Author Topic: Laxton WWII bombing & School  (Read 5867 times)

Offline Alexander.

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Laxton WWII bombing & School
« on: Sunday 21 June 09 00:51 BST (UK) »
I am researching the village of Laxton, Nottinghamshire where my grandfather lives and where his mother's ancestors had lived since the sixteenth century. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the WWII bombing that occurred in Laxton village near the start of the war? My grandfather told me that Miss Willis, the schoolteacher, was killed when the school house was hit as she was taking her shopping in. I just checked the CWGC website and found that a Ruth Barbara Potter Willis, a civilian was killed 28.8.1940 at School House, Laxton. This gives me a date but more info about what happened would be fantastic.

Also when I visited Laxton I noticed that there is the old school house near the post office is literally falling apart. You can see right through the wall facing the street. Not sure if the was the school house that was bombed, but it definately looks like it has been. Does anyone know when this was being used as a school house because I think there might have been another place that the older children went? Did the school keep any records of students, etc.?

Thanks,
Alexander

Offline suzard

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Re: Laxton WWII bombing & School
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 21 June 09 10:41 BST (UK) »
this may be of interest

http://www.laxtonnotts.org.uk/

Suz
Thornhill, Cresswell, Sisson, Harriman, Cripps, Eyre, Walter, Marson, Battison, Holmes, Bailey, Hardman, Fairhurst Noon-mainly in Derbys/Notts-but also Northampton, Oxford, Leics, Lancs-England
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Offline larkspur

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Re: Laxton WWII bombing & School
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 30 June 09 18:03 BST (UK) »
If you put "Laxton Nottinghamshire Willis Schoolhouse" into Google it brings up the laxton magazine and there is an article there about the bombing towards the bottom of the page scroll. There were 6 bombs dropped in all.
AREA, Nottinghamshire. Lincolnshire. Staffordshire. Leicestershire, Morayshire.
Paternal Line--An(t)(c)liff(e).Faulkner. Mayfield. Cant. Davison. Caunt. Trigg. Rawding. Buttery. Rayworth. Pepper. Otter. Whitworth. Gray. Calder. Laing.Wink. Wright. Jackson. Taylor.
Maternal Line--Linsey. Spicer. Corns. Judson. Greensmith. Steel. Woodford. Ellis. Wyan. Callis. Warriner. Rawlin. Merrin. Vale. Summerfield. Cartwright.
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Offline Noggin1969

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Re: Laxton WWII bombing & School
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 17 February 15 14:51 GMT (UK) »
Hope this helps extract from Evening Post on a book Battle of the Flames : Back in 1940, it was very much a hit-and-miss tactic, which accounts for the deadly raid on the peaceful Notts hamlet of Laxton.

There wasn't much in the ancient feudal village to worry Hitler, his pilots probably did not know it existed. It was just unlucky.

The theory, explained in David Needham's fascinating book Battle of the Flames, was that a German pilot, searching for the Ransome and Marles ball-bearing factory in Newark, had spotted the headlights of an ambulance – innocently returning from an ARP lecture in Southwell – followed them until he could make out some buildings and then dropped a stick of bombs.

Just before 10.30pm, as searchlights criss-crossed the night sky, villagers heard the whistle of bombs and dived for cover.

Ruth Willis, a 55-year-old first aid worker, was not quick enough. As she stood in her doorway at The Old School House, a bomb exploded in her garden. She was killed instantly by the deadly shrapnel.

No other villagers died that night but the Luftwaffe did manage to kill a few cows and a family's pet dog as the bombs fell across Laxton.

Marjorie Sayer has never forgotten Laxton's ordeal, as she told author David Needham.

"Mrs Dickenson had her hand injured by shrapnel whilst she was protecting her son's head. She was treated by the local first aid party.

"The others that were injured were treated and then taken to Newark Hospital. My husband, Ernest Sayer, was one of the firemen for Laxton and he dealt with Ruth Willis's body, which was very unpleasant. They could not find Ruth's dog, which was called Bunty, but several days later it was found hiding under the bed."

Visit Laxton today and you can still see the shrapnel marks cut into a wall of Top End Farm.

Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Bygones-Battle-Flames/story-12206556-detail/story.html#ixzz3S0ue7g2R
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Offline Alexander.

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Re: Laxton WWII bombing & School
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 17 February 15 15:09 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for posting this. Since the original post I have also found a good account of events in J. V. Beckett's History of Laxton.

Alexander

Offline Noggin1969

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Re: Laxton WWII bombing & School
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 17 February 15 16:35 GMT (UK) »
OK a little more off the Notts Firefighter Memorial :  At 22:25 hours, six high explosive bombs fell in Laxton along with two large calibre oil incendiary bombs and numerous one kilogram incendiaries. Ruth Willis, was on duty as a member of the Air Raid Precautions Service First Aid Party in Laxton.

She was by her front door at The Old School House in the village when the first bomb fell into her front garden. The shrapnel killed Ruth, and seriously injured two other people from the first aid party who were standing near where their ambulance was parked. Damage was caused to several other houses, farm buildings and the village school.