The Bombing of Longbridge 1940
In the late afternoon of Wednesday November 13th 1940, enemy aircraft approached the vast Longbridge factory from the South, circling before dropping a bomb on the Maintenance building and stores (just off Longbridge Lane) which also housed the locomotive repair shop at the end of the building. It is most likely that they meant to bomb the bridge over the railway. Fortunately this was the only direct hit on the factory during the wartime period.
During that raid, the following people lost their lives;
Five people got killed by the bomb on the 13th November 1940.
- Mr Hubert Overend age 43 who lived in Stirchley
- Mr Samuel Richard Lane age 46 who lived in Rednal
- Mr Daniel Fox age 37 who lived in Yardley Wood
- Mr Adrian John Vicary age 20 Son of Rev, Walter W and Violet Vicary from Sheppey. Was an Apprentice
- Mr Alfred John Draper age 17 Son of Alfred Edward and Mary Jane Draper from Rednal. Likely that Alfred was also an Apprentice. It appears that he was working in the Re-Wind shop opposite the maintenance building and stores.
The following died of his injuries the same day.
- Mr Montague Bertie Elms age 41 who lived in Northfield and died at the Hollymoor Emergency Hospital
The following died the next day 14 November 1940.
- Mr Harry Cox age 38 who lived in Cradley Heath and died at Selly Oak Hospital.
The figure for those who got injured was about 25.
It is the intention of John Baker along with the Rev Colin Corke to have a plaque located near the location (when that particular area of the Longbridge development is finished), to honour those killed.
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