Barrow Blitz

The Barrow Blitz is the name given to the Luftwaffe bombings of Barrow-in-Furness, England during the Second World War. It took place primarily during April and May 1941, although the earliest Luftwaffe bombing occurred in September 1940. [http://www.id1000.co.uk/onPage/barrow86.php Barrow-in-Furness the Fortunes of War] ]

Many Barrovians believe the first sign of German interest of the town was in 1936, when the Hindenburg Zeppelin flew over Barrow, which locals believe was spying on the shipyard, although it claimed to be simply carrying passengers on a luxury trip. [http://www.id1000.co.uk/onPage/barrow86.php Barrow-in-Furness the Fortunes of War] ]

The town with a population of exactly 75,509 in 1941 [ [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10088367&c_id=10001043&add=Nurl= Population statistics for Barrow-in-Furness 1801 - 2001] ] was targeted by the Luftwaffe mainly for its shipbuilding industry (similar to the Clydebank Blitz) which was one of the most sophisticated in the world and built many submarines and ships for the Royal Navy. The difficulty of targeting the actual shipyard meant that many residential neighbourhoods were instead bombed, during the Barrow Blitz 83 civilians were killed (with a further 330 more being injured) and over 10,000 houses where left damaged or destroyed (around 25% of housing in the town). [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/nella_last_part2_07.shtml War Diaries] ] Surrounding towns and villages where often mistaken for Barrow and where attacked instead, one example is Grange-over-Sands, many streets in Barrow were severely damaged and some of the after affects are still felt today, subsidance on Fairfield Lane in the Parkside ward isn't totally uncommon. Hawcoat Lane is a street that is most noted for taking a direct destructive hit in early May 1941. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwtwo/nella_last_part2_07.shtml War Diaries] ]

During the war, a local housewife, Nella Last wrote a diary of her everyday experiences on the home front for the Mass-Observation project. Her memoirs were later adapted for television. The Dock Museum in Barrow covers a lot of the Barrow Blitz. Barrow Train Station was heavily damadged on 7 May 1941 and a World War I memorial located within it still bears the holes and gashes caused by the bombings.

ee also

* The Blitz
* History of Barrow-in-Furness
* Nella Last and Housewife, 49
* Vickers Ltd. Shipbuilding

References