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It was the last phase of the Blitz, a week before the Luftwaffe's final 300 bomber attack on London. In comparison to Merseyside or Clydeside the people of Tyneside had escaped lightly.
The night was warm but overcast. The air raid sirens had sounded at 11.12pm
At 11.45pm, Special Constable Matthew Layzell was on patrol in North Shields with Special Constabulary Inspector Joseph Stuart checking the black-out.
Walking along Tynemouth Road, Matthew heard the rumble of a lone bomber very close. Looking up he saw nothing, not even the familiar barrage balloon - the cloud cover was too low to make out the plane. But he knew that somewhere nearby was going to get it. Moments later the explosion sounded. Running quickly up the road directed by the noise they turned into King Street. It was now deathly silent. Wilkinson's Lemonade Factory had taken a direct hit.
 Matthew Layzell |
He realised immediately that a disaster had happened - Wilkinson's basement was a popular Air Raid Shelter. It was a Saturday night. It would be full of people from the neighbouring streets.
Matthew Layzell and Inspector Stuart were first at the scene. Minutes later Air Raid Precautions workers arrived and cordoned off the area. Wardens moved over the debris shining torches into the gaps and shouting for survivors.
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For some it would be the start of their grimmest working day. George Newstead and Clarence Burdiss worked for 15 hours trying to rescue survivors. They were later awarded one of the UK's highest civilian awards for bravery: The George Medal.
Norman Darling Black, a member of the First Aid Party won the British Empire Medal for making 'sustained and strenuous efforts to free injured persons from the debris'.
The scale of the tragedy became clear in the hours that followed. Three of the shelter's compartments were completely destroyed and adjacent walls caved in. 192 people were in the shelter when the bomb hit. 107 people were killed, 10 seriously injured and 43 slightly injured. 41 children under 16 were victims. Two others were killed by a bomb from the same plane which hit a nearby house at 3 George Street.
Many of those killed had been crushed by the weight of the falling machinery from the factory floors. For many locals it had been a disaster waiting to happen. Many had refused to use the Shelter precisely because of the risk from the heavy machinery above.
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rescue workers at Wilkinson's after the raid: red box shows shelter entrance
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bomb damage at Wilkinson's
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advert for Wilkinson's in Ward's Directory |
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