Bournemouth and the Second World War 1939 – 1945
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Bournemouth and the Second World War 1939 – 1945 M. A. Edgington Bournemouth Local Studies Publications The Professional Education Centre 40 Lowther Road, Bournemouth BH8 8NR No. 728 Contents Illustrations...............................................................iii The Author............................................................... iv Acknowledgements..................................................iv Introduction...............................................................v Chapter One 1939.........................................................................................1 Chapter Two 1940.......................................................................................11 Chapter Three 1941.......................................................................................37 Chapter Four 1942.......................................................................................56 Chapter Five 1943.......................................................................................70 Chapter Six 1944.......................................................................................85 Chapter Seven 1945.......................................................................................94 Chapter Eight 1946 and afterwards ............................................................102 Appendix A Military Defence Measures..................................................108 Appendix B List of Shelters as at 23rd February 1942 ….......................114 Appendix C List of Rest Centres as at 6th April 1942.............................116 Appendix D List of Air Raids on Bournemouth 1939 – 1944............... ..118 Bibliography.........................................................................120 Illustrations 1. Air raid damage Seabourne Road 2nd September 1940 2. Air raid damage Alma Road School after the landmine fell on 16th November 1940 3. Dragons teeth 4. Pillbox 5. Bournemouth Pier and beach defences 6. Blast wall at Wardens Post 7. Air Raid Shelter Westover Gardens 8. Beales corner with fire fighting water main 9. Pilot Officer Cecil Henry Hight 10. Pilot Officer C.H. Hight's headstone 11. Mobile canteens 12. Bomb crater in Central Gardens 13. Bomb damage by Brunswick Hotel 14. home Guard ''D'' Company 6th (Bournemouth) Battalion 15. Housewives Guild 16. Canadian airmen with crashed German plane. 17. National Services Club, Lansdowne 18. Canadian airmen in National Services Club 19. Morning coffee at the Queen 20. Harry Powell shoe shining British and American Soldiers 21. G.I. Bandsmen 22. G.I. with Red Cross Hostess 23. Air raid 23rd May 1943 – Beales 24. Air raid 23rd May 1943 - Metropole Hotel 25. Air raid 23rd May 1943 - Fire fighting 26. Air raid 23rd May 1943 - Holdenhurst Road 27. Air raid 23rd May 1943 - Shamrock and Rambler Garage 28. Air raid 23rd May 1943 - Bobby's Store 29. Sea Cadets parade 1943 30. National Savings Indicator 1943 31. Plaque commemorating air raid on 23rd May 1943 32. Victory Parade 33. War Graves Cemetery, Boscombe 34. German POWs clearing beach defences iii The Author M.A. Edgington was born in Bournemouth and educated at the Collegiate and Bournemouth Schools. He qualified as an Associate of the Library Association having started his career as a Librarian with Bournemouth Library Service. He also worked in the Municipal College Library then moved to Hampshire County Library's Ringwood branch. In 1973 he returned to Bournemouth taking up the post of Reference Librarian at the Lansdowne Library, retiring in 1991. Bournemouth local history has always been one of his interests and he has written two other pamphlets, both published by the Bournemouth Local Studies Publications, entitled ''Bournemouth and the First World War'' (1985) and ''Citizen-soldiers'' (1988). Acknowledgements My thanks are due to all those people who have helped with information. To Dorset County Library and Mr John Goslin for permission to reproduce several photographs. To Mr.J.Parsons and the Committee for agreeing to publish this pamphlet and to my wife, Elisabeth, whose help and advice, as well as her encouragement, have been invaluable. June 2013 With the author's permission, this new printing has been prepared for free distribution in the form of an online PDF document. The document may be used freely for educational or recreational purposes, but not for resale, or for commercial gain in any form. The copyright of the content remains the property of the author. Where errors in the original text have been identified, these have been corrected. No attempt has been made to update any references to the function or naming of individual locations. These remain as they were presented in the original publication. © M. A. Edgington ISBN 1-873887-03-5 First printed: 1994 iv Introduction This brief history attempts to show how the town coped with the raids, restriction, rationing, plus the influx of Servicemen from other countries, and all the other circumstances forced upon it by the hostilities. Such a short account cannot give due recognition to the many people and organisations who kept going through those dark days and whose efforts helped to win the war. Although not a military history it does record military events and mentions some of the units which were stationed locally. The author would be pleased to receive information, photographs and reminiscences regarding this period of Bournemouth's history. v Chapter One 1939 At 11.15 am on Sunday, 3rd September 1939, just ten weeks before the twenty-first anniversary of the Armistice in 1918, which marked the end of "The War to end all Wars" the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, made his fateful broadcast stating that Britain was at war with Germany. Congregations in several Bournemouth churches, such as St. Peter's, were told during morning service, the news having been brought by church members who, like others, had heard it over the radio and then hastened to give the Minister the information. It was not completely unexpected since the threat of war had been on the horizon for some time. ln fact preparations in case of war had already been taken. The experience of air raids during the First World War had caused the Government to look to future needs against such attacks. So in 1924 a Committee was set up to determine what defence measures were necessary. Sir John Anderson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, was appointed Chairman, and under his guidance the Committee, working in secret called for advice from expert organisations and many individuals. In 1935 the secrecy was abandoned and the Government sent a letter to all local authorities telling them of the setting up of the Air Raid Precautions Department of the Home Office. The letter also warned that precautionary measures were needed to safeguard civilians against attacks from the air. However the object of the ARP was not only to make everybody safe but to ''make possible an efficient resistance to an aggressor". Although the Government did not say that war was coming Parliament passed the Air Raid Precautions Act in 1937, which came into force on 1st January 1938. This Act laid down the duties of local authorities in preparing and putting into force ARP schemes. Grants were then made available to enable these schemes to be commenced. Thus although the protection of civilians was primarily the duty of the Home Secretary he delegated this responsibility to local government, who could claim back the major part of their expenditure on air raid precautions. Under this legislation the country was divided into six regions, each under a Regional Commissioner, Bournemouth coming under Region 6 with Regional HQ at Reading. Initially the Home Office suggested that Bournemouth Corporation co-operated with Poole and Christchurch Councils. So a Joint Committee for ARP was set up consisting of Councillors from the three Boroughs, chaired by the Mayor of Bournemouth. This ''linking'' was almost unique so far as ARP was concerned. The only other such partnership had been Torquay and Paignton but this was dissolved fairly quickly. An Area ARP Officer, Mr. H.G. Barrett was appointed by the Committee in 1938. He was to act as Executive Officer assisted by three ARP Officers, one in each town. The Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch Committee met for the first time in August 1938. The following were asked to provide representatives at that meeting: Police, Fire Services, Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, Hospitals, Gas, Water and Electricity Services. Each Borough had its own Committee administrating the ARP organisation within its own boundaries with its own ARP Office. These Committees had to make their own arrangements, especially in the training of Wardens and rescue services. In Bournemouth the main control room was 1 Bournemouth and the Second World War built in the basement of the Town Hall with telephone links to the Central Fire Station, the Police Station and the ARP Offices in the three towns. Bournemouth was divided into three areas for management purposes. They were the Central, Eastern and Northern Divisions, with Divisional Offices at Fairlight Glen, Shelley Park and the Embassy Club, Brassey Road. Fairlight Glen, Avenue Road (the site is now occupied by ''Hobson's Choice"), was also used for the Area ARP Office. There were one hundred and fourteen Wardens Posts situated at strategic positions all over the town. Some were in private garages rented for the purpose, church halls, schools and empty shops. A number of huts removed from the beach because