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I know there were at least two raids that caused damage to The Avenues, one was 6th May 1941, which was incendiaries, so I don't think this is that, I think this is from the Baedeker Raids 27th April 1942, there's blast damage.

The houses at either end of this were so badly damaged they have post war replacements.

and as this blips into existence for a fraction of a second, that chap with the white headphones notices it, or he wonders what that mad tall bloke dancing about in the road in the rain with a camera is doing.

This ones for James Greenwood Acton aged 76 of number 53, and Alfred Earnest Read, an iron moulder aged 39 who lived and died at number 87 further up in the cheap seats. We're all equal at beginning and end.

Original photo George Swain, available from Picture Norfolk.

The Lockwood family lived at number 65 Rosebery Road. Left to right we have mum Hilda, who would have been in her mid thirties when this was taken, Jack who was about 6 Beryl who 10, and Reg. Hilda would shortly after this photo was taken fall pregnant with number three Margaret.

I know this because our neighbour Ralph gave me this picture, they're his cousins, his aunt and his uncle.

Reg was an ARP, he'd do his day job and then come the evening, he'd stick on a steel helmet slip on an armband and a gas mask case would be strapped over his shoulder, and he'd stride out into the evening and go and do what Air Raid Precautions officers do which was shout, "turn that light out" at people, make sure things were running tickerty boo, and in the case of a raid, stay out and help put out incendiaries, report trouble and go to the aid of those caught up in the mess that dropping thousands of pounds of high explosive on a civilian population brings.

A daunting task.

On the night of the 28th of April 1942, Ralph had been to play with his cousins, he remembers it quite well. He went home happy. Reg came home and then as his duty required, he left his family including 3 month old Margaret and stepped out into the dogged evening as the sirens yelled and the second of the worst bombing raids that Norwich was to suffer started. His post I think was on Angel Road, brave enough to stay out in the filth the night threw down. Chances of survival unharmed must be very low on a night like that, hot metal, tiles and brick flying about, incendiaries falling, the smoke, the din, your city on fire.

When he returned his house had received a hit, his entire family were killed, Hilda, Beryl, Jack and Margaret, all gone.

I don't know what happened next, Ralph didn't elaborate, this was enough I think.

Second verse same as the first.

10th May 1941

see other pic for details

Not a Baedeker Blitz ghost, this is 1941, not 1942 and it's 2012 too of course.

10th May 1941 in fact.

A very small raid destroyed this upstairs flat, the residents were out, but not too pleased when they got back premably and found their flat was flatter. Grove Walk acquired a duck pond and Cecil Road sustained blast damage. They missed the Hewett (pronounced 'h'urt) unlucky eh school children... Actually I don't think it existed then, but y'know never how these time holes work might work in your favour.

This is a good example of how you can actively see what happened there's a variation in the brick colour, I do often wonder when I do these if the people living in them even know. Maybe I should post them a copy of it and maybe I shouldn't.

I drive past this nearly every day, thought I'd better do it, stop that itch in my head.

This one looks to me like a follow up shot to the previous one, without the modern benefit of metadata, I'd say it was taken after they'd damped the fire in Harmer's down a wee bit. probably on the 30th April, before it got bombed again.

Again taken by the foolhardy and fabulous George Swain, a photographer by birth, his father was a commercial photographer too.

This picture resides in Picture Norfolk where for a small fee you may purchase it from the ever helpful and lovely Clare.

Explore #79 March 2nd 2012