AIR RAIDS
The following information was taken from A DIARY OF AIR RAIDS ON SOUTHAMPTON 6.06.1940 TO 27.06.1944. Mr Walter Kingston, who lived in Pound Street Bitterne, compiled the diary. Mr Dennis Kingston presented a copy to THE BITTERNE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY and it is now held in the Society archives.
THIS EXTRACT LISTS ONLY THOSE AIR RAID ALERTS THAT RESULTED IN ACTUAL BOMBING IN THE SOUTHAMPTON AREA
The diary lists all the dates, duration and times of the air raid warnings that were sounded in Southampton from June 1940 to October 1944
There were one thousand five hundred and forty nine air raid alerts during the period most of which would have resulted in some activity locally and, where the diary reports ALL QUIET during a period of alert there would have been some enemy activity in the near vicinity possibly at Portsmouth. The alert was sounded when enemy planes were reported flying over any part of our area. No one could be certain that we were not the target.
Inevitably all the local defence services were required to stand by during all of the hours of alert. The diary records that there were a total of one thousand six hundred and seventy eight hours and twenty-five minutes of alert between the sounding of the alarm and the all clear. The population lost many hours of sleep waiting for the All Clear signal and quite often people were unable to sleep at night in anticipation of another night of activity.
The extract listed here includes all those entries where Mr Kingston has reported that any bombs were dropped in and around Southampton and we have also included which part of the town was affected.
For those of us who can remember a particular incident it is a reminder of the date. For anyone who now lives in a house that was rebuilt after the war they may learn when the original house was damaged or destroyed.
|
Date |
Time |
Duration |
District or Roads Affected |
|
|
|
|
Hrs mts |
|
|
|
19-6-40 |
2330
– 2340 |
3 50 |
Bombs
at Millbrook & Redbridge fires Dibden Purlieu Church
destroyed |
|
|
13-08-40 |
1540
–1715 |
1 35 |
Docks
lower part of town Cold storage
demolished |
|
|
14-08-40
|
16
45.- 1850 |
2 5 |
Bombs
derailed train and caused other
damage St
Denys district |
|
|
21-08-40 |
1438
–1525 |
47 |
Woolston
near Thornycrofts dredger sunk |
|
|
21-08-40 |
1715
–1745 |
30 |
Damage
at airport and Gaters Mill |
|
|
25-08.40 |
2120
– 0215 |
4 15 |
Woolston Damage in Radstock Road & West Road |
|
|
27-08-40 |
2115.-.0320 |
5 35 |
Outlying
district bombs dropped |
|
|
31-08-40 |
2140
– 0300 |
5 20 |
Hamble
& Salisbury bombs dropped |
|
|
01-09-40 |
2245
– 2345 |
1 |
Bombs
dropped Eastleigh Mayors House hit Mayoress
died later |
|
|
10-09-40 |
2040
– 0310 |
6 30 |
Heavy
gunfire Bombs dropped Bath Road |
|
|
11-09-40 |
1650
– 1810 |
2 7 |
Heavy
gunfire Bombs dropped Cunliffe Owen Swathling Heavy
Casualties |
|
|
13-09-40 |
2040
– 0205 |
5 25 |
Slight
Gunfire Bombs dropped outlying districts |
|
|
14-09-40 |
1530
– 1700 |
1 30 |
Heavy
Gunfire Bombs dropped Newtown District |
|
|
15-09-40 |
1745
– 1825 |
40 |
Terrific
Gunfire Sighted 18 German planes Many bombs dropped Woolston
Station near miss Business premises demolished and
houses in many streets damaged Few casualities |
|
|
15-09-40 |
2045
- 0315 |
6 30 |
Heavy
gunfire Bombs dropped in town Bernard Street and district |
|
|
23-08-40 |
1330
–1418 |
48 |
Whites
yard Supermarine (shelter hit) Northam & Woolston hit St
Barnabys Church destroyed |
|
|
24-08-40 |
1625 1800 |
1 45 |
Second
wave of bombers hit Peartree Woolston and Northam |
|
|
26-08-40 |
1500
–1710 |
2 10 |
Supermarine
Whites yard Peartree Avenue Gas works Marne &
