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Parkwood Road Neepsend


Twosheds

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Thank you for having me on this forum, first time on anything like this so please be kind.  I am researching the Milner side of my family, and know from my Great Aunt that she was bombed out in 1940 when she lived at 9 Parkwood Road.  I seem to remember she said something about a pub being hit and a policeman copping it while having a crafty drink in the back room.  I would welcome advice on how to research this event (I am in Southampton) . Was there a pub? Are there any photographs of Parkwood Road before or after the raid? i see 5 people are listed as killed at number 8 Parkwood Road which would seem to give some veracity to my Great Aunt's recollections.

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During the Blitz (night of 12th December 1940)  Neepsend Gas works received a cluster of incendiary bombs. The Gas Works exploded as firemen were trying to put out the flames.  Then a parachute mine landed between the gasholders, and there was a further mine which landed (probably on number 15 Parkwood Road, per a reminiscence on Britainfrom Above site)  ( but see the “bombs map” below)

 1304112893_ParkwoodRoadBomb.png.0ae5dfad3830e97100aa0032a0a25a7d.png

The dead were:

Breedon Anita 3 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Breedon Cyril 35 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Breedon Eva 32 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Breedon George 11 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Breedon Terence 5 months 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Clarke John 45 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road but in 1939 was an unemployed mill labourer, and living at number 22 Parkwood Road with mother Lettice. Possibly they were sheltering with the Breedon family?

Clarke Lettice 69 yrs 13 Dec 1940 9 Parkwood Road

Munks Frank 52 13 Dec 1940 Parkwood Road

The 1939 census (via FindMyPast) shows the Milners at number 8 Parkwood Road:

1188930617_ParkwoodRoad1939census.thumb.png.24404d979cd5dfc5a2bfb379293aac1a.png

Frank Hides Munks was a Police War Reserve Constable. Frank was a market trader who lived at 36 Rockley Road with his wife Marjorie, and their children Frank H junior (a tram conductor, later to die on 31st January 1942 when HMS Belmont was sunk by a torpedo from U-82 off Nova Scotia), Marjorie junior (an assistant teacher), Reginald (a market trader) and Daphne (a shop assistant).  The Victoria Hotel, in whicj Frank may have been sheltering,  was at 248 Neepsend Lane, at the corner of Parkwood Road, run by Ernest and Edith Dyson in September 1939. It was nicknamed “the monkey”, as one of its landlords once had a pet monkey. The Dysons were not killed on the night of the Blitz, and the pub seems to have survived.

Photos of Neepsend Lane and the gas works are available on PictureSheffield https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?searchterms=&action=search&keywords=Keywords%3BMATCHES%3B(^|+%2B)Neepsend_Gasworks(%24|+%2B)%3B

A pre-war photo shows Parkwood Road going between the largest gas holder and the other four. The odd numbered houses are the nearest and number right to left.

338764415_ParkwoodRoadprewar.png.08a819f5902267d2e61f9f8ebf9d49dc.png

A post war map of 1954 shows that the even numbered houses had been demolished due to damage by incendiaries, along with the odd numbers up to 19:

1050200556_ParkwoodRoadMap1954.png.12ceb829308a36d76d5bba44de3318be.png

There's an overview and research guide of the Sheffield Blitz here: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/libraries-and-archives/archives-and-local-studies/research/Blitz study guide v1-3.pdf

There are stories about the Sheffield Blitz here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/categories/c1151/

See the comment right at the bottom of the page here: https://britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW015598

The Britainfromabove site has many aerial photos of the Neepsend area

Various photos of Parkwood Road here: https://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?searchterms=&action=search&keywords=Keywords%3BMATCHES%3B(^|+%2B)Park_Wood_Road(%24|+%2B)%3B

Further info here: https://www.chrishobbs.com/sheffield/pitsmoorwardead.htm

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4 hours ago, Twosheds said:

Thank you for having me on this forum, first time on anything like this so please be kind.  I am researching the Milner side of my family, and know from my Great Aunt that she was bombed out in 1940 when she lived at 9 Parkwood Road.  I seem to remember she said something about a pub being hit and a policeman copping it while having a crafty drink in the back room.  I would welcome advice on how to research this event (I am in Southampton) . Was there a pub? Are there any photographs of Parkwood Road before or after the raid? i see 5 people are listed as killed at number 8 Parkwood Road which would seem to give some veracity to my Great Aunt's recollections.

