Our Sincere Thanks....
to all who have helped us piece together the events of May 3rd, 1941 and to those who have assisted with such enthusiasm in bringing this project together.
If we have inadvertently missed you from this page, please let us know and we'll put it right!
Survivors, witnesses and local residents
Mr Albert Lee | Survivor aged 17: son of Mrs Ellen Lee, shelter warden
Mrs Marshall (nee Sanderson) | Survivor aged 13: lost brother
Mrs Mildred Mathews (nee Cook)| Survivor aged 14: lost aunt and cousin
Mr Lough | Survivor aged 8: lost mother and sister
Mrs Joan Robson (nee Prest) | Survivor aged 14: lost father, 2 sisters, brother (GERMAIN)
Mrs Millie Moore | lost father's brother, wife and children (MAVIN)
Mrs Bell | friend of the family lived next door to factory: unharmed
Mr Henderson | lost paternal grandfather, grandmother (HENDERSON), aunt, uncle, cousin (SHEARER)
Mrs Pat Bridges (b:1951)| see above: sister to Mr Henderson
Mr Sydney Hodgson | Lost sister, sister in law and her children
Mrs Tennison | Lost sister in law and her 3 children (HARMAN)
Mr Eric Pell | Lived nearby, thought dead by school friends when he missed school to visit bomb site.
Mr Haydon Sharp | Lost friend (EDITH PHILIPS), uncle lived next door to shelter: unharmed
Mrs Heslop | Mother survived in the shelter. Father was an ARP warden.
Mrs Nora Sturrock | Lost brother (ALEXANDER FRANKLAND), 2 other brothers survived.
Mrs Mary Dealer | Recalls the later raid on the Balkwell and Rex Cinema.
Mrs Wood | Lived 2 streets away from Wilkinsons: unharmed.
Mrs Spencer | Lost uncle (CLARENCE BEAVERS). Lived close by in Whitby Street.
Mrs Lorrison | Lived opposite the shelter but didn't use it that night because her mother didn't like the accordion music!
Mrs Oliver | Grandmother (Alice Nicholson) survived in the shelter.
Mrs Kathlee Parkin (nee Bulman)| Remembers clearance of Wilkinson's debris to Redburn View tip.
Mrs Emma Chapman | Lost 7 members of her family (CURRAN, SMITH, GLYNN) at Wilkinson's. Her aunt was Mrs Ellen Lee a local ARP warden helped rescue over 30 people.
Mrs Georgina Frazer | Lost cousin (ALEXANDER FRANKLAND). Father helped in rescue attempts.
Mr Henry P.Rose | Lost cousin (ALEXANDER FRANKLAND)
Mrs Jennie Ford | Mother helped rescue and treat survivors.
Mr Matthew Layzell | Special constable on patrol in Tynemouth Road, heard the German bomber and was first at the scene following the bombing.
Mrs Gwyneth Johnson | ARP warden, daughter of Special Constable Inspector J. Stuart who with Mr Layzell was first at scene.
Mr Larry Burdiss | Son of George Medal winner, Clarence Burdiss.
Mr Burdiss | Brother of Larry Burdiss
Mr T.R. Hall | Member of the Auxiliary Fire Service blown off his bike by Wilkinson's bomb blast.
Mrs Ethel May Shaw | Lost aunt and her 5 children (HALL).
Mrs Rose Graham (nee Nutman) | Nurse at Hexham Hospital. Treated survivors sent there with extensive acid burns
Mr George Black | son of BEM winner Norman Darling Black
For the loan of personal memorabilia
Mr Albert Lee - Family photographs
Mr Larry Burdiss - George Medal, 'North Shields Bomb Damage' video
Mrs Ethel May Shaw - Photograph of HALL children
Mr Gary Carverhill - Luftwaffe aerial photo of North Shields collected by his grandfather Mr Richard Trembath of Loftus.
Mr Paul Thompson - Bomb damage photos of North Shields incl.Wilkinsons.
Mrs Georgina Frazer - Family photographs
Mr T.R. Hall - Family photographs
Mr M Glancey - Luftwaffe and ARP memorabilia
Mr Haydon Sharp - Family Photographs
Mr Gordon Hornsby - Veterans Association
Mrs Gwyneth Johnson - Family photographs
Mr George Black - Family photographs
Copyright permissions
Lindy Mckinnel - The Estate of Robert Westall
Macmillan Children's Books - Quotations from 'Children of the Blitz' and other Westall books.
David Schultz Air Shows (USA) - Colour images of Heinkel He-111
Air Age Publishing (USA) - Colour images of Heinkel He-111
Brian Pears - Author of 'North East War Diary 1939-1945'
Wherever we have failed to recognise copyright we will be pleased to recognise or remove within 7 days of notification in writing by the copyright holder. Any such omissions are entirely inadvertent.
For advice, enthusiasm and assistance
Jan Clemence MBE - Manager, Children and Young People's Library Service, North Tyneside
The British Library
Eileen Carnaffin - Local Studies Librarian, Gateshead Council Libraries, Arts and Information
John Hudson - Gateshead Council Libraries, Arts & Information - database construction
Daniel Bolger - Student, St Thomas More School, North Shields - database construction
Whitley Bay News Guardian
Newcastle Evening Chronicle
Newcastle Journal
Westall's War Project Team
Peter Hepplewhite
Education Officer: Tyne and Wear Archives Service
Project Manager for Westall's War. Researched source documents, interviewed survivors, wrote and compiled Teacher's pack.
contact: 0191 2326789 x419
email: peterhepplewhite@gateshead.gov.uk
Peter Bolger
Gateshead Grid for Learning Manager
Website design and management, research, interviewed survivors and local residents.
contact: 0191 433 8630
email: peterbolger@gateshead.gov.uk
Sheila Graber
Sheila Graber Animation Ltd
CD-Rom construction and design, additional graphics and photos
contact: 0191 455 4985
email: sheila@graber.demon.co.uk
Kathleen Pearse
Literacy Support Teacher: Gateshead LEA
Teacher's literacy pack