Co-op Bakery Bombing


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I know this topic is mentioned on several threads, but the dire “search” facility won’t find them for me!

 

I’m trying to find out *exactly* where the building was that was hit - was it the building that still exists that is painted blue, that was recently the Stephen Jenkins bed/bathroom place, or was it a separate one? I’ve been looking at old aerial photos, but am

no wiser. Also, I’ve seen a sketch map of the layout, but can’t now find it - was it on Nottstalgia, or a different site? Thirdly, I know I’ve read an eye-witness account online, but again, can’t now find it.

 

I’m also trying to find out more about the Dakeyne St shelter incident, but can only find snippets.

 

Help, please, from them as knows!

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I'm pretty sure (but can't prove it for certain) that the bakery is this building with the chimney. The rectangular building behind it is still there - was Stephen Jenkins and now Nottm Office Equipment. May of the other buildings are still there, but have been modified and/or extended.

YPieE7c.jpg

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Sorry CT, nice pic. but the confectionery/bakery was further back directly onto the river bank, a large concrete wall at that point. After the raid it was almost impossible to get into the basement to reach the casualties so a barge was tied aganst the concrete wall and a hole drilled through to complete the grisly task of recovering them.
My Aunt, Hilda Frost, went into work there at 6.30 am and removed the time cards from the burning rack so it was known who were present that terrible night.
The Frosts and Smiths were 3-400 yds. away on Brand St. 

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12 hours ago, albert smith said:

Sorry CT, nice pic. but the confectionery/bakery was further back directly onto the river bank, a large concrete wall at that point. 

 

Thanks for that Albert. There are a lot of comments on the internet from people who think they know where it might've been; you're the first I've seen who knows exactly where it was.

 

Is it correct to say the bakery was the building which used to be Stephen Jenkins Bedrooms (now Nottingham Office Equipment) ?...which is the large white rectangular building in the photo.       https://goo.gl/maps/UstK9dUv5yQZNa9d7

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Phew CT what a surprise that Google pic. is, if it hadn't been for the ex-railway bridge,Lady Bay, I don't think I would have recognised the area.
No it's next door the bakery would have been where the 6 apex roof building is, not the 'blue, bedroom/bathroom building' although in the bottom right corner of that pic. is the start of the concrete wall i mentioned.
                                

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I remember the Lady Bay Railway bridge well as we used to walk over it to get to the Forest ground after parking on Meadow Lane and a couple of pints of Home Brewery 4 or 5 star? in the Magpie. Like Albert the area looks nothing like what I remember. Can only fix the location from the County ground and the Lady Bay Bridge. When did they make old track bed into a traffic bridge?

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The concrete wall is shown here if you look from the other side  of the Trent supporting the 6 apex building;

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.941817,-1.1326512,3a,30y,345.53h,87.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAF1QipNZHlQO6PJewSJoHDgQvD_n_OeyqGMTB-U8VQex!2e10!7i5376!8i2688?hl=en

 

If you read the description in the article linked below, UNA descibes the building more recently known as Stephen Jenkins and the aftermath of the bomb.

The staff canteen was on the Ground floor and had the large glass windows facing the Trent.

The Offices were above.

The ground floor would be determined from Meadow lane not the River side where the canteen is elevated above another area.

 

After the bomb the offices and the windows were undamaged and UNA and another clerk went down the metal stairs (fire exit?) at the back of the offices to see the damage

 

http://www.mooch.org.uk/serious/una/una1940s01.html#i02

 

There's a report of a firewatcher's death here just short of half way down the page , the first report dated 9th May 1941 Eric Saunders;

http://www.nottsfirefightermemorial.org/In Memory.htm

 

And finally if you look at the picture CliffTon posted above the 2 riverside pents are 3 storeys high and the description in the fire memorial site says the FLOORS above collapsed into the basement;

 

mALH0Pr.png

 

 

 

Looking here all the roof is the same height and the last 3 don't quite match the others;

 

 

xLh3UJ4.png

 

 

And they've been extended from the earlier photo, presumably when rebuilt after the bomb;

 

5FMVw30.png

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks all for the information. As mentioned, there is so much conflicting material about as to which was the actual building - you’d have thought it was something so literally burnt into the city’s psyche it would be well known!

 

Mega thanks to Clif Ton for the aerial shot - I have seen several, but this one is new to me, and really helped in sorting out the bakery location. Presumably the little vehicles dotted about are the ‘new electric delivery vans’ mentioned by Una?

 

I can’t remember now if I asked this elsewhere, but does anyone know where the online eye witness account of the bomb might be? I know I read it online, but on my phone, so I haven’t been able to retrace my steps to find it.

 

Yes, gruesome interest, I know, but I’m working on a novel set in WWII in a fictionalised Vale of Belvoir, so Nottingham features quite a bit :)

 

Totally unrelated, but something that came out of looking at the aerial photis - when were the Cattle Market gates at the County Road entrance (Anchor end) put up? They are definitely Victorian-looking, but in the 1920s photos I’ve seen, the road goes straight into the top of the Cattle Market and no gates. Were they perhaps removed, then re-installed later?

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