Latest news with #SheffieldBlitzMemorialTrust
BBC News
15-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Man's 15-year quest to uncover Sheffield Blitz history
A man has dedicated 15 years of his life to uncover what happened to his grandmother and other families during the Sheffield Blitz in Anderson decided to take on the project after the chance discovery of an unpublished memoir following Dorothy Glover's death at the age of 93 in Anderson, who runs a PR consultancy in the city, said his upcoming four-book set titled "Sheffield Blitz - The Definitive Collection" would reveal the untold war secrets families believed had gone to the Anderson said: "This isn't just history, it's a time machine into your family's hidden past and a record to ensure their stories are never forgotten." Dorothy Glover was in her 20s when bombs rained on the city on 12 and 15 December 1940, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands Glover spoke very little of the war during her lifetime but left behind her memories in the form of a book, discovered after her death just before the 70th anniversary of the Blitz. To Mr Anderson's surprise, she did not write about the horrors of the war but much simpler aspects of life."It talks about the nights spent in a communal air raid shelter in the Fir Vale area," Mr Anderson, who is the chair of the Sheffield Blitz Memorial Trust, said."It was all the petty squabbles that used to kick off between the neighbours night after night."The discovery of her memoir sparked Mr Anderson's desire to find out more about what he described as a "big part of Sheffield's story". "This was something that totally reshaped [the city] but there was so little to mark it," he said."That really put me on a journey, I thought I'd love to do more to mark what actually happened."His research included interviews with hundreds of survivors, weeks spent in archives in both the UK and Germany, and collaboration with the Imperial War Museum. Mr Anderson said part of his collection focused on why Sheffield had one of the lowest evacuation rates in the country and why bombs were still falling four years after the Blitz. "I started this journey with one question: What really happened to my family during the Sheffield Blitz?", said Mr Anderson. "Like so many people, my grandparents lived through the bombings but never spoke about them. "I had to find the answers for myself - and for everyone else still wondering."To officially launch the collection, Mr Anderson will host a free event on 11 June at Sheffield Central the collection's discoveries is a set of original German bombing maps, smuggled out of Germany after the war, hundreds of rare photographs as well as a full lists of every civilian casualty in World War to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Blitz artefacts wanted for expanded exhibition
A history group is urging local people to come forward with meaningful and sentimental objects from the Sheffield Blitz, as part of plans to expand a museum about World War Two. Sheffield Blitz Memorial Trust wants to create a larger, permanent exhibition of items from the air raids on the city centre in 1940. Chair of the trust, Neil Anderson, said the expanded exhibition, at the National Emergency Services Museum (NESM) in Sheffield, would be established over the coming months, and aimed to "bring history to life". Items in the current collection include fused coins and a bible, but the trust are keen to secure heirlooms and memorabilia "that tell a personal story" of the event. The Sheffield Blitz, as it became known, was marked by two nights of German Luftwaffe air raids on the city centre and the city's industrial area, from 12-13 December and on 15-16 December 1940. Seven hundred people died as a result of the bombing. The Moor - nowadays a large shopping area - was devastated by the bombardment, along with Devonshire Green. The City Hall and Sheffield United's Bramall Lane football ground were also damaged, and 70 people were killed when The Marples Hotel, on Fitzalan Square near Ponds Forge, was flattened. A blue plaque was subsequently erected where the hotel stood to honour those killed. The new exhibition is being funded by a donation of more than £91,000 to the Blitz Kids project, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. "To ensure the display tells the most powerful and personal story possible, the museum is asking the people of Sheffield if they have something they think might suit the exhibition," said Mr Anderson. Items already on show include coins from the wreckage of the Marples Hotel, which were fused together from the extreme heat - "a poignant reminder of the tragic loss of life inside the building", he said. The collection also includes a bible, the only item which survived a direct hit on a Sheffield home. "These deeply personal objects help illustrate the devastating impact of the blitz, making the history tangible for future generations," he said. "We know there are treasured objects hidden away in drawers and attics that could help tell the story of Sheffield's darkest hours. "Whether it's photographs, letters, medals, shrapnel, or household items that survived the bombing, the museum is particularly keen to find new objects that tell a personal story." The Sheffield Blitz Codenamed Operation Crucible by the Germans Almost 700 people died and 82,000 (out of 150,000) houses were damaged Around 330 aircraft were involved in the bombardment which lasted for nine hours overnight on 12 December 1940 A second raid on 15-16 December hit the industrial area, east of the city centre Mains water supplies quickly ran out and water needed to be relayed from public baths - and even the River Don - to fight the fires. Further raids were mounted by the Luftwaffe on the city later in the war, but they were not of the same intensity as the December 1940 raids. Source: SYFRS and Sheffield City Council Mr Anderson said thousands of visitors visit the Sheffield Blitz exhibition at the NESM every year, and a book featuring the stories of Sheffield's Blitz Kids - the last generation to have lived through the attacks - is in production. The National Lottery money will also fund a series of educational and community engagement activities, including training for volunteers in interview recording, web design and research. Anyone with an item connected to the Sheffield Blitz, which could be loaned or donated, should contact the museum on 0114 249 1999 or email info@ Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Sheffield Blitz National Emergency Services Museum Blue plaque for 70 killed during WWII bombing Blitz firefighter among WW2 dead remembered
