Easter Blitz, April 1941

[Blitzkid]

Of course the British saw it as great victory, there was little or no news about the floods as far as I remember

[Blitzkid]

If you look on any photo of the Smithford Street after the war you will notice, there are no black mark of soot or fire (incendiaries).

It was a clear moonlight night on the 14th, half day closing so there were few people on the streets, a cold night, blackout, people had over three hours to be at home.

My view of the city was so bright in the south the path-finders did not waste there Incendiaries on the south but lit up the north side with firelight, the second wave hit with H.E. The Cathedral had a solid roof of Oak that was thick with tar, no H.E it was the intense heat that broke the pillars, the police cleared Dad and I and others from the Cathedral Saturday before the Kings Visit, we collected Pieces of the woodwork and a nose cone of an incendiary that my Dad turned into a shepherds cross (still in the family).

Two hours after the fires started Solihull fire brigade arrived. Length after length of hose was fitted round the Cathedral, but the water ceased, they managed to save two small chapels only.

[dutchman]

That was of course the November 1940 Blitz.

[Blitzkid]

This may be in the wrong place. But to understand ww2, we need to see how it came about.
HITLER came to power in 1933, he immediately said Germany was now a fascist state, he also brought in Conscription for young men. Europe became alarmed, the amount of meetings endless.

The White Lion pub, the oldest pub in Coventry at 50 Smithford street was thinking money, all these political meetings, so 1934 they acquired no 51 S.S refurbished and extended the pub, now with restaurant, extra bar, function room, kitchens and live in staff, the tills rattled, the fascist party used the function room for political meetings, the communist published the daily worker, the tory party, labour party, and Irish party, the city a mixed bed of political of unrest. Families split up, friends became enemy's and so forth.

1936 Spanish General Franco was Fascist so Hitler lent him a few Bombers, he was still building a mighty war force, so Russia sent tanks in opposition, and we started to see black and white photo's at cinemas of the killings and destruction,-- 2,200 brits went to Spain, for three years there was war.

Lord Halifax, Foreign Secretary, due to be thought next P.M, visited Germany. Halifax returned from the trip, visibly enjoyed, Liked all the Nazi leaders, He thought there regime was fantastic. England was a mish-mass of political apprehension.

The Gov't had no idea what the people wanted, so they set up Mass Observation of two thousand people to spy and report, (Sussex University have the archives) and took note of there findings.

[rebbonk]

Interesting, Blitzkid.

I only covered WW1 in my history classes, but I always held a suspicion that Hitler enjoyed quite a lot of support in the UK, especially in the higher echelons of society.

[dutchman]

Halifax wanted to negotiate a truce with Germany during the evacuation of Dunkirk but was overruled by Churchill.

Germany planned to install Halifax as a puppet Prime Minister but there's no indication he would have accepted the role.

[dutchman]

Hertford Street 10th April 1941, the erstwhile Telegraph office is on the right.

[Blitzkid]

Chamberlain wanted to install Lloyd George as a quisling Gov't long before Halifax,
Chamberlain was a big friend of the King, Churchill was not, Chamberlin kept urging the King to take is family to Canada, away from the war. When Churchill was at last voted to PM the King sent for him, after talking about 45 min, Churchill Left, a few hours later the King Phoned Churchill, " I have talked to my Family, you are right, we will not go to Canada, we will stay here with our people, I will help you every way I can. Buckingham Palace was hit eight times, the King was well experienced of bombing by the time he visited Coventry On the16th of Nov. 1940.

To go back to my story--- The 1930 was not a peaceful decade--But everyone was aware that Britain was not prepared for war, so we rolled into 1939, The Bef went to the front line in France, and the defence of city began in earnest, there was so much sand in Coventry, you would have thought we were camels.

In January 1939 Hitler gave a terrifying speech, he promised that he would annihilate every Jew in Europe, in March he threw off all pretence of restraint, and completely annexed Czechoslovakia.

August 1939--Now my family lived in a two-up two down Cottage, there where three of us boys in the back-bedroom, Parents in a front room, and where the stairs crossed the other front room it was a small box room, that my teen age sister had. Ministers came round and sorry but you have to have to billet two soldiers for a few month's, so sis came into our room with curtain in between. and two soldiers shared a single bed, they built the big gun foundations, and huts in the field across the road.

[rebbonk]

Blitzkid, this is great. These are personal memories of how the war affected you and your family, they are truly unique. :thumbs-up:

Can you tell us any more about soldiers being billeted around the city? What sort of jobs did they do? How were they equipped? etc. etc.?

Did the people of Coventry think that the efforts to protect the city were adequate before the blitz?

I know, I'm a nosey b*gger, but you are a rich seam of first-hand knowledge.