Hastings 23rd May 1943

[timbo]

Sorry for being a couple of days late..

 

At lunchtime on Sunday the 23rd May 1943 (a beautiful spring day) a group of FW190's of SG10 flying from their base in Northern France launched a 'tip and run' raid on the seaside town of Hastings. Each aircraft carried one bomb which was dropped on the town centre and then carried out strafing attacks as well.

 

In total 25 people were killed with a further 30 seriously injured. Most of the deaths were in the Swan Inn just behind the seafront, which took a direct hit and was packed with people enjoying a pint (or several !). Today this is still the site of a memorial garden.

 

A number of bombs also failed to explode, possibly as a result of being dropped at very low altitudes, and one of these ended up in the beer cellar of the Tower Hotel a mile or so back from the seafront. My old man was a sapper with 20 bomb disposal company at the time. They were given a choice of attending the Swan to clear up what was by all accounts an unholy mess, or sorting out the bomb at the Tower. With an eye on the possibility of free beer, a small group was dispatched to the Tower. The recovery and subsequent making safe went according to plan but any beer opportunities were thwarted by an eager landlord who refused to leave the cellar in spite of the obvious and considerable danger of explosion. As the now safe bomb was being hoisted from the cellar, a photographer from the local paper was on hand and snapped the occasion, including a pic of my old man looking on. The disappointed sappers could at least console themselves with knowing they would get their pics in the paper. Sadly but probably sensibly the censors decided that any subject involving the defusing of enemy bombs was not for publication so they never made it into the paper. Shortly after my old man moved on from Hastings and after the war returned to live in Coventry without giving the above incident much of a thought.

 

Fast forward 50 years to the early 90's and my sister and her family have decided to relocate from Coventry, which although once the birthplace of CVR(T)'s doesn't have much going for it any more, and move down to Hastings. On a weekend visit we decide to nip down to the local pub for a pint, and the old man starts retelling the above story, minus the name of the pub, which is long forgotten, to the barman. Barman listens intently unlike the rest of the family I'm ashamed to say, and then points to the wall behind the old man's shoulder. There on the wall in a tiny frame is a grainy black and white shot of my old man looking on while the bomb is pulled out of the beer cellar of this very pub, the Tower Hotel..! This was the picture taken by the local snapper but which never made the paper.

 

Suffice to say he got a free pint. Just goes to show it is a small world full of coincidences. My dad died some years ago now and this is one of the few stories of his wartime experiences he shared. I will always regret not getting more out of him but such is life.

 

Notwithstanding the fact that they were trying to kill my old man the pilots who undertook these raids were nothing if not committed, flying at full throttle and less than 10 feet above the channel there was little room for error and the casualty rate was very high. There are reports even amongst those who were bombed and strafed of amazement at how low and fast they flew.

[berna2vm]

How did you end up in Huddersfield, Timbo? Bravery was demonstrated by the bucketload on all sides. I wonder if our generation would fare as well? It is so often the case that our heroes didn't want to talk about their exploits because it brings back the horror that they witnessed in these dark days. My ex's father would talk to me about it for hours and even as a late 30 something I would sit downstairs drinking brandy into the small hours listening to wonderous tales of Sherman tanks ,Crusader tanks Tiger tanks, and all manner of other things concerning the North African and Italian campaigns.I would listen to him as a young boy would listen to his father or grandfather. It turned out that I was the only member of the family that he ever talked about it to and I feel rather priveleged that he could discuss it with me. I always urged him to write his memoirs, sadly he never did and now he is gone. The best man I have ever known.

[timbo]

It's a long story involving motorbikes, a failed college education and inevitably a woman ! I am pretty settled up here in Gods Own County now, although I like to think that my involvement with the preservation of Alvis vehicles maintains a tenuous link to my (and their) birthplace in Coventry.!

 

Yes it is a shame these fascinating stories get lost and all the more reason for us to treasure and record them. There is nothing which adds interest to a museum like reading or listening to the stories that go with the exhibits.

 

One thing my old man was always very adamant about was the maxim 'never bl**dy volunteer for anything, ever !' - but then he was in EOD I suppose..!

[berna2vm]

Motorcycles and Women, a cood combination for relocation....

[abn deuce]

Of women and motorcycles , a chap runs an ad in a singles publication . Man seeks a woman with motorcycle , send photo of motorcycle . One must keep one priorities after all.