Hillfields in the Blitz

Hillfields was the target for the first air raid on Coventry on 27th June 1940. Sixteen people died in that raid, and many more were to die in subsequent raids during September and October, culminating in the great blitz of 14/15 November 1940. This raid was codenamed by the Germans "Moonlight Sonata". Hillfields, being itself an industrial area as well as located between the city centre and the Ordinance works at Red Lane, was particularly badly hit by the bombing.

There were many air raid shelters serving the district, including:

An underground shelter at Primrose Hill Park
A "trench" shelter at Cox Street (corner of Grove Street) with 200 places
A surface shelter at Swanswell Park with 150 places 
A trench shelter at Swanswell Park (tennis courts) with 306 places.
A trench shelter at Bird Street (old bowling green) - with 642 places. 
A surface shelter at Coventry and Warwick Hospital (entrance from Russell Street) with 150 places
A Trench shelter on Gosford Green (former play area) with 612 places.
A basement shelter at 1 Walsgrave Road with 63 places.
A basement shelter at 15,16, 17 Victoria Street with 100 places
A surface shelter at Wheatley Street School with 100 places
A surface shelter at Vequeray Street School with 150 places.
A large shelter, capable of holding 1000 people, beneath the BTH factory in Read Street.
A shelter at the Stevengraph Works 

In addition to the public shelters, many people had Anderson Shelters in their gardens. Some families sheltered in the cellars of local pubs, including 11 year old DH Jackson a pupil of John Gulson School whose parent owned the Three Shuttles in Howard Street and Mrs. D. S. Harris who was staying in the Ivy Cottage pub on King William Street. She describes the scene in Hillfields during an air raid. Some houses in the district, including those on Lower Ford Street, had cellars which could also be used as shelters. Others, like Raymond Hall, in Highfield Road sheltered under the stairs. 

Unfortunately the shelters could not give protection from a direct hit. Ninety people died when a bomb hit the entrance to the shelter at Gosford Green 

There was damage to many shops in the district, including Primrose Hill Street.

Swanswell Pool was used as a water supply for firefighters in the city. A fire crew from Stoke on Trent were all killed as they attempted to lay overland pipes from the Swanswell to the city centre.

There were a number of Air Raid Protection (ARP) Units  in Hillfields, including works ARP units at a number of factory sites, including:

Bretts Stamping in Harnall Lane
The Stevengraph Works in Cox Street

Many factories had their own fire brigades which assisted the civil forces during air raids. The works fire brigade at BTH was called out to assist with fires on 17 occasions during this period, two of these were of a serious nature. Five of the firm's firemen were hurt in these incidents, one fatally.  The ARP Unit at Bretts Stamping put out incendary bombs on 19th October and on the night of 14/15th November two large fires and nine incendiaries were effectively dealt with by the works fire brigade in addition to which a burst gas main outside the works was damped down.  

In Coventry 111 of the 180 principal factories were damaged during the raids. In Hillfields:

The Stevengraph Works was completely destroyed.
The BTH factory in Alma Street was badly damaged.
The boiler house at the BTH in Read Street took a direct hit. 

During the air raids on Hillfields:

104 houses were totally destroyed
88 houses required demolition
1435 houses were seriously damaged
816 houses were evacuated
351 houses were slightly damaged.

As well as factories and houses destroyed, the bombing caused damage to many other local facilities. The Palladium Cinema was damaged by fires. A number of pubs were damaged (the Elastic Inn, Golden Eagle, Royal Albert and Sydenham Palace) and five were completely destroyed (the Crown Inn, Leicester Inn, Lord Aylesford, White Horse and Vine Inn). Four people died at Frederick Bird School and St. Joseph's RC school, Walsgrave Road, was completely destroyed. St. Mark's and Yardley Street Schools were severely damaged. Ford Street Primitive Methodist Church was completely destroyed and St. Peter's Parish Rooms and All Saints Church were damaged. St. Mark's Church was damaged in a later air raid at Easter 1941. 

Damage to the tram system led to the whole system going permanently out of use.

Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital was damaged during the blitz although only one person died. Follow this link for more information and photos of the impact of the blitz on Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital. including the devastating bombing of April 1941.

The source material for this page was: Moonlight Sonata, the Coventry Blitz, 14/15 November 1940 by Tim Lewis. Published by Tim Lewis and Coventry City Council, September 1990 and Coventry's Blitz published by Coventry Evening Telegraph..

This page was last updated 31/07/02