bombing rev3

When War Came To Templecombe
View into the S & D Platform from where now is Thales Entry Road. On the middle
right can be seen workmen clearing up after the bombing and also visible is the
damage to the houses
Memories of September 5th 1942
When War Came to Templecombe
At about 9:15 pm on Saturday 5th September 1942 the war came to
Templecombe in a terrible way. A lone Ju88 Bomber attacked Templecombe
and it's station by dropping four bombs in an attempt to damage the rail junction
then in the village.
Misjudging his run slightly, the bombs intended for the railway line and buildings
succeeded in hitting the line only once but caused extensive damage to a
number of dwelling houses and station buildings involving serious loss of life.
The first bomb fell close to a terrace of houses in School Lane, where Church
Garth now stands and was followed by another which landed at the western
end of the terrace near to the main road to Wincanton. These two bombs
completely destroyed two of the houses, resulting in the loss of four lives. The
third bomb fell close to the Somerset and Dorset tracks at the platform and the
fourth on the Southern Railway blocking both lines. Bombs three and four
caused the deaths of eight railwaymen.
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Apart from damage to the station and terrace of houses on the north side of
the Southern Railway line, Bridge House, St Mary's Church and the United
Reformed Church (known then as the Congregational Church), as well as
the two hotels then in the village were damaged. Both railway lines were
blocked as was the A357 to Wincanton. Many other houses had varying
degrees of damage according to their position. The Co-op store, then on
Church Hill was set on fire by the second blast.
The Civil Defence Office of the Regional Commissioner Daily Summary
posted on 6thSeptember No 390 states “ 4 He at Church Hill and School
Lane, demolishing two houses and station buildings. Up and down lines
blocked by debris. Main Wincanton Henstridge road blocked. Fire reported
at Co-operative stores. Casualities 11 killed 5 serious l y 12 slightly”.
The Civil Defence Office of the Regional Commissioner Daily Summary
posted on 9th September No 391 states “LMS reports milk train service
between Bath and Templecombe resumed at 16:39 6/9/42. Normal
passenger and goods service restored on 7/9/42. Casualties now 12
killed 12 seriously wounded 11 slightly”.
{He is High explosive
LMS is London Midland and Scottish Railway}
Very little warning of the attack was given due to the low level approach of
the aircraft and the lack of an air raid siren in the village. The first warning
villagers got was by an engine sounding it's whistle multiple times. By that
time though, it was too late for anyone to take cover.
Luckily the 8.55pm train to Yeovil Town, the 9.03pm train to Salisbury and the
9.05pm to Bath had recently left the station otherwise the loss of life almost
certainly would have been much greater.
Those who lost their lives in the raid
Ethel Andrews ( Evacuee from
London) (44)
Patrick Gawler (17)
Elizabeth Coombes (55)
Samuel Coombes (59)
Milly Greenslade (36)
Eva Howe (58)
Florence Howe (34)
Michael Howe (9)
Samuel Day (47)
James Dart (48)
Edward Juniper (Evacuee, buried in
London) (16)
Arthur Dray (36)
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A Conundrum
According to Civil Defence records only 12 persons were killed by the bombings
and this seems to be confirmed by Parish Council records. However, Parish
Church records show that one further person died on 5th September 1942, she
was Mrs Annie Rounsefell (66). A further villager Mrs Bessie Goddard (71)
who lived in the most westerly cottage in School Lane died on 10th September.
Presumably she was badly injured and died on 10th September. These funerals
were reported in the Western Gazette of Friday September 18th 1942 as deaths
having been caused by enemy action and also included the names of some of
those who died in the bombing. Both Mrs Goddard and Mrs Rounsefell are
included in the roll of Templecombe residents who were killed by enemy action.
It seems that no one in the village today remembers Mrs Rounsefell.
Does this mean that 14 people were killed as the result of the bombing?
St Mary’s Church in happier times
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The Aftermath
At a meeting of the Parish Council on 11th September, apart from needing
to find a new meeting place, as Bridge House, their usual venue, had been
so badly damaged in the raid, they also voted to start a Public Air Raid Distress
Fund and for collecting boxes to be placed in Public Houses and Shops. The
fund to be administered by the whole Parish Council.
