Newbury memorial to commemorate 1943 bombing victims
On Wednesday, February 10, 1943, at 4:35pm, eight high-explosive bombs were dropped from a single Dornier bomber over the town, destroying infrastructure and stealing the lives of 15 people while injuring dozens more.
St John’s Church, the Senior Council School, St Bartholomew’s Almshouses and Southampton Terrace were all reduced to rubble and in total, 265 dwellings were damaged or destroyed.
Now Newbury Town Council is teaming up with local historian David Clow to create the memorial, which is likely to sit in the small gardens opposite St John’s Church, off Newtown Road, the site where the first bomb landed.
A marble slab will display the names of the victims, including three pupils and two teachers at the school, with an accompanying information plaque detailing the disaster and how it affected the town. Both are to be unveiled in a ceremony in February next year, on the 70th anniversary of the fateful day.
Mr Clow, of West Berkshire Heritage Forum, said: “There’s a lot of history associated with Newbury and it’s important that we have things around the town explaining the history.”
He has been in discussion with surviving residents to hear their memories of the day, but is keen to hear from more people.
“There are a lot of people who remember the event, a lot were children at the school.
“There were a lot of children who had left the school about 20 minutes earlier that afternoon, and if they hadn’t they probably would have been killed. If the school had been full there would have been a huge loss of life.
“I spoke to people who were blown off their feet by the blast; someone who remembers wood flying past him in Cheap Street.
“If they were directly connected to the event we would like to invite them to the commemorations.”
Leader of the Council, Julian Swift-Hook (Lib Dem, Newbury) praised the plans for a memorial.
“It’s important to recognise Newbury’s past as well as looking forward to the future,” he said. “It’s important that our heritage is commemorated and this is a good way of doing it.”
Anyone who wishes to share their memories of the Newbury bombings can contact Mr Clow on 01635 40188 or email clow@ntlworld.com