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The Blitz

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  • Are they finally sorting out the undersoil heating at the Valley?
  • The house I grew up in was In Kinveachy Gardens SE7 and from looking at a bomb map it was noted that this dwelling was seriousply damaged but not destroyed by enemy bombing. Halfway down Kinveachy Gardens and opposite number 53 where I lived there is a small block of flats where the bomb completely destroyed I would say about eight houses. 
    @ShootersHillGuru, from the aforementioned “Bolts from the Blue” about V2 rockets…

    “A trio of rockets fell on south east London during the morning of 14th November [1944]. Petts Wood was shaken awake by the first of these at 6.25am. In Bushey Avenue and Towncourt Lane 2 died and 25 suffered injury. The next destination at 8.40am was Sherrard Road, Eltham, by Well Hall station, killing 8 people at No.s 50-60, and injuring 92. Casualties included ‘clippies’ at the bus terminus. Alsatians proved their worth by indicating the position of several trapped survivors.

    Scarcely half an hour later, a rocket broke up over Charlton, with the warhead exploding on council houses in Kinveachy Gardens. Three died at No. 79-83 and 35 were injured. In a million-to-one unlucky chance a segment of the missile fell through the roof of 24 Aldeburgh Street, over a mile away, killing a 60 year old man as he lay in bed”.

    Right. I’m confused here. The small block of flats that are halfway along Kinveachy Gardens seem to replace houses 30 - 60. I’m assuming those were the houses destroyed by the V2 rockets ? Opposite is one house that is much newer in the terrace. Its number is 45. A little further along again on the opposite side to the newer block of flats there is a group of three houses again much newer than the others in the terrace numbers 29,27 and 25. Again I’m assuming bomb damage ? The numbers mentioned in 79 - 83, the council houses where three souls lost their lives are quite a long way from the newer block. Any light on this please ? 


  • The house I grew up in was In Kinveachy Gardens SE7 and from looking at a bomb map it was noted that this dwelling was seriousply damaged but not destroyed by enemy bombing. Halfway down Kinveachy Gardens and opposite number 53 where I lived there is a small block of flats where the bomb completely destroyed I would say about eight houses. 
    @ShootersHillGuru, from the aforementioned “Bolts from the Blue” about V2 rockets…

    “A trio of rockets fell on south east London during the morning of 14th November [1944]. Petts Wood was shaken awake by the first of these at 6.25am. In Bushey Avenue and Towncourt Lane 2 died and 25 suffered injury. The next destination at 8.40am was Sherrard Road, Eltham, by Well Hall station, killing 8 people at No.s 50-60, and injuring 92. Casualties included ‘clippies’ at the bus terminus. Alsatians proved their worth by indicating the position of several trapped survivors.

    Scarcely half an hour later, a rocket broke up over Charlton, with the warhead exploding on council houses in Kinveachy Gardens. Three died at No. 79-83 and 35 were injured. In a million-to-one unlucky chance a segment of the missile fell through the roof of 24 Aldeburgh Street, over a mile away, killing a 60 year old man as he lay in bed”.

    Right. I’m confused here. The small block of flats that are halfway along Kinveachy Gardens seem to replace houses 30 - 60. I’m assuming those were the houses destroyed by the V2 rockets ? Opposite is one house that is much newer in the terrace. Its number is 45. A little further along again on the opposite side to the newer block of flats there is a group of three houses again much newer than the others in the terrace numbers 29,27 and 25. Again I’m assuming bomb damage ? The numbers mentioned in 79 - 83, the council houses where three souls lost their lives are quite a long way from the newer block. Any light on this please ? 


    I’m not at home right now but when I get back later I’ll check the incident log and see if anything else happened in Kinveachy Gardens
  • I'm sure this website has been mentioned before, but well worth a read:

    https://charltonchampion.co.uk/2020/05/08/ve-day-75-take-a-walk-and-discover-charltons-wartime-reminders/
    That's @Tom_Hovi
    Brilliant read!
  • I'm sure this website has been mentioned before, but well worth a read:

    https://charltonchampion.co.uk/2020/05/08/ve-day-75-take-a-walk-and-discover-charltons-wartime-reminders/

    Cheers for that haven’t seen that before. I attended Invicta School for 18months in the 1960s. and didn’t know of this incident.👍
  • Tom_Hovi said:
    Hi @Tom_Hovi

    Respect

    Got anything to say about the Baedecker raids?

