I remember the gasometer being attacked, about the same time a coal ship, the London City, was sunk in the harbour


19th May 1940 – tip and run bombing.  When enemy aircraft would jettison any remaining bombs after coming over Berry Head before heading home.

My father, Lawrence Barrow,  was delivering milk in Fore Street outside the fish and chip when a bomb was dropped near him, knocking him over. Unfortunately, two soldiers who were standing a bit further away from the bomb got the full blast and were killed.

Scary indeed! In the 1940s, my grandparents lived at the old ‘Battery’ on Berry Head Road. The recently-built hotel apartments there are on the site of an old fuel storage unit. At any moment, if a bomb had struck, thousands of gallons of burning fuel could have gushed down the hill to engulf their bungalow. Just one image of what people had to live with in those days.

My Father's jewellers shop window got blown out – I don’t think he lost any diamond rings, however!! John Aris, who at that time lived above our shop, was always relating the tale to me of the day it happened.

The London City was referred to as a coal barge but a more correct description would be ‘coaling hulk’ as she was a real ship, a former German ship that had been seized after the first World War. She was indeed sunk three times but was not raised after the third time and broken up much later after the war.
 

The sinkings of the London City took place on 13 July 1940 at 13.30, 27 Feb 1941 at 13.25 and 31 March 1942 at 13.40.  Another raid was recorded as being on the harbour at 20.50 on 11 May 1941, for which the incident book records 6 HE bombs from 8 aircraft, a trawler sunk, 2 personal injuries and 2 properties damaged.

A similar raid was recorded on 14 May 1942 at 18.50 on the harbour and quay by 4 aircraft dropping 4 HE bombs (3 in the  harbour and 1 on the quay); a small trawler was sunk, there was 1 personal injury and 15 houses damaged.  

I lived with my mother and sister in one of those properties (my father was in the RAF) and we had to be evacuated for a while until windows and ceilings were replaced and furnishings dried out from the sea water that had been blown in.  It was the bomb that blew the trawler apart that caused our damage and I later found a beam from it in our back garden, it having travelled completely over our roof.  

Another raid was on 18 June 1942 at 06.00 on Furzeham and the last 3 entries were 21 January 1943 and 29 May 1944.  There were no warnings of the tip and run raids, some of which are recorded as involving machine gun and cannon fire as well as the bombs.

My grandmother, her children, my father, my mother, me and my sisters lived in Middle Street where the hairdressers is now.

No wonder my relatives were so healthy, climbing up and down to visit friends and relatives, plus living in a three storied house. They all lived very long lives. Great, Great Granny Pine was the first person in Brixham to reach 100 so the flag was raised on the town hall in her honour. She died aged 104.

When we used to go on the bus from Paignton to visit the house in Middle Street, Mum would often smile or nod to passers-by. When I asked who it was she would reply, “a cousin”. "Why don't you introduce us” I asked her. To which she replied, “Oh my dear, we are related to half of Brixham. We would be here all day".  People had big families in our great, great grandparents day.  By the time those children married and had children and with the next generation, it's no wonder that Mum said we are related to half of Brixham!