Blown up with twins

[groom]

Are you sure it happened in Streatham? It seems a bit odd that she would be taken miles away across London to a hospital.

If she lived in Streatham as well, why was she buried in Ealing?

snap Jane - same idea!

[jane harrison]

Are you sure it happened in Streatham? It seems a bit odd that she would be taken miles away across London to a hospital.

If she lived in Streatham as well, why was she buried in Ealing?

snap Jane - same idea!

Google gives the distance between both addresses as 12.1 miles travel was no doubt difficult between due to road closures from bomb damage . off the top of my head I can think of at least 8 large hospitals on route .Claypond hospital is as good as tucked into the corner of the buriel grounds that was  first called Brentford cem

[DavidJP]

Hi,

Are you sure it happened in Streatham? It seems a bit odd that she would be taken miles away across London to a hospital.

If she lived in Streatham as well, why was she buried in Ealing?

snap Jane - same idea!

Google gives the distance between both addresses as 12.1 miles travel was no doubt difficult between due to road closures from bomb damage . off the top of my head I can think of at least 8 large hospitals on route .Claypond hospital is as good as tucked into the corner of the buriel grounds that was  first called Brentford cem

I had wondered about that myself, having checked Google Maps, there is a North Road two streets up from Occupation Lane. Both roads being near South Ealing Cemetery.

I think that the North Road in Ealing is more likely to be the right one.

Following on from the post from kallcoat of the link to the gravestone in South Ealing Cemetery, I believe that the following my be Violet's marriage.

From FreeBMD:

Davis, Violet I to Oakley, Albert E; Dec Qtr 1919; Brentford Reg Dist; Volume 3a Page 554

Brentford Registration District covered Ealing until 1947 when Ealing was then covered by Ealing Registration District.

Haven't been able to spot any twins under the Davis surname either, my reason for checking for a marriage in the first place!

Hope this all helps anyway!

Kind regards

David

[groom]

So it is looking more likely that if there is any truth in the story, she was pregnant with twins rather than actually having twins.

[FionaO]

Hi All, thanks for all your replies - most interesting and helpful as ever!

All documentation and oral history says the bomb exploded in their home at North Road.  And yes, you are right and I must apologise, Streatham was wrong and it should be Ealing!  So that makes more sense of Clayponds Hospital.  In terms of the cemetary for the grave (thank you so much for the link), most of the family were in and around Ealing so that would be the natural choice.

I'm still hoping to find out what local paper would cover that area of Ealing (should be easier now I've got the right place!).  I'd like to be sure I've checked all avenues for this particular tale.

Fionaoh

[LizzieW]

I'm still hoping to find out what local paper would cover that area of Ealing

Of course, the problem is that there were so many deaths due to enemy action in London at the time that the papers probably didn't bother to report most of them.  Her gravestone on the link given by Kallcoat states "lost her life through enemy action" which isn't the same as her son bringing home an unexploded bomb.

[groom]

I'm just wondering about the unexploded bomb - weren't bombs that were dropped quite large, certainly too big to be picked up by a child?

[janan]

I'm just wondering about the unexploded bomb - weren't bombs that were dropped quite large, certainly too big to be picked up by a child?

I was thinking that too. Perhaps it was more disturbed by the boy than actually picked up? There was one bomb that landed High St (end of North Road)  at some point between 7 Oct 1940 and  6 June 1941 which may be the one that killed her (5 North Rd is currently at that end)
 http://www.bombsight.org/bombs/16035/

Jan

[ShaunJ]

The Germans dropped some very small anti-personnel cluster bombs such as the SD2 which weighed just 2 kilos. Some had delayed fuses, some were booby-trapped. News of them was suppressed by the British government.

http://www.ww2airdroppedordnance.com/sd2-butterfly-bombs.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Bomb