Legend of Blitzkid

Now, the Navigation canal when built, never entered Coventry at any point, it followed the city's outskirts all the way. Not until 1925 - when Foleshill became part of Coventry - did it become known as Coventry canal. It was Hawkesbury canal until 1925. Hawkesbury ran from Exhall to Bell Green. That’s why the Navigation pub at Courthouse Green was on the outskirts of the city, the pub had stable accommodation and feed when first built.

Thank you, Blitzkid.

Always interested to hear about the canals.

NOW THE WHITE LION HOTEL at 50 Smithford Street.

With the war over in 1920 decided they would extend their business so they bought land next door and behind. They pulled the old building down and rebuilt a complete new Hotel, new stables behind and a coach lane next too. Opened in 1921. With the railway improving, they could ferry business class clients by running a horse and coach business as well. They took the adverts off the face of the Hotel and put beautiful artistic mosaic adverts in the pavement.

1933: Hitler came to power, called it a fascist state, made conscription. England became a debating country. The White Lion took note for more business.

1934: Listened to what Charles Lindbergh was saying that the Germans had the greatest air force in the world, they could never be beaten. So they refurbished No.50 putting a cheap wooden bay window on the second floor for the Landlord Lounge, removed the artistic adverts to do so. Put cheaper adverts in the pavement. Built a complete extension at 51 as joint Hotel with another bar, large kitchens, restaurant, function room and rooms for live-in staff. The new Fascist party took over the function room, created hate and violence.

1939: The leaders of the fascist party were imprisoned, first removing any trace of their connection that might harm Germany.

1940: Number 50 was so severely damaged that Bomb disposal made the Council rail it off. The brewery did not want it to vanish, they had great plans for it when we won the war.

1942: They patched it up, placed a shaky gallery in the landlord's broken lounge, placed the plans of what they would rebuild (unfortunately the mods of Coventry History forum deleted the private Photograph of the Gallery) but I did see this Gallery. They built wooden steps in the destroyed Number 51 a hole through the shaky wall led into the Gallery, this can be seen in the aftermath of the war Photos.

I have now started to write about Brighton and London, the race track gangs of the fifties and the lifestyles of those times. Did you know that 6000 people died from the smog in London in 1953, that Billy Hill came out of prison in 1949? He was top gang boss of the criminal world in London and I was witness to some of the knife fights. Oh, well, a long time ago and now only a memory.

Blitzkid,

Whatever your memories, please share them. :thumbs-up:

Dutchman, hope this finds you well and happy? Just to let you know that my book Hawkesbury (Coventry) Canal is now on sale with Amazon, for when it was built every inch was in Hawkesbury and was known as such.

Well done Blitzkid.

I did not put enough in my book, the canal was built by the Navigation co. It came from Hawkesbury Coal mine across Hawkesbury farm to Sutton stop, still on Hawkesury soil all the way to Stoke Common, every inch of the way was Hawkesbury. In that time, it never was Coventry, it only delivered to Coventry. Stoke was a late edition to Coventry. Now there is no record that I know of who asked for it to be built but I think it was the owners of the coal pit, the same as the Duke of Bridgewater a few months earlier had asked for his coal to be delivered by boat to Manchester.

Please keep these little snippets coming, Blitzkid. They're really priceless.

The crashed Junkers Ju88 near the village of Withybrook: On the second day after the crash we visited the site. It had been hit bad by British gunfire. I and my friend had been taken there, he wanted souvenirs.

The first thing we noticed was it was sitting on its belly in a huge crater, the whole of its wheels and undercart were completely missing and was so over the next number of years. We were not allowed to take photos. Part of its tail fin lay some 200 yards back in the field.

As we searched for small fragments, we found a human thumb at the bottom of the hedgerow, torn from the hand of one of the crew and over 50 yards away. We handed this to the RAF Reg't who were still looking for the wheels and undercart. They did not know how much of the plane had lost from gunfire or explosion, was it still carrying a bomb aboard among the damaged bomb-bay?

15 or 20 years later they were dredging the canal at Ansty and they found them, about two miles from Withybrook.

Of course the war was over and no one was interested except my family and the lad who went with me to the crash.