What a bombshell

Thursday, 12 February 2009 21:06

Thankfully we are still here - in Coventry and in the basin. Why thankfully? Well, I heard the sirens yesterday in the late afternoon, but we didn't find out the reason until this afternoon.

A bombshell was found in the city centre, not very far away in Cox Street. Fortunately it was a bomb shell, not a bomb if the BBC are to be believed! Ha!

Poor old Coventry has taken a pasting over the years. The Coat of Arms belonging to the city has historic significance hidden in it. The elephant signifies strength, much needed during the history of the city.

The Coat of Arms

The Nunnery here was sacked by the Danes in 1016. Its notorious Lady Godiva and her husband Leofric lived and died in that century. Coventry Castle was built and razed within 40 years. Two centuries later the city suffered from the Black Death, in 1349.

Statue of Lady Godiva in Coventry

It was the place of the last burning at the stake and Mary Queen of Scotts was imprisoned here. The second lot of the Black Death visited the city in the early 1600s. In fact a lot happened in the 1600s - Charles I attacked, the Royalists were "sent to Coventry" and imprisoned in St John's church, Charles II demolished the Town walls and finally a hurricane struck and blew down the spire of Holy Trinity church.

We jump to the mid 19th century, when the last public hanging took place in Coventry. However, to us the most significant event was the bombing in WW II, in November 1940. It is difficult for us to really imagine what it felt like to have a bombing raid that lasted 11 hours and consisted of 500 tons of explosive and 30,000 incendiary bombs, delivered by 500 German planes.

This has a personal meaning for me as my Great Uncle Albert was the Guard on the passenger train that drew into Coventry Station at around 7pm, just as the raid began.

The story goes that the passengers and staff disembarked swiftly and made for the air raid shelter near the station. When Albert emerged at 6am the following morning he was unable to recognise the surrounding chaos. Above him, in a tree, was a parachute landmine. This was one of twenty such mines in addition to scores of bombs that had failed to detonate. It is no wonder that bombs and the remains of bombs are still found today.

The Coventry and Warwick Hospital had been destroyed, together with 27 major factories. Whole streets had ceased to exist. 80% of the city's buildings and three quarters of the houses were either damaged or destroyed. 568 people were killed, the majority burned beyond recognition.

We all know the 600 year-old Cathedral was bombed, but what we did not know was that if the Cathedral staff had had the presence of mind of Canon Clitheroe and his staff at the neighbouring church of Holy Trinity, the Cathedral might have been saved. The Canon was up on the roof throwing water over the incendiaries as they landed, thus saving the church.

Holy Trinity Church from New Cathedral steps

Cathedral ruins with New Cathedral as backdrop

I suppose the final chapter in its history, that has taken Coventry from a thriving industrial city to a shell of its former industrial success, was the shutting down of the car industry. It has gone through the weaving and watchmaking industries, the canal and railway eras, the car industry and is now just a city that is only remarkable for a few fine old buildings and perhaps now it's only crowning glory, Sir Basil Spence's fantastic Cathedral.

Memorial to Sir Basil Spence on New Cathedral

Was that too depressing? If you now feel it is not worth a visit, think again! If you are interested in some of the positive history, follow this link!

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