On 2nd October a further Parish Council meeting was held when a petition
was received from villagers requesting that a proper air raid warning siren be
installed in the village. The Clerk was instructed to write with the request to
the S W Regional Commissioner. (A siren was later supplied which was fitted
to the station footbridge.)
At a meeting of the Public Air Raid Distress Fund Committee on 15 th
November it was stated that the sum of £111 14s 4d had been received
into the Public Air Raid Distress Fund. It was decided to initially allocate
£100 0s 0d of the resources as follows:
Mrs Dray 3 South View
Husband killed
£9 0s 0d
Mrs Day 22 Westcombe Park
Husband killed
£15 0s 0d
Mrs Dart 3 Westcombe
Husband killed
£13 0s 0d
Mr Gawler Overcombe
Son killed
£4 0s 0d
Mr Juniper
Son killed
£4 0s 0d
Mr Howe (senior) West View
Wife killed
£4 0s 0d
Mr Howe (junior) West View
Wife and son killed
Mr V. Greenslade 6 South View
Wife killed
£4 0s 0d
Mr W. Coombes
Mother and father killed
£8 0s 0d
Mr Andrews
Wife killed
£4 0s 0d
Mrs Read Overcombe
For expenses in connection
with Mr Andrew's two children
£4 0s 0d
Mr Hillier Station Road
Seriously injured
£10 0s 0d
Mr Wootton Station Road
Seriously injured
£10 0s 0d
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£11 0s 0d
On 8th January 1943 a further Council meeting was told that the balance
from the above fund (£11 14s 4d), plus a collection from Horsington of £3
16s 2d meant that £15 0s 0d was available for distribution after deducting
expenses. It was agreed to make final payments as follows:
Mrs W. Chant
£2 0s 0d
Mrs Warren
£2 0s 0d
Mrs White
£2 0s 0d
Mrs Dart
£1 0s 0d
Mrs Day
£1 0s 0d
Mrs Dray
£1 0s 0d
Mr Wootton
£3 0s 0d
Mr Hillier
£3 0s 0d
Mr Wooton and Mr Hillier were clearly seriously injured as they were
presumably still off work in January 1943, hence the continuing payments.
When it is considered that the average weekly wage at the time was £2 to
£3 the sum collected is a tribute to the residents of Templecombe.
In a letter to the Parish Council Mr B Howe (senior) asked that his original
award of £4 0s 0d should be split equally between Mrs Dart, Mrs Dray and
Mrs Day. This was agreed by the Council.
Unlike raids on major conurbations, very little additional information relating to
the raid exists. Probably the most detailed account can be found in a report
compiled on 7th September 1942 by the railway company's engineer which
shows how badly the station was damaged.
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Station Buildings and other Structures
Down Side Station Buildings
All external doors blown in and broken and most of frames blown in or
out. Brickwork at west end of Parcels Office badly cracked and displaced.
Flat concrete roofing and precast sections of building forming two P. W.
Inspectors' offices undamaged but doors and windows and corrugated
asbestos sheets to roof broken.
Up Side Station Buildings
All external doors blown in and broken. All glass windows broken and most of
the frames blown in or out. All brickwork adjoining S & D road cracked and
displaced. The ceilings are also badly damaged.
Signalbox
All glass windows broken and a few of the window frames damaged. Doors
leading to Relay and Battery rooms blown in. Flat roofing over these rooms
unbroken but slightly displaced. Reinforcement of main roof exposed at one
place where the protective concrete has broken away.
Platform Roofing
Glass and corrugated asbestos covering removed from whole of roofing
except for section covered by asbestos east of station buildings on
up platform, which is holed in numerous places. Supporting steelwork
substantially undamaged except for a 50 ft length (one bay) at west
end of down platform,which was completely destroyed by bomb No 4.
Down Platform
30 yard length opposite signalbox destroyed by crater of bomb No 4 and one
coping slab opposite up side Refreshment Room smashed.
Up Platform
30 yard length of coping destroyed by bomb No 4.
S & D Platform
30 yards of coping opposite Refreshment Room slightly displaced by bomb No 3.
