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CITY REMEMBERS DARK DAYS OF THE BLITZ
This month the people of Sheffield will get the chance to cast their eyes back 70 years to one of the darkest periods of World War Two, the Blitz. On the nights of December 12 and 15 1940 Sheffield was heavily bombarded by Hitler’s Luftwaffe destroying large parts of the city. That first night, people were going about their business as usual: the Empire Theatre was almost full, the cinemas were busy, students were working in the city libraries and a public dance had just started at the City Hall. Unknown to the public the first quiet warnings were being sent to official posts: a yellow warning at 6.15pm, purple at 6.45pm and at 7pm the red warning was received. The wail of sirens immediately arose. Five minutes later the drone of planes was heard and heavy guns began to sound. The first wave of fire bombs were dropped over Norton Lees and Gleadless. Sheffield sustained nine hours of continuous bombing with devastating effects. It’s believed over 330 German
aircraft attacked the city. Thick ground fog over Attercliffe was the only thing that prevented the city’s steelworks from being destroyed. Sadly it didn’t prevent the Moor being devastated and every building in Angel Street being bombed or damaged by fire. When the All Clear sounded at 4.17am, people emerged from their cellars to the smell of burning and an all-pervading dust. Two nights later the bombers returned and hit the industrial east of the city: Attercliffe, Grimesthorpe and Burngreave in particular. In villages twelve miles away people heard the terrible thuds which rattled their windows. Brown Bayley’s Steelworks were hit, as were Hadfield’s Hecla and East Hecla Works, Arthur Lee and other sites. The damage caused by the raids over Sheffield was widespread and severe: 47,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on the city, 785 people were killed or reported missing; 1,817 people were injured, 3,473 business properties were ruined and over 82,000 houses out of Sheffield’s
150,000 were damaged. To mark the seventieth anniversary of the Blitz in Sheffield the Council has organised a series of free events including talks, workshops and exhibitions. An exhibition of photographs and documents called ‘Operation Crucible’ will be at the Central Library during the whole of December showing how Sheffield was a key Nazi target during the war. They wanted to destroy Sheffield’s industrial east end and the steelworks during the Blitz. This exhibition shows their plans for attack, the nights of the Blitz in Sheffield and the aftermath. Rare and unseen ‘secret’ documents which tell the story of the Blitz in Sheffield will be on show. Workshops and demonstrations are also part of the programme, with sessions on looking after your family papers and World War Two documents, handling artefacts from the Blitz and one on investigating original sources, including secret files and papers. There are also two talks. Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed,
Cabinet Member for Communities from Sheffield City Council said: “These were extremely frightening times, when Hitler took the fighting from the fronts to attack our major cities, wreaking devastation and death. Sheffield was in the thick of it, because of being a major city and our steelworks, which were at the forefront of the war effort. “This programme is an opportunity for us to find out what happened to our city and its people during those terrible days. And for some Sheffielders who lived through it, it’s a chance to remember and reflect.” To book a place on any of free these events simply call or email Sheffield Archives on 0114 203 9395, or archives@ sheffield.gov.uk or for more information on these events see: www. eventsheffield.com Images of Sheffield Blitz from the collections at Sheffield Archives and Local Studies Library are available to view at: www.flickr.com/photos/ shefflibraries/sets
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