Re-discovered pictures show Newbury church re-build after wartime bombing raid

Newly-rediscovered photographs have revealed the work to re-build a Newbury church after its destruction in an air raid during the Second World War, writes Richard Maynard.

Newbury was attacked on February 10, 1943, having suffered smaller raids earlier in the war.

Fifteen people were killed in the raid, including three children and two of their teachers. The bombs destroyed a school, St John’s church and houses. Of the 41 people who were injured, 25 were seriously hurt.

A plaque and information board were unveiled in the small garden opposite St John's church on the 70th anniversary of the raid in 2013. Newbury Town Council worked with local historian David Clow to create the memorial and tell the story of the town during the war.

According to an account on the website Newbury History, “two German Luftwaffe Dornier 217E bombers from ll/KG40 Bomber Unit in Holland, on a nuisance raid, followed the Great Western Railway line running west from London to Reading. At 4.35pm one of the bombers veered off towards South Reading while the other continued to follow the railway line to Newbury.

“At 4.43pm the Dornier Do 217E bomber arrived at Newbury and dropped eight high-explosive bombs - there was no time for a warning siren. The first four bombs were 500kg each, followed by a further four bombs at 50kg each.”

The church was totally destroyed by the bombs, leaving only the altar standing.

The Senior Council School, St Bartholomew's Almshouses and Southampton Terrace were also destroyed and another 265 dwellings were damaged. Many were later demolished.

By 1944, a temporary sectional church was built on the original site, offering a space for worship and community during the years of recovery.

A decade later, Newbury welcomed royalty as Princess Margaret laid the foundation stone for a new permanent church on April 13, 1955.

Designed by acclaimed ecclesiastical architect Stephen Dykes Bower, the new building was a tribute to resilience and renewal, constructed from an impressive 750,000 Berkshire red bricks.

The new St John’s Church was consecrated on June 13, 1957 by the Lord Bishop of Oxford, marking a new chapter for the parish and the town.

But the building was not just new in form — it was rich in memory. The stained glass windows, designed by A. E. Buss of Goddard & Gibbs, were embedded with fragments of glass salvaged from churches across the country that had also been bombed during the war — including the original St John’s.

A bell donated by builders came from a church in Popham, dating back to the 1860s, further connecting past and present.

Today, the church stands as a Grade II listed architectural landmark, with its distinctive neo-Romanesque red brick design, striking painted wooden ceilings, and symbolic artwork such as the ‘Dove of Peace’ above the altar. It is both a place of worship and a living memorial to those lost in the war.

In 1993, the Newbury Weekly News published a special supplement marking the 50th anniversary of the raid, which included eyewitness accounts.

Many thanks to the Peter Bloodworth Archives for sharing the photos with us.