Hello Twosheds   , and welcome to Sheffield History, you will probably find more on this site than anywhere else. Below is a search I put in for Parkwood Road, you could vary the search terms and will probably get much more information.       -------------         https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/search/?&q=Parkwood Road&search_and_or=and

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Thank you so much for all of this, which gives me a great deal to go at.  Fantastic to see where My great aunts lily and mary lived (i think they were operating as a shop at No 8, certainly when their mother was arrive (she died in 1939). 

 

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Number 8 had been a grocers shop since at least 1876, and was probably built as a shop.  Sophia Collie ran it in 1878/9. Henry Walker in 1881. Elizabeth Quarmby ran it from 1894 to at least 1911. Albert William Hanson ran it in 1925.

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1948 Parkwood Road

Parkwood Road
( 248 Neepsend Lane )
21 Stones Wm
23 Slaney Percy  B -gas worker
25 Poppingham Albt.E -forger
27 Slaney Thos. -labourer
29 Alexander Fredk. -shell inspector
31 Spencer Rt. -furnaceman
33 Pugh Herbt.
35 Whittaker Bernard -forger
37 Hinchliffe Fredk. -labourer
39 Crookes Isaac Jsph. -labourer
41 Martin Wltr. -furnaceman
43 Bevington Edwd. -boiler firer
45 Smith Edwd
47 Barker Albt. ( j ) scaffolder.
Longden George & Son Ltd.
public works contractors
55 Breedon Jn. -caretaker
57 Hawley Edwd. -labourer
59 Marsden Frank
61 Pugh Mrs. Mary Eliz.
( Farfield Road )
83 Malin Mrs Laura -shopkeeper
87 Walstow Maurice -( j ) brewers labourer
89 Kay Bernard -motor driver
91 Greaves Sidney 
93 Simpson Bertram -motor driver
95 Johnston Frank 
97 Canetti Jsph -
99 Button Mrs. Mary
( Hoyland Road )
 

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My grandparents Joseph and Doris Pryor ran the shop at the corner of Parkwood Road and Neepsend Lane opposite Andrews Toledo steel works. My mother (also Doris Pryor) tells me that her father’s shop was destroyed by the bomb that killed a large number of the Breedon family and two members of the Clarke family. She also recalls two boys were blown into the 60-foot crater caused by the blast but were rescued, shocked and scratched to pieces and in a terrible state. The pub you mentioned I think was called the Victoria Pub and nicknamed the Monkey. There is further information about this pub on the Sheffield Forum I believe. https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/topic/92439-anyone-remember-the-monkey-at-neepsend/#comments

Mum remembers family names of people on or around Parkwood Road were: Mary Milner who ran a sweet shop next to the Monkey pub, Pugh family, Herbert, Frank, and Harry, (nick named happy Harry as always smiling), Mary, Ivy, Doreen, Evelyn & Vera. Other names were the Scotts, Wiberleys, Archboulds, Crooks, Blagdens, Haythorns, Haddingtons, Watsons and Ashby’s. Mum also mentioned Ike Crookes was the man who was the person on blazing Neepsend gas tanks trying to extinguish the fires caused by bombing. Apparently this brave gentleman also saw action in the Navy in the battle with the German Graf Spee battleship. See also: https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/topic/250622-crookes-family-from-neepsend-in-the-1920-60s/

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21 minutes ago, Yeti said:

My grandparents Joseph and Doris Pryor ran the shop at the corner of Parkwood Road and Neepsend Lane opposite Andrews Toledo steel works. My mother (also Doris Pryor) tells me that her father’s shop was destroyed by the bomb that killed a large number of the Breedon family and two members of the Clarke family. She also recalls two boys were blown into the 60-foot crater caused by the blast but were rescued, shocked and scratched to pieces and in a terrible state. The pub you mentioned I think was called the Victoria Pub and nicknamed the Monkey. There is further information about this pub on the Sheffield Forum I believe. https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/topic/92439-anyone-remember-the-monkey-at-neepsend/#comments

 

Mum remembers family names of people on or around Parkwood Road were: Mary Milner who ran a sweet shop next to the Monkey pub, Pugh family, Herbert, Frank, and Harry, (nick named happy Harry as always smiling), Mary, Ivy, Doreen, Evelyn & Vera. Other names were the Scotts, Wiberleys, Archboulds, Crooks, Blagdens, Haythorns, Haddingtons, Watsons and Ashby’s. Mum also mentioned Ike Crookes was the man who was the person on blazing Neepsend gas tanks trying to extinguish the fires caused by bombing. Apparently this brave gentleman also saw action in the Navy in the battle with the German Graf Spee battleship. See also: https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/topic/250622-crookes-family-from-neepsend-in-the-1920-60s/

 

 

 

Great stuff thank you and welcome to the site!

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