Blitz-era ruins.

[hilldweller]

By December 1940 all the restrictions on large public gatherings had been ended and all the theatres, cinemas and pubs would have been packed out on a Friday night, (pay day).

Most public shelters in the city centre were in cellars beneath public buildings or large shops. When the premises above caught fire, wardens would usher people out to find safer shelter.

This would account for some of the people milling about in the city.

My own mother, a twenty year old, was at a dance at St. Aidens Church Hall, City Road, when the sirens sounded. She made her way, walking, through the city centre to her home in Wadsley and arrived home to a very relieved family at breakfast time. She said she looked and felt as if she had done a double shift down the pit.

HD

[Waterside Echo]

It's interesting that so many people were still around at such a dangerous time. I don't think I'd have gone within 10 miles of the city centre for the duration of the war! I would have expected the place to be a ghost town, so the stories that it wasn't come as a bit of a surprise.

I always thought that too, though over the years speaking to many people who had lived through the blitz the answer was simple. This is what most people said. "Remember we were at war, we were on our own and the threat of invasion was imminent. Newsreels at the cinema were showing what the Germans were capable of in the countries they had invaded so we expected it to be our turn next. We worked hard, and boy did we play hard, we had nothing to loose. It says it all don't you think? W/E.

[vox]

Bomb damage was still very apparent when I was young. So much so that more or less any ruins were called "bomb sites"

I think most people of my age would have played on "The Bomb Site" when they were kids, even if strictly speaking it wasn't one.

[Waterside Echo]

Bomb damage was still very apparent when I was young. So much so that more or less any ruins were called "bomb sites"

I think most people of my age would have played on "The Bomb Site" when they were kids, even if strictly speaking it wasn't one.

And as we got older we bought cars sold on them as well. W/E.

[hilldweller]

Bomb damage was still very apparent when I was young. So much so that more or less any ruins were called "bomb sites"

I think most people of my age would have played on "The Bomb Site" when they were kids, even if strictly speaking it wasn't one.

The bomb site I remember most about was the huge hole where the B & C City Stores had been located in Exchange Street opposite the Norfolk Market Hall.

The building had only been finally finished just before the war with additional floors added.

It had been cleared down to lower basement level by the early fifties and a wooden footbridge built across the void to connect through to the Meat & Fish Market behind. There were railings on the side of the bridge and young lads like myself found the view down very interesting, I never spotted any unexploded bombs though !

The front part of the Castle Market was built in the entire empty footprint of the site in the early sixties, so you can imagine how big the hole was.

The B & C had prefab buildings in Angel Street built instead and these were eventually replaced by Castle House.

The only Picture Sheffield photo I can find shows the railings around the hole on the right hand side and the archway over the entrance to the bridge.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s15480&pos=192&action=zoom&id=18245

HD

[Waterside Echo]

Bomb damage was still very apparent when I was young. So much so that more or less any ruins were called "bomb sites"

I think most people of my age would have played on "The Bomb Site" when they were kids, even if strictly speaking it wasn't one.

The bloke who ran the used car pitch on Main Road Darnall now BETFREDS was always known as a bomb site dealer. Even though it had probably just been a bit of neddy's handy work. W/E.

[Calvin72]

Returning to the debate over blitz memorial crosses in the pavement (or not) . Today i saw three close together at the Moor market end of Eyre Lane. They are quite clear but in a kerb plenty old enough to be wartime. Was there a bomb in the area that had at least three fatalities? Can we get to the bottom of this?

[lysander]

Whilst idly passing my time the other day I came across a site which was discussing the self same topic...but in this case it was about London. The consensus seemed to be that these were masons marks and used to keep a record of how many kerbstones were made and how many laid..

As for bomb site car-dealers we had Rawson's on Stubbin Lane, Firth Park, next door to Aunt Gladys and the Mikado drink shop. I don't think the site was caused by bomb damage but, rather, a filled in Fire Service emergency "septic" water tank.

[hilldweller]

I've just remembered something else that dates from the time of the blitz.

Sometime, I think, in the 1980's or 90's the premises of Henry Wigfall in Fitzalan Square caught fire late one morning.

It was a large fire and many fire pumps attended. During my lunch break I went up to the square to do a bit of "rubber necking".

I noticed that the water suction pipes from all the appliances were laid diagonally across the square and disappeared down a triangular shaped manhole in the roadway outside what used to be the Marples Hotel. It is situated right at the end of the taxi rank.

A fireman was stood by the manhole and I asked him what was going on. He told me that the manhole was the entrance to a "fire tank" built during the war to provide very large quantities of water for dealing with large city centre fires. The normal hydrant supplies being subject to enemy action.

The manhole is still there and presumably the water is still available for emergencies.

I knew that there were many surface water tanks dotted around the city but was not aware of the underground tanks. It must have held a lot of water because the fire took a long time to put out.

I wonder how many of these tanks exist in the city ?

HD

[Calvin72]

Back to the vexed question of the war-time 'x' markings. This is a picture of a very clear example i have found just off the beginning of London Road, on Boston Street. Now someone has made these markings at some time - they vary slightly in size and shape, but not much. We can reasonably assume that they are related to one another. It has been said that if they are war-time memorials then someone here would know the story, however any other reason for them i would equally expect someone here to have heard of. No-one has come up with anything one way or the other except HD's school memories.

[hilldweller]

I've just asked the question of the Local Studies Library by way of an email.

If i ever get a reply I'll post it on here.

I never did get a reply from the Fire & Police Museum.

HD

[neddy]

The bloke who ran the used car pitch on Main Road Darnall now BETFREDS was always known as a bomb site dealer. Even though it had probably just been a bit of neddy's handy work. W/E.

Quite possible I remember flattening something or other opposite The Old Bradley Well.

[Athy]

The last house on the right of Wallace Road, lived a family by the name of Simpson.

The Wallace Simpsons, eh? Did King Edward VIII come to visit?

[lysander]

The Wallace Simpsons, eh? Did King Edward VIII come to visit?

You would be meaning...Wallis Simpson, presumably!

[Waterside Echo]

The Wallace Simpsons, eh? Did King Edward VIII come to visit?

The last house on the right of Wallace Road should have read, the last house on the right of Wallace Road before the bomb site and Pickering Road. Seem to remember Evelyn Simpson being a bit princess like. W/E.