    I do walking tours of Norwich and refer to this. I.e. that in retaliation for allied bombing of Lubeck,  the Germans decided to bomb cultural heritage cities in England. This was 1942. The targets were chosen on the basis of a tourist guide written by a man named Baedecker, hence the "Baedecker raids". I know Exeter was another chosen.

    Any other context/detail gratefully received 
    Yes, London wasn’t really affected by the Baedecker Raids, although it was bombed sporadically during this period. The main targets were Exeter, Norwich, Cambridge, York, Bath and Canterbury.

    As you say it was reputed to be in retaliation to the bombing of Lubeck, a historic city with an old city centre built predominantly of timber framed buildings that was used by “Bomber” Harris as something of an experiment to see if his plans for area bombing of cities were viable.

    The Baedecker Raids were so named because the story goes that the targets were selected as being historically and culturally significant cities chosen from the Baedecker Tourist Guide Books.

    One of my fellow guides, a lady called Jo Hook does occasional guided walks in Norwich (her home town) that focus on the Baedecker raids on the city. Drop me a DM and I can share her email address. 
    London and the southern England were  attacked during the Baby blitz January 1944 to May 1944.
    The Germans last attempt at a strategic bomber campaign.
  • Tom_Hovi said:
    The house I grew up in was In Kinveachy Gardens SE7 and from looking at a bomb map it was noted that this dwelling was seriousply damaged but not destroyed by enemy bombing. Halfway down Kinveachy Gardens and opposite number 53 where I lived there is a small block of flats where the bomb completely destroyed I would say about eight houses. 
    @ShootersHillGuru, from the aforementioned “Bolts from the Blue” about V2 rockets…

    “A trio of rockets fell on south east London during the morning of 14th November [1944]. Petts Wood was shaken awake by the first of these at 6.25am. In Bushey Avenue and Towncourt Lane 2 died and 25 suffered injury. The next destination at 8.40am was Sherrard Road, Eltham, by Well Hall station, killing 8 people at No.s 50-60, and injuring 92. Casualties included ‘clippies’ at the bus terminus. Alsatians proved their worth by indicating the position of several trapped survivors.

    Scarcely half an hour later, a rocket broke up over Charlton, with the warhead exploding on council houses in Kinveachy Gardens. Three died at No. 79-83 and 35 were injured. In a million-to-one unlucky chance a segment of the missile fell through the roof of 24 Aldeburgh Street, over a mile away, killing a 60 year old man as he lay in bed”.

    Right. I’m confused here. The small block of flats that are halfway along Kinveachy Gardens seem to replace houses 30 - 60. I’m assuming those were the houses destroyed by the V2 rockets ? Opposite is one house that is much newer in the terrace. Its number is 45. A little further along again on the opposite side to the newer block of flats there is a group of three houses again much newer than the others in the terrace numbers 29,27 and 25. Again I’m assuming bomb damage ? The numbers mentioned in 79 - 83, the council houses where three souls lost their lives are quite a long way from the newer block. Any light on this please ? 


    I’m not at home right now but when I get back later I’ll check the incident log and see if anything else happened in Kinveachy Gardens
    OK, so a study of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich Incident Log reveals the following major incidents:

    20 April 1941 - 27/29 Kinveachy - HE - 5 casualties including 1 fatal.
    1 July 1944 - 34 to 44 - FLY (code used for a V-1) - 2 fatal, 3 to hospital, 15 further rescued.
    14 November 1944 - 73 to 123 - LRR (Long Range Rocket, V-2) - 1 fatal, 12 to hospital, 55 to Charlton Lane First Aid Post

    Now these logs were written in the heat of the moment. Its often the case that the house numbers mentioned are slightly inaccurate, or a subsequent survey required that more (or fewer) houses required demolition. Also the same with the casualties, these are the initial reports and if people died subsequently, these reports tend not to pick up on these. The best way to check is to do a search on the CWGC website for Greenwich, Metropolitan Borough on the exact day of the incident. It will usually give the victims address, or say something like "died at Kinveachy Gardens".


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