that lived there had a remarkable escape. It was feared lost, only to re-appear three weeks later!
Maggie’s new Ilkeston office Erewash MP Maggie Throup has taken one of the new units in the former Co-op building. She is one of the first tenants in the iconic building being redeveloped by ALB Investments. She says: “I am delighted to be moving into a fantastic location, right in the heart of town.” Lets have been agreed for most of the commercial units. Above them there will be 60 apartments.
Smoothie Art Gallery Ron Brooks will be showing and demonstrating the art of Chinese Brush painting to celebrate the Chinese New Year in the upstairs gallery for the whole of the month of February. From 1st to 13th February Jackie Tilly will be displaying her work, mainly in acrylic on canvas. Her subjects include landscapes and, more recently, steam engines. Carey Whitehead, another local artist, will be showing a selection of paintings in different media, gouache, pastel, oil and acrylics covering a wide range of subject matter. The majority of his work is the product of his imagination. Jackie and Carey’s work will be featured in the Smoothie Bar window.
Ilkeston Life, February 2016
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