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No books for sale today
Serious structural damage
Damage from blast clearly seen
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Cockpit of Ju88
As seen over Templecombe
Refreshment Room badly damaged
Roofing blown off by blast —S&D line turning left
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Memories
Long time resident of the village, but only three and a half at the time, Arlo
Cuss, has one memory of that night when his uncle, Bert Caines, who worked
on the station, came into Arlo's home in Vine Street with his head in
a bandage. Another of his memories is being able to see daylight through
the Congregational Church roof. He also remembers that the Co-op store was
moved after the bombing from it's normal location on Church Hill
to Templecombe House where it was approached by an external flight
of stairs.
( Templecombe House was situated where The Hamlet now stands )
Mrs Barbara Rendell, who was a schoolgirl at the time, remembers that the
school was badly damaged and for some time pupils either attended morning
or afternoon sessions due to lack of useable space.
Mrs Joyce Curtis (nee Sutton) was one of six children and nine years old at
the time and lived in one of the houses directly facing the station. Her father
Archie was a ganger on the railway and also a Home Guard member and her
mother Maria was of German extraction. She clearly remembers the bombing
as her house was in direct line of the fourth bomb and after the attack led her
two younger sisters downstairs as they were very frightened. Fortunately the
whole family were safe but had to walk in the dark to Yenston where they had
friends. After sleeping on the floor at their friend’s house for a while they were
eventually relocated to a house in Westcombe. Despite having lost most of
their possessions in the raid the fund collected to help residents was not able
to help the Suttons due to Mrs Suttons roots.
Mrs Jessie Hodges (nee Read) lived with her family in Gas House in Rectory
Road, now Throop Road, and when the explosions started was sent tumbling
down the stairs. Her Dad, Alf , was in the garden and pressed himself against
the wall of the house as debris rained down. For a time they sheltered under
the kitchen table. Mrs Hodges remembers that an iron bedsted had landed on
the pilot engine of the Bath goods train that was on the curve to the lower
junction. It’s brake van windows were also blown in. As the house was badly
damaged they spent the night with Mrs Morgan in the High Street.
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Mr David Peckham remembers the evening well as he and his cousin, John
Mason, were dozing in front of the fire whilst their younger sisters were in bed.
His mother, father and Aunty May had gone to the Railway Hotel for a while.
Both boys were suddenly awakened by a series of almighty bangs which shook
the foundations of the house and the blackout fell down from the window onto
the two boys. At this moment the girls arrived crying at the bottom of the stairs,
they could hear people running and shouting and his parents soon arrived
home. His mother declared that she would never leave the children alone at
night again. Mr Peckham also remembers that the school was badly damaged
and because of the damage to the school buildings classes were held in half
day sessions with one group going in the morning and another group going in
the afternoon.
The raid on Templecombe was just one of four such raids in the area as Castle
Cary was bombed on 3rd September, Templecombe on 5 th September,
Somerton on 29th September and Chard on 23rd October.
At Castle Cary, as at Templecombe, the target was the railway system but
at Somerton and Chard the milk factories may have been the target although
some railway property was damaged.
Fortunately, Templecombe was not targeted again by the Luftwaffe.
Interesting Footnote
The five cottages that were either destroyed or badly damaged in the raid were
sold by the Fox family in August 1944 to the Bath and Wells Diocesan Trustees.
The property was described as “Land and Garden Ground with the bombed
remains of five cottages. Today the property is known as Church Garth and
has been substantially improved by it’s successive owners.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank members of the Parish who shared their
experiences and also Alex Green who introduced me to a particularly pertinent
book relating to the damage to the station. Irwell Press have been most helpful
as they allowed me to use some photos from their book Main Line to the West
Volume 2 - Salisbury to Yeovil. Thanks also the the Reverend Peter Hallett for
searching his church records.
Original research was carried out at Somerset HER and Yeovil Reference
Library.
© Martin Batchelor 2012
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A bridge here took the
line into the station
Church Garth
The link line ran here
The same view as on the cover in more recent times
This document is not to be sold. It has been produced at the request of Abbas
and Templecombe Parish Council as a memorial and history note to those
who died and were wounded by the Luftwaffe bombing raid on 5th September
1942.
The author would welcome notification of any further information on the raid
that might be raised by this document as well as any corrections. Please
contact the author via the Parish Clerk
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