Author Topic: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2  (Read 13755 times)

Offline Libralady

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #18 on: Friday 21 July 17 15:36 BST (UK) »
There was an attempt to bomb Rolls Royce Hucknall in WW2..... I was born in 1945 -my grandmother lived at Westville and said 2 planes were fighting over Ruffs Drive - the German plane was shot down, 2 houses were destroyed at the bottom of Ruffs Drive and a family called Hallam were killed......

Offline Kelly1

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #19 on: Friday 21 July 17 16:45 BST (UK) »
There was an attempt to bomb Rolls Royce Hucknall in WW2..... I was born in 1945 -my grandmother lived at Westville and said 2 planes were fighting over Ruffs Drive - the German plane was shot down, 2 houses were destroyed at the bottom of Ruffs Drive and a family called Hallam were killed......

Hi, thank you for the information. I did contact Rolls Royce when i originally posted on here. Unfortunately, Rolls Royce could not find any information for any Hallams. I did find some information concerning Ruffs drive Hucknall. From memory I think i found that a plane had crashed and a whole family died, but the family mentioned wasnt Hallams.

Thank you again for your reply.  😊

Offline Kelly1

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #20 on: Friday 21 July 17 16:51 BST (UK) »
Hi, just done a quick google search and a plane crashed September 1940 and the family who died were Evans. Also a Smith family was injured.

Offline Libralady

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #21 on: Friday 21 July 17 23:19 BST (UK) »
My grandmother knew the family who were killed and their name was Hallam as my mother was friendly with their daughter called Brenda who was killed.........


Offline Kelly1

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #22 on: Friday 21 July 17 23:54 BST (UK) »
My grandmother knew the family who were killed and their name was Hallam as my mother was friendly with their daughter called Brenda who was killed.........

Hi LibraLady,

Thank you for your reply.

I was originally told a similar story by my Great Aunt. It is very interesting that you have also been told a similar story to me. I have done quite a lot of research to try and prove what my Great Aunt told me but unfortunately i haven't been able to find anything. I have contacted Rolls Royce and the Nottingham archives. Like i said previous i have found information regarding a plane crash in September 1940, which crashed into the corner of Ruffs Drive and laughton Crescent. Newspaper reports stated that an Albert and Alice Evans along with there Children Ronald, Alice and John were all killed. Also a Mr Smith and his children were injured.
I wonder if there were more than one accidents? It is very strange how two unrelated familes have been told a very similar story.

Offline BushInn1746

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #23 on: Saturday 22 July 17 00:25 BST (UK) »
My grandmother knew the family who were killed and their name was Hallam as my mother was friendly with their daughter called Brenda who was killed.........

Hi LibraLady,

Thank you for your reply.

I was originally told a similar story by my Great Aunt. It is very interesting that you have also been told a similar story to me. I have done quite a lot of research to try and prove what my Great Aunt told me but unfortunately i haven't been able to find anything. I have contacted Rolls Royce and the Nottingham archives. Like i said previous i have found information regarding a plane crash in September 1940, which crashed into the corner of Ruffs Drive and laughton Crescent. Newspaper reports stated that an Albert and Alice Evans along with there Children Ronald, Alice and John were all killed. Also a Mr Smith and his children were injured.
I wonder if there were more than one accidents? It is very strange how two unrelated familes have been told a very similar story.

Hi

The sheet covering this incident I acquired only gives the surnames and numbers of those who were killed at the scene.

You said injured or killed. Have you considered injured, but dying in hospital later? Some casualties died in Hospitals and in other Registration Districts.

Civilian War Dead - 1939 to 1945
Page 1822 (might read 1522)
Nottighamshire
Hucknall UD [Urban District]
Victims EVANS 5
Number 5
23 September 1940
Laughton Crescent
Fairey Battle, Serial No K9480
Pilot - Polish

This would be a 'Friendly' incident. However, my research into another friendly crash onto a house, where a civilian was flying as part of the crew (confirmed in RAF records), indicates that CWGC information online is misleading.


Mrs Thelma Hopewell (possibly nee Smith) is recalling the account in 2005, here ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/04/a5541004.shtml


The occupants of the other house are claimed online to be SMITH with some injured and the family had to be divided up, living with relatives.


See "Picture the past"
http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC002697

Regards Mark

Offline BushInn1746

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #24 on: Saturday 22 July 17 05:20 BST (UK) »
Hi Kelly

Louis A. A. Hallam, April 1941, any use, probably too old?

Regards Mark

Offline Kelly1

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #25 on: Saturday 22 July 17 09:29 BST (UK) »
Hi Mark,

Thank you for all of the information.

I haven't came across a Louis Hallam in my research.

The information concerning the Evans and Smith families is what I found as well. I had thought that my Great Aunt had been mistaken. But with LibraLady's information being very similar to what I have been told, I am now wondering if my Great Aunt was right.

Thank you again for all of the information.

Offline BushInn1746

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Re: Rolls Royce Hucknall WW2
« Reply #26 on: Saturday 22 July 17 10:35 BST (UK) »
My grandmother knew the family who were killed and their name was Hallam as my mother was friendly with their daughter called Brenda who was killed.........

Hi Kelly , Libralady and All

If you do a search for HALLAM Brenda for 1939 to 1945 you will only get two for England and Wales, both in 1940 and both under 1 year old. I'm not sure how complete their WW 2 indexing is.
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

The July, August, September 1940 Quarter has one Death with Brenda Hallam registered in the REGISTRATION DISTRICT of Nottingham, for the whole of WW 2. (Unfortunately you can't double check WW 2 on GRO (gov.uk) Order a Certificate, for free, because the most recent indexed was 1916). You can still get the details off the Free BMD Image to order direct from GRO, but ordering is too risky without more research.

Looking at the Air Raids list (a newspaper list, so not exhaustive), a child was claimed to be killed in a raid on 30th August 1940. The child's name was not mentioned and there may be children amongst the other raid casualty figures too.

The Censor stopped the newspaper saying exactly where bombs fell, to prevent the Germans from checking the accuracy of their radio beam system guided aircraft. But quite often the affected City ran the account in the newspaper, just saying a Midlands Town or City, for City.

The Nottingham Journal of Monday 2 September 1940, confirms a Baby 18 months has been killed in the Midlands (a big area). The baby was taken to hospital and died on Saturday.

This and 1939 to 1945 needs researching at the main Local Studies or Nottingham County Archives, who should have some Civilian Casualty Cards of War Deaths, or files of the War Committee / Civil Defence / Fire Brigade Occurrence or Report Books/ ARP Minute Files, Ambulance Books, Police, or a surviving Emergency Planning Register. Usually, one record survives, but how detailed. If a council house, some of their files are in archives, or Committees dealing with rebuilding, or rehousing those affected.

A lot of people moved in WW 2, but sometimes a pre-war street Directory or Electoral Register may help to confirm the family name at an address, when only the address and casualty numbers are given at an address, to enable you to research further.

If you feel two Hallams have died, you can check Hallam only Deaths by the Quarter or Year too.

How reliable is the name Brenda for Hallam? But try an email to the Main Local Studies Library and the County Archives? Of course a child might be born, before the parents married having the mother's surname, so in the Deaths Register there won't be Hallam, that is if you are looking for a child?

Brenda could be a middle name, but middle names were only indexed as initials in some of these Registrar indexes.

A family recalling verbally the death was at Rolls Royce (RR), could mean killed in the raid on RR, but not on RR premises.

A copy Full Death Certificate will cost £9.25, but some may not mention raids, but died in hospital. It is too risky to order a Certificate, but make further enquiries.

Regards Mark