Lord Lt. of Cheshire David Briggs (right) and Council leader Terry O’Neill at the memorial service.
VIDEO: SIXTEEN innocent victims of Warrington’s worst war-time atrocity were remembered at a special service today (Monday) to mark the 75th anniversary of the Thames Board Mills bombing.
Civic leaders including the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington, Cllr Geoff and Mrs Jean Settle, the Lord Lt. for Cheshire David Briggs, Council leader Terry O’Neill and deputy Leader Mike Hannon, joined others at the special service of remembrance led by Borough Minister Rev Stephen Kingsnorth.
The Mayor laid a wreath in memory of all those who lost their lives as a result of the bombing.
Women and young children were amongst the casualties when a German bomber on its way back from a bombing raid at Manchester, targeted the factory’s annual fete.
The stray German bomber was travelling along the Manchester Ship Canal and spotted a large crowd of people at the fete and decided to unload its last remaining bombs.
There was carnage as one bomb fell on the canteen burying 150 people in the wreckage, killing 16, injuring a further 28, 15 of them seriously.
Later there were many conflicting eyewitness accounts from those who had seen the plane swoop over the town, but most agreed that the pilot was low enough to see exactly what he had bombed. The Warrington Fire Officer’s log reported, however, that German radio reports that evening claimed that the Aluminium Mills at Bank Quay had been bombed.”
After recounting the events of the atrocity, Rev Kingsnorth read out the names of those who lost their lives, which was followed by a moments silence.
Those who lost their lives were:
Donald Ackerley,
Henry Williamson Cooper
Albert Wallance Cox,
Albert William Cox,
Rhoda Hannah Gittings Cox,
May Domville,
Amy Heath Edwards,
Ruth Jackson,
Beatrice Hannah Parker (Canteen Manageress)
Ann Lawson, aged two,
William Stanley Reynolds,
Lilian Maud Springham,
William George Springham,
Williams James Taylor
William John Taylor aged three,
Albert Webb, aged three.
Rev Kingsnorth who conducted the service with Mayor Geoff Settle who laid a wreath on behalf of the town.
*The 75th anniversary would have been missed but for being highlighted by a reader on the local history section of the warrington-worldwide discussion forum
http://forum.www.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/index.php?/topic/11873-remembering-14-sept-1940/
4 Comments
Thank you to everyone who turned out to mark this landmark anniversary remembering those who lost their lives in Warrington’s worst war-time atrocity.
It was very humbling to be part of such a thoughtful service to remember those who lost their lives. What a lovely area it has been transformed into in more recent times!
It was a lovely service and brought a tear to my eye.
This was a lovely service by Steven as always especially as he had a family interest who had given him a personal account to read out. Parish Cllr Paul Wenlock’s family member had been playing at football in the nearby recreation field and witnessed the bomber that came in low it wasn’t until they spotted the markings on the side of the plane that they realised what was happening.
The commemorative stone is in a beautiful spot in Centre Park and well worth a visit to appreciate the quiet to reflex or just relax.