Locomotives destroyd by Enemy action

[daveinstoke]

Other than the famous York bombing, is there any other lists of loco's that were bombed during the war. ?
Dave.

[richard]

I'm not sure about a list in one place, but I think my pages list noteworthy examples. At least one LNER engine met its end as a target for the RAF!


Richard

[Colombo]

Dave,

There were two locos damaged beyond repair at York shed on the night of April 29th 1942. These were A4 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood and B16 4-6-0 no.925. The A4's tender was repaired however.

Two other locos were written off as a result of enemy action during WW2, these were ex M&GN D52 4-4-0 no. 047 at Norwich in 1942 and J17 no.8200 at Stratford in 1944.

Colombo

[x568wcn]

You can find odd bits if you look like these

Friday, 27th/Saturday, 28th March 1942 N937
Scarborough.. A train was hit and damaged in an attack on Scarborough.

Night 937. All times BST. Blackout begins: 20.01, ends: 06.20

The big one!

Tuesday, 28th/Wednesday, 29th April 1942 N969
York.. For over one hour, forty German aircraft pounded the city of York unopposed. In all 84 tonnes of bombs were dropped on or near the city, which suffered badly, particularly from the IBs, they started many fires around the Minster. HEs fell mainly in the central and northern districts of the city which added further to the devastation.
The railway station was severely damaged by fire, and the airfield (now part of a housing development) was severely damaged. The guardroom received a direct hit, the officers mess, hangars and other buildings had blast damage and there were bomb craters all around the airfield. Within the city boundaries seventy-two civilians (nineteen men, thirty-nine women and fourteen children), four Civil Defence workers and five soldiers were killed, ninety-two people were seriously injured and one hundred and thirteen slightly injured. Add to that the number of casualties in the Flaxton district, fourteen killed, six seriously injured and one slightly injured.

There was also an airfield but this was used as a base for 4 Squadron (Army Co-operation) RAF, and was equipped with Lysanders, hardly capable of doubling up as fighters if the need should arise. The only obvious military target might be the railway - York was an important railway junction, the HQ of the London and North-Eastern Railway Company, with extensive passenger and goods lines, sidings and repair yards. It is worth noting that these three possible military targets were not in the centre of York ( Rowntrees and the airfield were some distance away and the LNER slightly to the W ). The relative lack of damage that the city was to receive owed much to these fortuitous locations and to a good degree of accuracy by the Germans.

The 22.15. Kings Cross to Edinburgh train was approaching York station as the bombs began to fall, it pulled into No 9 platform at 02.53, about then a bomb fell on the Leeman Road coal depot blowing rails from the sidings across the main passenger lines, a short distance from the station, at the same time a number of flares were seen coming down over the top of the station, followed immediately by HE the incendiary bombs, some hitting the train.

Passengers on the train included a Petty Officer Jacques, two Leading Hands and fifteen ratings on their way to Hexham, Northumberland. After the explosions which wrecked several coaches, various offices and set the after part of the station roof ablaze, PO Jacques sent his party of men to a shelter with the exception of one Leading Hand, who helped him to rescue an injured Naval Commander and then attempt to help fight the fires. They and other firefighters now faced an impossible task, too many fires were now needing attention.

The station had been hit by HE at the southern end, the ticket office was on fire, a number of other offices had been wrecked and the station roof had suffered major damage. Railway fire crews found that the hydrant pressure had fallen, so they were left with the choice of fighting some fires and leaving others. The rest of the Railway staff were also at full stretch, kicking incendiaries off the platforms, dealing with casualties from the train, seven of whom were taken to hospital, some others divided up the Kings Cross train, pulling fourteen carriages from the six that were already on fire, letting the latter burn out, an action later criticised by uninformed onlookers, who were unaware of the fallen water pressure. The NFS arrived at 04.00 but it took another five before the fires could be called under control, relay pumps being run in from the river, the mains water pressure improving gradually. York station is one of the few places to display a plaque commemorating the bravery and sacrifices of its employees.

