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The documents contain information of 10 air-raids in
and around Brandon, mainly during 1940-41, after this time the
threat of invasion diminished as the German bombers were transferred
to the Russian Front. The bombs were most likely
dropped from aircraft of the KG2 operating from Northern
France. This group were transferred to the Russian Front
mid-1941, and hence all bombing seems to have ceased in the
Brandon area.
Most
of the incidents were of bombs falling into rural farmland and
not causing much damage, but two raids inflicted damage on Brandon
homes without causing casualties, and the final entry for 1941
details a raid on the Barnardo's Home For Boys, which was
adjacent to R.A.F. Lakenheath, which injured two.
The information here has
been taken from war-time documents between the Mildenhall
Rural District Council - Air Raid Precautions Department
Officer, - W.T. Croose; and the West Suffolk County
Council - Air Raid Precautions Department Controller - John
Creese; at Bury St. Edmunds.
HE
= High Explosive bomb; INC
= Incendiary bomb;
| Date |
Location |
Occupier's
name |
Bombs |
Damage |
| 07-06-40 |
Wangford
Common
(Camouflaged aerodrome) |
|
15
HE |
|
17-06-40
(09.10) |
Chalk
Hall Farm, Elveden. |
|
1
HE (unexploded)
4 HE |
shed
smashed & private telephone wire damaged; |
16-11-40
(02.00) |
Fen
House Farm, Brandon. |
|
1
HE
1 INC |
some
windows broken; |
| |
In
woods, off Town Street. |
|
1
HE |
no
damage; |
| 30-01-41 |
Fen
House Farm, Brandon. |
|
1
HE (unexploded)
2 HE |
slight
damage to wire fence & railway line; |
(also bombing at
Lakenheath, Barton Mills, Beck Row, Herringswell &
West Row this date and time)
|
10-02-41
(20.00) |
Calders
Wood Yard, near Brandon Railway Station. |
|
6
INC
|
band
saw machine;
cross-cut machine;
damage to belts; |
| |
Wangford
Warren |
|
"some
HE & INC" |
trees
damaged; |
| |
May
Day Farm |
|
5
HE
"some INC" |
no
damage; |
| |
In
Fish Pond |
|
30
INC |
no
damage |
(also bombing in
Lakenheath half hour previous)
|
12-05-41
(00.20) |
"a
Brandon field" |
|
1
HE |
electric
cable & telephone wires down;
window broken; |
| (00.30) |
May
Day Farm |
|
"several
HE" |
no
damage; |
12-05-41
|
BRANDON |
|
10
HE |
|
| |
16
High Street, |
Caban |
|
external
plaster damaged; |
| |
32
George Street, |
P.W.
Steggles |
|
slates
shifted & gutters; |
| |
30
George Street, |
H.
Wolsey |
|
slates
shifted & gutters; |
| |
14
George Street, |
E.E.
Carter |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
179
Thetford Road, |
T.W.
Adams |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
165
Thetford Road, |
Mrs.
Snare |
|
window
forced in; |
| |
155
Thetford Road, |
R.
Royal |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
141
Thetford Road, |
Mrs.
Branch |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
145
Thetford Road, |
V.
Warfe |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
104
Thetford Road, |
D.
Elmer |
|
tiles
shifted & outhouse damaged; |
| |
98
Thetford Road, |
W.S.
Elmer |
|
tiles
shifted & ceiling damaged; |
| |
96
Thetford Road, |
F.
Edwards |
|
ceilings
damaged; |
| |
74
Thetford Road, |
H.
Edwards |
|
tiles
shifted & outhouse damaged; |
| |
72
Thetford Road, |
H.
Field |
|
outhouse
damaged; |
| |
68
Thetford Road, |
T.
Edwards |
|
outhouse
damaged; |
| |
66
Thetford Road, |
W.
Edwards |
|
outhouse
damaged; |
| |
63
Thetford Road, |
Mrs
Field |
|
outhouse
damaged; |
| |
49
Thetford Road, |
L.M.
Mathews |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
36
Bury Road, |
C.
Smith |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
38
Bury Road, |
|
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
40
Bury Road, |
W.
Reed |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
42
Bury Road, |
S.
Thompson |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
44
Bury Road, |
E.
Hunt |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
46
Bury Road, |
|
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
62
Bury Road, |
D.P.
Lingwood |
|
wood
garage shifted; |
| |
64
Bury Road, |
W.A.
Drewry |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
66
Bury Road, |
G.
Drewry |
|
tiles
shifted;
ceiling damaged; |
| |
70
Bury Road, |
C.M.
Towler |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
76
Bury Road, |
T.H.
Palmer |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
78
Bury Road, |
Mrs
A.M. Steggles |
|
tiles
shifted; |
| |
82
Bury Road, |
P.E.
Tilney |
|
tiles
shifted; |
| |
84
Bury Road, |
Mrs.
Emily Field |
|
tiles
shifted; |
| |
86
Bury Road, |
W.
Vail |
|
tiles
shifted & chimney damaged; |
| |
88
Bury Road, |
Ashley |
|
tiles
shifted & door forced; |
| |
90
Bury Road, |
C.
Mutum |
|
tiles
shifted & door forced; |
| |
92
Bury Road, |
W.
Chilley |
|
windows
forced inwards; |
| |
94
Bury Road, |
E.
Norton |
|
ceiling
damaged; |
| |
96
Bury Road, |
A.J.
