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The Bournemouth Blitz was the heavy bombing of
The biggest air raid was on 23 May 1943 in which many Focke Wolf 190 planes dropped 25 bombs on the town.
The buildings targeted that day included the Central Hotel at Richmond Hill; the Shamrock and Rambler coach station at Holdenhurst Road and Beales department store. The Methodist Church on Exeter Road was destroyed and 77 people were killed.
The biggest loss was the Metropole Hotel in Lansdowne, where many Allied servicemen were staying. 22 Commonwealth airmen (mostly Canadian and Australian), and approximately 110 civilians were killed. The hotel was demolished in 1955.
Across Bournemouth Town Centre twenty-two buildings were destroyed and 3,354 were damaged.
In 2013, a memorial was unveiled on the 70th anniversary of the last air raid.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, Hampshire (but now in Dorset), England from 1940 to 1944, by the Nazi German '' Luftwaffe'' during the Second World War.More than 2,200 bombs fell on Bournemouth and Poole during World War II, and 350 civilians and servicemen were killed.
Events
1940
Robert Louis Stevenson's house Skerryvore, at the head of Alum Chine, was severely damaged by bombs during a destructive and lethal raid on the night of 15–16 November 1940. Despite a campaign to save it, the building was demolished.1941
On 27 March 1941, a lone German bomber hit the canteen at theBourne Valley
Alderney is a suburb of the town of Poole in Dorset, England with a population of 11,196, increasing to 11,423 at the 2011 Census. Alderney is south of Wallisdown and west of Alder Hills.
Alderney is part of the Alderney and Bourne Valley (war ...
gasworks killing 33 people. This was the deadliest air raid that Poole
Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...
suffered.
1943
The biggest air raid was on 23 May 1943 in which many Focke Wolf 190 planes dropped 25 bombs on the town.
The buildings targeted that day included the Central Hotel at Richmond Hill; the Shamrock and Rambler coach station at Holdenhurst Road and Beales department store. The Methodist Church on Exeter Road was destroyed and 77 people were killed.
The biggest loss was the Metropole Hotel in Lansdowne, where many Allied servicemen were staying. 22 Commonwealth airmen (mostly Canadian and Australian), and approximately 110 civilians were killed. The hotel was demolished in 1955.
Across Bournemouth Town Centre twenty-two buildings were destroyed and 3,354 were damaged.
Legacy
In 2013, a memorial was unveiled on the 70th anniversary of the last air raid.
References
{{Bournemouth History of Bournemouth The Blitz 1940s in England History of DorsetBournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
20th century in Hampshire
20th century in Dorset