Notable Bomb Sites
On Thursday September 12th 150 incendiary bombs and 15 high explosive bombs were dropped on Clive Vale, Ore. Edmund Road and Alfred Road were hit particularly badly. Jane Bumstead and William Dowding were killed when their home was destroyed in the attack. many other houses in Edmund Road were so badly damaged they had to be demolished.
Notable Bomb Sites
On Tuesday 10th September 1940 at 5:30pm nine high explosive bombs were dropped across St Leonard’s at Hollington Park, The Green, Sedlescombe Road South, Tower Road West, St Peter’s Road, Cloudsley Road, Woodland Vale Road and Christchurch School. Around 30 incendiary bombs were also dropped during the raid, setting several roof fires which were quickly brought under control by the Fire Service.
Florence Cornwall was badly injured near her home at 35 St Peter’s Road and died later that day at the Buchanan Hospital.
Notable Bomb Sites
On 15th August 1940, two German bombers dropped 10 high explosive bombs on Harley Shute, Maze Hill and Saxon Street in St Leonards.
Maggie May Wright was killed at her home at Briar Mead, Harley Shute and two others were injured in the incident. The image above shows the approximate location, based on the hand drawn bomb map, but it is difficult to know exactly where Maggie’s home was.
Notable Bomb Sites
On Wednesday 14th August 1940 at around 3:40pm a lone German bomber dropped six high explosive bombs on St Leonards and Hastings.
At 40 and 42 Bexleigh Avenue, a bomb killed Caroline Felton, aged 77 and James Harmer, a member of the Home Guard aged 41 as it demolished several houses. Pine Avenue was also hit. Two other people were injured. one seriously.
Notable Bomb Sites
The first ‘tip and run’ raid on Hastings during WW2 occurred on 26th July 1940 a little after 7am.
A single fighter bomber dropped 11 high explosive bombs on the Cricket Ground, Gladstone Terrace, Whitefriars Road and Priory Road. The raid resulted in the death of Violet Gooday, a teacher aged 34 at 139 Priory Road. Nine others were injured, two seriously.
The bombs demolished several houses and caused damage to the Priory Road School.
Notable Bomb Sites
At 1pm on Sunday the 23rd May 1943, German fighter bombers, probably 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 direct hits from the bombs was the Swan Hotel, Swan Terrace and Reeve’s Antiques, all on the High Street in Hastings Old Town.
The hotel had been a fixture in the Old Town since around 1523. Its function as a business in the area changed over the centuries to keep up with changes to society. Originally a public house, it became a place for gentry, a stagecoach stop, post office, community space and a hotel. The Swan was completely rebuilt in 1890, as shown in the image below. During WW2, many public houses in Hastings had closed but the Swan had remained open throughout.
The excellent Hastings Pubs History website has further information and more photographs here.
The Swan Hotel was full of people when it was hit and seventeen people died there with many others injured. The names of the deceased who died there are listed below.
Casualties:
Violet Cox
Grace Gummerson
Hilda Gummerson
Trevor Gummerson
William Hart
Henry Hayward
Margaret Hayward
William Hilder
Joseph Pepper
Charlotte Perks
James Phillips
William Reed
William Roffe
John Somerville
Ann Tester
George White
Thomas Winborn
The people listed above are all buried at Hastings Cemetery.
Service Personnel
Name: Johannes Obladen
Service: German Army (according to CWGC)
Additional Information: Johannes Obladen was born on 26th September 1910 and died on 10th September 1947.
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Service Personnel
Name: Kurt Postler
Service: Luftwaffe
Additional Information: Kurt Postler was born on 3rd September 1913 and died on 16th July 1946.
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Service Personnel
Name: Friedrich Ziel
Rank: Lieutenant
Service: Luftwaffe
Additional Information: Friedrich Ziel was born on 13th August 1911 and died on 27th September 1940. He was part of a crew flying a Ju 88 shot down during the Battle of Britain. Information from Air Crew Remembered here.
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Service Personnel
Name: Eberhard Weyergang
Rank: Wing Commander
Service: Luftwaffe
Additional Information: Eberhard Weyergang was born on 31st July 1916 and died on 25th September 1940. He was part of a crew flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 which was shot down by RAF fighters and crashed near Beaulieu Farm, Hastings. Information from Air Crew Remembered here.
If you can provide more information about this person, please comment below or contact me here.
