Panmure Road V2 Attack

[invicta]

Firstly sorry if I have started this thread in the wrong section.

I am conducting some research for a future website into the 14 January 1945 V2 rocket attack on Panmure Road where my late father suffered the loss of 4 members of his family, his mother, sister, sister-in-law and niece.

So far I have been able to extract the names of the 14 immediate fatalities from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Civilian War Dead Register and I am in contact with somebody who was actually in one of the other houses at the time albeit as an unborn child who lost his father & grandmother from injuries sustained in the attack but a few weeks later so do not appear on the Register although as his father was serving in the Armed Forces I have found his entry on the CWGC site.

My father absolutely refused to talk about the incident, understandably, other than to just say he was away serving in the Royal Navy at the time. My uncle, my father’s eldest brother did tell me years ago about the actual aftermath of the bombing in respect of his mother, sister, wife and 5 year old daughter but I would be very interested in any information that anybody may have and/or any suggestions anybody may have on any resources I may pursue. In particular one question I and my previously mentioned contact would dearly love to know is the time the rocket actually struck.

[bigbadwolf]

Courtesy of local historian, Steve 'Graveyard' Grindlay:

Actually, this is all I can find on the Panmure Road bomb. It was a V2 and landed in the back gardens of 6-14 Panmure Road on 14 Jan 1945. Fourteen people died (several are commemorated on the memorial in St Barts) and some 80 were injured. Apparently the hole created by the bomb caused the houses in Panmure Road to collapse back into it. The scale of death and injury was high; this was one of the worst such incidents in south London.

Perhaps I shouldn't mention this, Liberty, but the damage to the houses in Mount Ash Road was described as "serious". Presumably most of the damage was to the backs of the low numbered houses in the road.

More can be found on the following, extensive thread. It may be titled "Mount Ash Road", but there should be plenty of info on what you're looking for. Or something that'll put you in the right direction.

http://forum.sydenham.org.uk/viewtopic. ... 4&start=20

Good luck.

[invicta]

Many thanks bigbadwolf and how very embarrassing as I now can see where somebody who sent me some information might actually have got it from.

[bigbadwolf]

You can confirm your gratitude by just following this quick, easy and 100% secure link to complete the service I went so far out of my way to do.



I've p.m'd you my details.

If you have any questions with regards to the transfer, you can find detailed explaination, price banding and obligations in the terms and conditions that legally bound you to honouring any service or agreement with a fellow user after signing-up to this forum.

[invicta]

You can confirm your gratitude by just following this quick, easy and 100% secure link to complete the service I went so far out of my way to do.



I've p.m'd you my details.

If you have any questions with regards to the transfer, you can find detailed explaination, price banding and obligations in the terms and conditions that legally bound you to honouring any service or agreement with a fellow user after signing-up to this forum.

I await your message with the upmost trepidation.

[bigbadwolf]

Ah, it appears that the chiselling forum administrator has disabled the link I attached until we've agreed his cut.

I'm afraid that this kind of delay does happen from time-to-time. But don't you worry, invicta. I'll have my pound of e-flesh sooner or later.

[icwilson]

It was several years after I moved away from Mount Ash Road that I found details of this V2 incident; the source is on page 510, volume 3 of Winston Ramsey's The Blitz Then & Now (After the Battle press).

Rocket 532 impacted on Panmure Road at 16.13 on Sunday 14 January 1945.

I hope this is helful to you.

Regards,

Ian Wilson.

[invicta]

It was several years after I moved away from Mount Ash Road that I found details of this V2 incident; the source is on page 510, volume 3 of Winston Ramsey's The Blitz Then & Now (After the Battle press).

Rocket 532 impacted on Panmure Road at 16.13 on Sunday 14 January 1945.

I hope this is helful to you.

Regards,

Ian Wilson.

Many thanks Ian.

I obtained some further information from www.v2rocket.com (John Pridge) on the incident:

"At 16:13hrs on 14th January 1945 a V2 rocket with serial number 21 250 launched at 16:08hrs by Battery 444 in the Den Haag area of the Netherlands scored a direct hit on number 8 Panmure Road, Sydenham south-east London, 186 feet south-west from the junction with Sydenham Hill Road. Four properties were demolished together with another four partially demolished."

I will certainly try to get to see a copy of the book.

[invicta]

Also I can recommend the book "Bolt from the Blue - S.E. London and Kent under V2 Rocket attack" by Lewis Blake.

[Brannan]

My father was playing the organ in St Philip's church at the time of the attack - some of the windows were blown out but he just carried on playing!

[Brannan]

Small correction to my last message - the service was in the church hall (evensong) as St Philip's had suffered damage earlier.

[Tony Martin]

My Grandmother Toop lived at the top of Springfield Rise (I lived at 28) and when the rocket landed we checked on her and found her sitting on the floor in the kitchen with the dresser on top of her and covered in the soot that had blown down the chimney. We all laughed and cried!! We then went through the laneway at the top into Panmure Road to survey the damage, at which time the injured and others were still being taken out of the rubble. Sorry I can't remember anything more of that attack, except it was definitely in the late afternoon. The other information you mentioned is certainly interesting and informative.
Thanks!

[Beerboy]

When the rocket struck I was with my friend David Hewlett ,in Edney Street just in from Springfield. We were up against. the wall and the debris was flying over us. A few minutes later we were met by clouds of dust coming down Springfield. As my brother has posted, Gran who lived at the top end of Springfield Had her windows and doors blown out and when we went to see if she was OK she was covered in soot-coal fires in those days- and she just said "Oh dear!"

[Beerboy]

By the time of the Panmure Road V2 hit most of Oaksford Avenue at the end of Fir Street and Plane Street had already been destroyed by a Doodlebug, the V1. This also caused considerable damage to our house in Springfield Number 28 and of course everybody elses in the area. The bombed sites made a wonderful adventure playground though. That was before Political Correctness and over protection came in.

[bluepete87]

Hallo, I hope that I am in the right place.
V2 Attack at Panmure Road, Sydenham S.E. Sunday, January 14, 1945.

Until my National Service I lived in Homecroft Rd, Sydenham. I can remember being in class at Holy Trinity School, Dartmouth Rd when that attack occurred so it couldn’t have been a Sunday.
Has anyone else put forward this memory? The Holy Trinity School mentioned doesn’t exist now.