Ward |
|
windows
& doors forced; |
| |
98
Bury Road, |
B.
Mutum |
|
ceilings
damaged & doors forced; |
| |
100
Bury Road, |
W.
Cleaver |
|
fairly,
general; |
|
|
31-07-41
(03.30) |
BRANDON |
|
|
|
|
Gas
House Lane
(fowl houses) |
W.
Hurrell |
|
|
|
Gas
House Lane
(gasometer) |
British
Gas Light Co. Ltd. |
|
pierced
by splinters in two places; |
|
Gas
House Lane
(house) |
George
Phillpot |
|
windows
& doors; |
|
Gas
House Lane
(bungalow) |
|
|
ceilings
& contents; |
|
Waterworks
Road
(asbestos garage) |
Frank
Kybird |
|
roof
& walls damaged;
contents slightly damaged; |
|
Waterworks
(engine house) |
Mildenhall
Rural District Council |
|
slight
damage to roof & walls pitted;
windows damaged, etc.; |
|
Waterworks
(house) |
Frank
Kybird |
|
slight
damage to roof & walls pitted;
ceiling & windows damaged; |
|
54
Thetford Road,
(house) |
Westley
Edwards |
|
ceilings; |
|
54
Thetford Road,
(Coach & Horses - public house) |
E.W.
Middleton |
|
windows
& ceilings; |
|
56
Thetford Road, |
Mrs.
Docking |
|
ceiling; |
|
137
Thetford Road, |
Mr.
Royal |
|
|
|
143
Thetford Road, |
Frank
Bulloch |
|
roof
slight damage; |
|
145
Thetford Road, |
Vic
Warfe |
|
roof
slight damage; |
|
147
Thetford Road, |
E.R.
Field |
|
ceiling; |
|
149
Thetford Road, |
George
A.R. Bond |
|
roof
slight damage; |
|
151
Thetford Road, |
Phillip
Norton |
|
ceilings; |
|
155
Thetford Road, |
Robert
Royal |
|
ceilings
& windows; |
|
157
Thetford Road, |
Percy
Whitta |
|
ceiling; |
|
159
Thetford Road, |
Oscar
F. Bilverstone |
|
slight
ceiling damage; |
|
161
Thetford Road, |
Palmer |
|
slight
roof damage; |
|
163
Thetford Road, |
Percy
Ayms |
|
slight
roof damage & ceilings; |
|
165
Thetford Road, |
Mrs.
Snare |
|
slight
roof damage;
ceilings & doors; |
|
167
Thetford Road, |
William
H. Inns |
|
slight
roof damage;
small bulge in wall;
damage to ceilings, windows & contents;
outhouse demolished; |
|
169
Thetford Road, |
S.E.
Shepherd |
|
slight
roof damage;
damage to ceilings & windows;
outhouse demolished; |
|
171
Thetford Road, |
Wing |
|
slight
roof damage; |
|
173
Thetford Road, |
Mrs.
Docking |
|
slight
roof damage; |
|
175
Thetford Road, |
Ernie
Cole-Wilkins |
|
|
|
177
Thetford Road, |
William
Stammers |
|
|
|
179
Thetford Road, |
Tom
W.
Adams |
|
slight
roof damage; |
|
181
Thetford Road, |
J.
Hacker |
|
|
|
183
Thetford Road, |
R.
Swinton |
|
slight
roof damage; |
|
185
Thetford Road, |
D.
Blackmore |
|
very
slight wall damage; |
13-10-41
(02.30) |
Wangford
Hall |
Dr.
Barnardo's
home for boys. |
4
HE |
windows
& roof damaged;
2 boys slightly injured;
Dr. Barnardo's children evacuated; |
03-10-43
(23.25) |
Shakers
Lodge, Thetford Forest, Brandon.
|
|
a
container of SD2s. (Butterfly bombs - open at a preset
altitude to scatter bomblets)
(also at Elveden this
night) |
|
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Repair bill
An extract from a builders bill submitted to the Mildenhall Rural
District Council for repairs to houses caught in the bomb blasts of
31st July 1941 air raid.
1941
Nov. 30th Bomb damage
Thetford Road Council houses, Brandon |
W. Peeke-Vont & Son,
Watton,
Norfolk.
November 30th 1941. |
Erecting a pair of coal houses at rear of Nos. 167 &
169,
as per estimate. £30
Conversion of 2 existing coal houses to W.C.s,
as per estimate. £25
Total. £55
| No. 145 - Repairs to ceilings,
doors, etc. |
1 |
10 |
0 |
| No. 147 - Repairs to ceiling |
|
7 |
6 |
| No. 149 - Repairs to lead
valleys & roofs |
9 |
0 |
0 |
No. 155 - New ceiling to
landing repairs to
plaster in living room & new lead
valley gutter. |
15 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total. |
£ 25 |
17 |
6 |
|
Labour costs:
|
| Bricklayer's labour |
779 hours |
£74 |
13 |
1 |
| Bricklayer's Labourer |
136 hours |
£10 |
4 |
0 |
| Carpenter |
83 hours |
£7 |
19 |
1 |
| Carpenter's Labourer |
55½ hours |
£4 |
3 |
3 |
| Painter & Galzier |
302 hours |
£28 |
18 |
10 |
| Cartage and conveyance of workmen
& materials |
28 hours |
£11 |
15 |
0 |
| Materials as per invoice attached |
|
£48 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total. |
£185 |
13 |
6 |
|
|
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