Balaclava Roads at Bitterne |
|
|
11-10-40 |
1935
–0130 |
5 55 |
Bombs
on Portamouth Road and district |
|
|
15-10-40 |
2010
–2065 |
45 |
Bombs
at Bursledon |
|
|
23-10-40 |
1540
1555 |
15 |
Bombs
dropped outlying district |
|
|
29-10-40 |
1425
1525 |
1 0 |
Many
planes overhead Dog fights Bombs at Portsmouth |
|
|
29-10-40 |
1550
1610 |
1 8 |
Second
wave as above |
|
|
29-10-40 |
1650
1758 |
5 30 |
Third
wave as above |
|
|
01-11-40 |
2020
2245 |
2 25 |
Planes
above Heavy gunfire Bombs dropped at Swathling |
|
|
17-11-40 |
1835
0745 |
13 10 |
One
continuous raid Bombs dropped in
allparts of Southampton and
district including Northam, St Denys Bitterne Park Swathling
Highfield Bitterne Thornhill Sholing Many incendiaries Our
worst raid to date |
|
|
18-11-40 |
2010
0530 |
9 20 |
Planes
above Bombs dropped on Prices Bakery Northam |
|
|
20-11-40 |
1830 0300 |
8 30 |
Bevios
Town and Shirley |
|
|
22-11-40 |
2000
0600 |
11 45 |
Bombs
outlying districts |
|
|
23-11-40 |
1815 2330 |
5 15 |
Whole
town and suburbs severely damaged. Houses shops gutted (Germans claimed to have used 250
planes250 tons of bombs 12,000incendary bombs ) |
|
|
30-11-40
|
1810
0230 |
8 20 |
Mostly
docks and town areas Whole town ablaze |
|
|
1-12-40 |
1810
0045 |
6 35 |
Southampton
again hit with fire and HE bombs |
|
|
9-01-41 |
1855 0220 |
6 35 |
Raid
on Southampton several areas hit with incendiary and HE bombs |
|
|
19-01-41 |
1810 2325 |
5 15 |
Southampton
and Eastleigh bombs and incendiaries |
|
|
26-02-41 |
1908 2200 |
2 52 |
Fairoak
fire bombed |
|
|
01-03-41 |
1943
2230 |
2 47 |
Portswood
bus station hit mostly incendiaries around Newton district |
|
|
11-03-41 |
2000 0105 |
5 5 |
Docks,
Town, Shirley, Portswood and
Woolston hit mainly fire bombs |
|
|
12-03-41 |
1954 0050 |
4 56 |
Bombs
on Southampton |
|
|
13-3-41 |
1956 0315 |
7 19 |
Heavy
gunfire many bombs dropped on Southampton |
|
|
14-3-41 |
2007 0245 |
6 38 |
Bitterne
Church institute burnt out Incendiary through church roof. Other
bombs in town |
|
|
15-3-41 |
2130 0135 |
4 5 |
Bombs
on Southampton |
|
|
18-3-41 |
2005 2120 |
1 15 |
Bombs
near Northam Bridge and Southampton Common |
|
|
19-3-41 |
2020 2320 |
3 0 |
Bombs
at Portswood |
|
|
28-3-41 |
1040 1351 |
3 11 |
Totton
Bursledon hit Overton Mill and many bungalows damaged |
|
|
7-4
-41 |
2037 0400 |
7 23 |
Bombs
at Chandlers Ford |
|
|
10-4-41 |
2107 0450 |
7 43 |
Land
mines dropped Woolston Town Midanbury Severe damage caused |
|
|
12-4-41 |
2135 2320 |
1 45 |
Bombs
in Docks area |
|
|
15-4-41 |
2220 0520 |
7 |
Enemy
plane brought down fell on Padwell Road Bevios Town |
|
|
18-4-41 |
1750 1818 |
28 |
Bombs
on Athelston Road Rownhams district Portsmouth main target this night |
|
|
23-4-41 |
0105 0500 |
3 20 |
Bombs
at Hursley |
|
|
5-5-41 |
0220 0500 |
2 40 |
Bombs
Bursledon , Marchwood |
|
|
15-5-41 |
1644
1725 |
41 |
Bombs
Woolston and Southampton |
|
|
22-6-41 |
0150 0450 |
3 5 |
Estimated
54 mines dropped plus H E bombs & incendiaries Romsey
to Hedge End Soton Station had direct hit |
|
|
25-6-41 |
0110 0420 |
3 10 |
Mines
bombs on Southampton & Hedge End
Raid on Portsmouth |
|
|
8-7-41 |
0040 0310 |
2 30 |
All
districts of Southampton had bombs and incendiaries |
|
|
20-8-41 |
0952 0010 |
2 18 |
Bombs
in and around Southampton |
|
|
18-4-42 |
0220 0350 |
1 30 |
Some
bombs on Southampton |
|
|
22-6-42 |
0045 0205 |
1 20 |
Widespread
raid Brook Road Bitterne Brewery West End Road Peartree
Ave Mousehole Lane Bitt Park Merry Oak |
|
|
24-8-42 |
09.47
1010 |
23 |
1
bomb dropped on Sholing |
|
|
22-6-43 |
03.05
0350 |
45 |
Bombs
dropped at Portswood |
|
|
24-2-44 |
0940
– 2300 |
2 20 |
Bombs
dropped on Southampton |
|