Britain Under Fire
Sample Records
Ceremonial Helmet from Fireman Sidney French: A Hero of the Coventry Blitz
“My father was a part-time fireman for Southam fire brigade. He couldn't go in the army due to his role as a fireman and stayed in his job until the 1960s.”
“The ceremonial helmet was in the home, but the war was never spoken about. Going back brought it back - he seemed upset. People either talked about it or not. The helmet, which was uncomfortable, would have been presented when they first started. It was ceremonial initially, but the bumps on the top suggest it was used in fires. It was needed for inspection. Not sure what happened to the rest of the uniform. It was polished twice a year with Brasso and a toothbrush. The helmet is on display in the window.”
Shared by Mrs Patricia Townsend at Thornton College, Buckinghamshire on 16 September 2023.
Part of a land mine from Landmine Fragment
“Brought in part of a land mine from Montague Street, Barrow. Bombed in May 1941. He remembers his parents swapping tobacco coupons for sweets.”
Shared by Gordon Hall at Barrow-in-Furness Library, Cumbria on 7 November 2023.
3 melted coins found in bombed family home from Thomas Charles (Charlie) Rees, ARP warden
“My maternal grandfather Charlie Rees was living at 42, Eigen Crescent, Mayhill, Swansea. He was employed as a butcher's van driver to support his young wife May and eight year old daughter Mary. He was also a chief ARP warden and his duties included fitting and checking gas masks, planning firewatch rotas, giving talks to various groups, and firefighting once a week with their fire engine.”
“Charlie was at one of the houses and as he had plenty of help he told George to take his date to the family shelter for safety. As George started to hurry back up the road between Eigen and Teilo Crescent he heard the terrifying scream of a bomb and was knocked flat. He got up and ran towards Teilo but there was no sign of the firefighters, just a bomb crater and cries for help. He ran to where he knew the house owned a phone and called for help. By 4.30am the following morning 25 people had died, all of them friends, including Charlie. The bomb squad had laid out bodies on the pavement but Charlie was nowhere to be found, in fact he never was.”
Shared by Louise Davies online via the Their Finest Hour project website.
Pamphlet from Childhood Memories of the War - Patrick Kingston
LMS Air Raid Precautions 1939
“Patrick Kingston was born in 1937. His earliest memories are of the Blitz. A cousin came to stay with them to escape the bombing. He was fearful of the bombs and knew what they could do. When they heard bombs being dropped they had to hide in the house. However, he was very young and the blackout and the bombs were a bit of an adventure to him. People could be prosecuted for showing any light from their windows.”
“He was fascinated by trains. Down by a railway bridge, he remembers seeing soldiers being brought, many of them injured. Only certain buses were in action at the time. As much normality was created as possible.”
Shared by Patrick Kingston at Ahmadiyyah Mosque Hall, Warwickshire on 7 October 2023. The event was organised by Leamington History Group.
Record plate from Aluminium Record Plate
“This record contains a photograph of an item taken along to a Digital Collection Day held at Perton.”
Shared by Michael Hubbard at Perton Library, Staffordshire on 19 October 2023.