Further damage to railway property was caused when fire bombs hit the stables and coal depot, a train of some thirty trucks was destroyed together with one of Sir Nigel Gresley's famous A4 Pacifics, No 4469 'Sir Ralph Wedgewood'. The engine repair shed, housing about thirty locomotives was bombed, three engines took the brunt of the explosion but shielded the others from serious damage. Not all of the bombs directed at the railway actually hit it, a man living in Leeman Road counted about eleven high explosive bombs within 300 yards of his house, some fell in Garfield Terrace and the streets surrounding it.


A Heinkel He 111 was shot down in the attack on York. The incident is
The Junkers Ju 88 that Mahe flew past on his way to shoot down the Heinkel had seen enough, he jettisoned the last of his bombs, uselessly, on both sides of the railway line leading from York to Huntington. The pilot headed for the coast and back to base. One of the crew members of the German plane, Oberfeldwebel Hans Fruehauf, an observer-gunner, finally ended up on the Russian front fighting on foot - as an infantryman.

Night 969. All times DST. Blackout begins: 22.03, ends: 06.02
Public Alert: 03.16, All-Clear: 03.45


I edited the York report, but the full transcript is @ http://www.bpears.org.uk/NE-Diary/Inc/ISeq_27.html

[daveinstoke]

Thats very interesting mark, over the last few weeks I have unearthed some more picturesof bomb damage to the Railways mostly my local area though ( Stoke ).

[CVR1865]

There was also an incident at Soham with a gunpowder train being set alight. I believe the crew were killed trying to get the train clear of the station but i don't know if the locomotive survived.

Probably would have been a J15.

simon

[x568wcn]

These were A4 4469 Sir Ralph Wedgwood and B16 4-6-0 no.925. The A4's tender was repaired however.
Colombo

It was laid aside out of service for 3 1/2 years, until duly repaired. It came out at the end of December 1945 attached to Thompsons A2/1 class 3696

[Bullhead]

There was also an incident at Soham with a gunpowder train being set alight. I believe the crew were killed trying to get the train clear of the station but i don't know if the locomotive survived.

Probably would have been a J15.

simon

It was a WD "Austerity" (number 7337) hauling a train of bombs destined for the USAAF. The fireman, Nightall, and signalman, Bridges, were both killed but the driver, Gimbert, survived. See http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docume ... am1944.pdf for the report.

[richard]

There's a picture of the locomotive here on the O7 page:

http://www.lner.info/locos/O/o7.shtml

The village was saved by the actions of the engine crew, and a number of railway medals and George Crosses were awarded. More recently, two EWS Class 66s have been named after Nightall and Gimbert, and I see that a permanent memorial will be unveiled on 2nd June - the 63rd anniversary. More information here:

http://www.soham.org.uk/history/trainexplosion.htm


Richard

[x568wcn]

. More recently, two EWS Class 66s have been named after Nightall and Gimbert
Richard

077 James Nightall GC
079 Benjamin Gimbert GC

[Bullhead]

Nightall and Gimbert were previously commemorated by class 47s named in their honour (47 579 and 47 577 respectively).

[x568wcn]

577 since renumbered 847 now Railway World Magazine / Brian Morrison operated by Freightliner
579 since renumbered 793 now in the Mangapps Railway Museum in EWS livery deregistered

[jwealleans]

There is a memorial to James Nightall in his home village of Littleport. It can be found at the far end of the High Street (away from the church) on the library wall.

There was a J17 destroyed by either a V1 or a V2 flying bomb - OTTOMH it was no. 8200, but I'd have to check that.

[smudger]

Special mention must be made to the ex-LB&SCR D3 that was strafed by a Focke-Wulf 190 as it near Lydd on Romney Marsh in November 1942. The boiler exploded just as the plane past above it. The fighter was flying so low that shrapnel from the explosion brought it down. The crew of the D3 had jumped clear and the loco itself was repaired and put back into service.

Alan

[Bullhead]

Special mention must be made to the ex-LB&SCR D3 that was strafed by a Focke-Wulf 190 as it near Lydd on Romney Marsh in November 1942. The boiler exploded just as the plane past above it. The fighter was flying so low that shrapnel from the explosion brought it down.

It'd be nice to think that when it returned to service it carried a single swastika marking on its cabside!