Blog - WW2 Roll Of Honour

Marine Court, St Leonards

9th January 2022
by WW2RollofHonour

At 1pm on Sunday the 23rd May 1943, German fighter bombers, approximately 10 Focke Wulf 190s, swept across Hastings and St Leonards in a ‘tip and run’ raid. They dropped 25 high explosive bombs and sprayed machine gun fire indiscriminately. The raid was the second worst for the town in terms of casualties, with 25 people killed in total and 85 injured, 30 seriously. Among the buildings suffering damage from the raid were the Albany Hotel, Warrior House Hotel, Swan Hotel, Reeves Antique Shop, Old Town, Warrior Gate Public House, Norman Road and Gensing Road.

Ethel Twist, aged 28, was killed at Marine Court during the attack. It is unclear whether she was killed by an explosion or machine gun fire.

Notable Bomb Sites

Castle Street, Hastings

28th November 20219th January 2022
by WW2RollofHonour

One of the bombs exploded in Castle Street killing 47 year old Home Guard Sergeant, Thomas Johnston. Henry Neall, aged 49 was also killed nearby at the rear of Woolworths.

Notable Bomb Sites

Warrior House Hotel, St Leonards

7th November 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

The Warrior House Hotel in Warrior Square,St Leonards was damaged by an HE Bomb, killing at least two people; Daisy Congdon, aged 45 and Harry Pearch, aged 65.

Notable Bomb Sites

Warrior Gate Public House, Norman Road, St Leonards

31st October 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

At Norman Road, the Warrior Gate Public House was badly damaged by an HE Bomb. Albert Reader, a Firewatcher aged 61, died here. According to this reference, several other people may also have died here.

Notable Bomb Sites

24 and 26 Gensing Road, St Leonards

24th October 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

Numbers 24 and 26 Gensing Road were hit by a bomb, killing two residents; 68 year old Mercy Baker and 75 year old Catherine Butler.

Notable Bomb Sites

4 Burry Road, Silverhill, St Leonards

17th October 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

A little after 3:30pm on Thursday March 11th 1943, an estimated 2o Focke-Wulf 190s attacked the town from inland, having cross the Channel at Fairlight. They attacked at high speed and low altitude, dropping at least 25 high explosive bombs. The bombs caused extensive damage across Hastings and St Leonards, hitting Silverhill Junction, St Matthew’s Schools, Strood Road, Alma Terrace, Alma Villas, Perth Road, Adelaide Road, Battle Road, Aldborough Road, Clarence Road, Salisbury Road, King Edward Avenue, Salisbury Road, Bohemia Road, Springfield Road, Combermere Road, Burry Road, Blomfield Road, Holmesdale Gardens & St Helens Road.

The human cost was the worst the town would suffer in a single day, with 38 people dead and 90 others wounded, 39 seriously.

Florence Horton, aged 67, died at 4 Burry Road in Silverhill. Whilst there were no direct hits to the address, a couple of bombs exploded within 200m. Cause of death may have been shrapnel, machine gun fire or shock.

Notable Bomb Sites

16 Ormerod Road, Hollington

10th October 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

The human cost was the worst the town would suffer in a single day, with 38 people dead and 90 others wounded, 39 seriously.

Samuel Wright, aged 78 died at 16 Ormerod Road, Hollington. There are no bomb recorded as impacting near Ormerod Road on that day, so it’s possible Samuel died from machine gun fire.

Notable Bomb Sites

182 Bohemia Road, St Leonards

3rd October 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

The human cost was the worst the town would suffer in a single day, with 38 people dead and 90 others wounded, 39 seriously.

One of the bombs exploded near to 182 and 184 Bohemia Road. The row of houses now longer exists, so the image above shows their approximate location. Margaret Martin, aged 64 was killed at number 182 and Ellen Taylor, aged 40 died at number 184.

Notable Bomb Sites

Strood Road, Silverhill, St Leonards

26th September 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

The human cost was the worst the town would suffer in a single day, with 38 people dead and 90 others wounded, 39 seriously.

A bomb exploded at Strood Road, killing 38 year old Winifred Syrus and her 8 year old son Deric who lived at number 23. Also killed was 69 year old Emily Hunt, who lived at number 25.

Notable Bomb Sites

Adelaide Road, Hollington, St Leonards

19th September 2021
by WW2RollofHonour

The human cost was the worst the town would suffer in a single day, with 38 people dead and 90 others wounded, 39 seriously.

Due to the speed and height of the attacking planes, the bombs they dropped sometimes took unusual paths. One of the passed through the police station in Battle Road (it was located on the now empty space at the end of Perth Road) and detonated in Adelaide Road. It destroyed house numbers 35, 37, 39 and 41, killing four people. At 35 Adelaide road, 27 year old Home Guard Ronald Marchant and his 4 month old nephew Deryck Marchant died. William Symes, aged 51, died at number 37 and 62 year old Emma Hoad died at number 41.