Paper Memories

Air raids 1940.
Air raid of the 25th/29th August 1940.
sun 25th august n358
02:50 west boldon
a hampden bomber crashed at down hill road, west boldon and was badly damaged. three of the four crew were slightly injured. four lambs in the field were killed.

thurs 29th n362
23:00 eight HE were dropped in the boldon colliery district
one dropped in hedworth road - water main damage flooding road to depth of several feet, one fell on the east side of the road and one on the west - five fell in a field on west side of the road, three of which did not explode

23.32 100 IB dropped on stone heap at boldon colliery

Air raid of the 12/13th March 1943.
21.12hrs Jarrow,
Incendiary bombs both ordinary and high explosive fell in Monkton, Primrose and Hedworth, causing fires. One male person was treated for shock.

21.30hrs Boldon Colliery,
Six high explosive bombs, two remained unexploded, and a number of incendiary bombs fell at Boldon Colliery, Twenty houses were demolished and extensive damage caused to other houses and property, including the Police Station. Police Sergeant Matthew Slack ran out of the Police Station, with a stirrup pump to deal with the incendiary bombs, was killed when the property received a direct hit with a bomb. Other fatalities occurred during the raid and thirty people were injured.

21.40 West Boldon,
Nine fire pot incendiary bombs and one large high explosive bomb and many incendiary bombs fell at West Boldon. Two males and one female were killed. One house was seriously damaged and thirty received minor damage. Five UXBs fell at West Boldon about the same time. This necessitated the closing of the A.152 at Jingling Gate.

Fatalities of the raid
Gordon Edgerton, Air raid Warden 19 - 3 Dipe Lane ,West Boldon
Iris Adamson Foster 20 - 23 Store Building, Boldon Colliery
Septimus Bainbridge Jobes Home guard 20 - 3 Redcar Tce, West Boldon
Police Sgt Matthew Slack 52 - Police station, Boldon Colliery
Mary Agnes Smith 28 - 3 Redcar Tce , West Boldon
http://gymovate.com/jarrow/discussion/2094/spitfire-pilot-joe-simpson

report of air Raid damage - Sunday 16th may 1943 n1351
02.10 Co Durham...One HE was dropped at Boldon Colliery causing damage to an infants School and a large number of houses. One male later died from injuries sustained and one male and two females were slightly injured . GPO underground cables, water and gas mains were damaged.

Source: ne-diary.bpears.org.uk


Properties used by War department in the Great War
East Boldon
Accomodation of Troops: East Farm; Grey Horse Inn (Officers' Mess); Hutted Camps, No1 and 2; Scott's House (Hutment Camp); Soth Farm (Hutment Camp);Stratford House.
Accomodation of Horses: Boldon Grange (Stables)
Stores: East Farm
Boldon Colliery
Accomodation of Troops: Co-operative Hall; Miners' Hall.
Stores: Boldon Cross

Parish Notes
Commonwealth War Graves
In Boldon Cemetery there are 28 CWGC burials. Boldon UDC reported 9 civilian war dead.


Test of North-East Civil Defence Plans
Air Raid Staged
Seaham to Tyne Area Operations
Civil Defence services in Area 1 of Durham County-the district from Felling and Jarrow to Seaham Harbour-were given a thorough test, when an "air-raid" on a large scale was carried out this week. As a result of the raid, it was reported that considerable damage had been done to roads, sewers, gas, water, and electricity mains, etc and all branches of the A.R.P. organization were brought into action. The idea of the operation was to test arrangments for mutual aid in the area. The first alarm was that gas was suspected at leam and Felling gas squad tackled the deposits, while first aid partires for Washington were rushed to the scene to deal with casualties, Felling first aid parties being engaged in other parts of the district. Then Boldon services were warned they would proably be wanted to assist Jarrow efforts to deal with the results of high explosive, gas and incendiary bombs near Jarrow Police Station.
Road Destroyed

AS the Jingling Gate-White Mare Pool cross-road was assumed to be completetly destroyed, they had to reconnoitre alternative routes.
On receipt of the call, the fire and gas squads from Boldon Colliery Appeared on the scene with great speed, having travelled via Harton Colliery, accompanied by ambulances and a women's squad. Hardly had they completed their work at Jarrow, when an urgent call came from South Shields for medical services to assist in dealing with "casualties" caused by fire and destruction of electric and gas mains. The Squads proceeded to an agreed rendezvous in South Shields, the gas squad prepared to adapt their working to deal with coal gas escaping from fractured mains. Meanwhile news was recieved that Castletown had been "raided," that the church was partly demolished and burning, with casualties trapped in the debris. It was assumed that the available services of Sunderland Rural District were inadequate to deal with this situation, and Boldon sent ambulance and trailer pump squads to assist. Other Boldon squads were hurried to South Shields to assist there.

Another S.O.S.

Another "raid" at Seaham produced a call on Sunderland Rural District for fire and medical services to deal with casualties near Seaham Council Offices. Another S.O.S. came from South Shields in response to which Jarrow was able to send medical services only, but Boldon gas squad, already in South Shields undertook this job on completing another. Meanwhile, serious gas casualties near Silksworth Church needed help, and on the assumption that all Sunderland Rural District services were otherwise engaged, Seaham sent gas and medical squads. The practice operations were carried out under the direction of Col. E. P. Cawston, Durham County sub-controller for the area, who afterwards told a Sunderland Echo representative that the squads carried out their work promptly and efficiently. "Many valuable lessions on detail were learned, I am sure,"he added.

Source: The Sunderland Echo and Shipping Gazette
Date: Friday, October 13, 1939