Bombs in Yarmouth

I have had a copy of the book regarding the bombing of the town during the war years for many years and have noticed that only the raids during the nights have been reported and no day time ones. I witnessed one in 1941 from the tower at the top of the High Street, Gorleston where two of us were on fire watching duty that Sunday morning soon after the bombing of the Tramway Hotel on Lowestoft Road on the 12 th June. We watch a Junkers 88 plane approach from the West at about 2-3 1000 ft and saw the string of bombs leave the aircraft at about the Recreation Playing fields area dropping in a line towards Lowestoft Road. The last one exploded close to 20 Lowestoft Road which was where my family lived. Fortunately neither my Mother and sister were shaken but OK. I was a lad of 15 at the time and worked for Mr.Chaston Builders of Cross Road . Is there any more up-to-date information on the records regarding the bombs that were dropped over the period of the war years please? Yours sincerely, B.T.Manship

Does anyone have photo's of the Royal Engineers when they were in Gt. Yarmouth 1940 laying mines on the beach and blowing a gap in the pier? We are placing a plaque in April at the racecourse which is near to where my Dad's brother and two more Royal Engineers were killed. The plaque will also remember the Royal Norfolk's who were killed along that stretch of beach. I would like to have placed a photo with the Memorial Plaque. would be most grateful if anyone can help.

I am looking for info on sappers from Great Yarmouth during 1941. My grandad was William Stephen Robert Smith aka Bob 1888814.

My husbands grandmother died from the last bomb dropped in Great Yarmouth. She was staying in her son's house on Caister road, sitting at the kitchen table at the time.Any info or pictures would be a great help as this is all we know at the moment.

I totally agree with Colin Stott's description of a daylight raid over Gorleston. I lived in Middleton Rd and watched as a Junkers twin engined job dropped a bomb which landed about 10 feet from our front door. Luckily it didn't go off. I saw the bomb coming right at me and got indoors in a hurry and stood with my back to the wall wondering what to do, as I didn't want to alarm my Mum who was in the kitchen preparing what we laughingly called "our Sunday roast" (about the size of a baseball, for four people!). Almost immediately there was a great banging on the front door, as though someone was trying to break the door down - it was an ARP warden yelling at us to get out fast as there was an unexploded bomb in the garden! That man deserves a V.C. - if only I could find him.

My father was a soldier of the South Staffs Reg. Was Stationed on the beach of Gt. Yarmouth from 1940-42. He recalled to me that one night a stick of bombs dropped one night landed all down Regent St. and not one exploded! One soldier he caught asleep on guard duty later disappeared. Thought to have gone AWOL a few weeks later his name was announced on German radio that he was a POW taken from the beach.