My Grandfather Rowland Henry Cox/Cocks was killed in a bomb blast in Richmond Road, Montpelier on the 17th March 1941. He had gone from their house on air raid warden duty, remembered he'd left something behind, came back to fetch it, walked back outside with my Father then aged 15, and they heard the bomb coming, when it hit the house opposite they didn't hear a thing, just a whoosh of hot air, and both were buried under the rubble. My Father got out, but his Father was dead. Jenny Kingsbury. Somerset. -----Original Message----- From: Josephine Jeremiah Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 7:39 PM To: bristol_and_somerset@rootsweb.com Subject: [B&S] Crypts of Bristol churches used as shelters during the Blitz In a previous message, I mentioned that hundreds of people were sheltering from the bombing in the crypt at St. Paul's, in Southville, Bedminster on the Good Friday night of 11th. April 1941. A month earlier, during the Fifth Blitz of Bristol, which lasted from Sunday 16th. March to Monday 17th. March 1941, it is said that 300 people were sheltering in St. Michael's crypt, when the church caught fire. All escaped without harm. Those sheltering in the crypt of St. Barnabas on 17th. March 1941 weren't so fortunate, as this crypt suffered a direct hit and people were killed and injured. http://www.churchcrawler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bristol3/city_rd.htm -- Josephine Jeremiah www.ianandjo.dsl.pipex.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BRISTOL_AND_SOMERSET-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

On Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:40:33 -0000, Jenny Kingsbury <jen.k1951@virgin.net> wrote: > My Grandfather Rowland Henry Cox/Cocks was killed in a bomb blast in > Richmond Road, Montpelier on the 17th March 1941. Jenny, I'm sure you already know that a reference to the death of your 58-year-old grandfather, who was a Fire Guard, is here: http://fishponds.org.uk/bristolmem.html#march1941 However, anyone who doesn't know much about the Bristol Blitz might want to cast an eye down this long list of people who died because of the raid, which took place on the night of Sunday 16th. March and Monday 17th. March 1941. An eyewitness wrote that the raid went on 'hour after hour'. It must have been terrifying. Josephine -- Josephine Jeremiah www.ianandjo.dsl.pipex.com

Thanks Josephine, yes I do know about the reference. His name is also on the Remembrance plaque on the wall of the the ruined St. Peter's Church in Castle Park in Bristol. Finally had a look at it back in September. My Father and his Mum and sisters had to move out of their house as the windows had blown in, and stayed in various places until repaired and made safe. He joined the Royal Engineers in the latter part of the War and ended up in Egypt for 2 years. With the insurance money from his Father's death, his Mother bought him an Apprenticeship with an Electrical Contractor in Bristol, and he met another chap who worked there, who later married one of Dad's sisters. Whilst Dad was in Eygpt they moved down to Weston-super-Mare with my Grandmother, and never went back to Bristol to live. My other two Aunts lived in Bristol. Jenny. -----Original Message----- From: Josephine Jeremiah Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 9:12 PM To: bristol_and_somerset@rootsweb.com Subject: [B&S] Fifth Bristol Blitz ofSunday 16th. March and Monday 17th. March, 1941 (Crypt of Bristol churches used as shelters ...) On Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:40:33 -0000, Jenny Kingsbury <jen.k1951@virgin.net> wrote: > My Grandfather Rowland Henry Cox/Cocks was killed in a bomb blast in > Richmond Road, Montpelier on the 17th March 1941. Jenny, I'm sure you already know that a reference to the death of your 58-year-old grandfather, who was a Fire Guard, is here: http://fishponds.org.uk/bristolmem.html#march1941 However, anyone who doesn't know much about the Bristol Blitz might want to cast an eye down this long list of people who died because of the raid, which took place on the night of Sunday 16th. March and Monday 17th. March 1941. An eyewitness wrote that the raid went on 'hour after hour'. It must have been terrifying. Josephine -- Josephine Jeremiah www.ianandjo.dsl.pipex.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to BRISTOL_AND_SOMERSET-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message