Blitz: the bombs that changed Britain BBC2

[ankerdine]

Has anyone else been watching this fascinating programme?

Last week letters were shown written by Hull schoolchildren at the time and used for a particular wartime survey.

It was mentioned that Birmingham schoolchildren were also asked to write about the bombing for the same project. Where would these letters be stored and would there be a bomb map for Birmingham as there was for Hull?

Judy

[pollymann]

I can't answer your question I'm afraid but I am also really enjoying this series.
Pauline

[nanny jan]

The letters might be at the county archives;  can you watch the programme again on iPlayer and see if it is mentioned where the letters are?

Bomb maps might be held at the archives as well; a phone call or email might give you the answer.

http://libraryofbirmingham.com/archives

[LizzieW]

I've not been watching the programme so I didn't know about the letters, but I do have lots of photos of Hull taken during the war, including bombed areas.  I got them from Hull Archives being interested in Hull as my paternal grandparents came from there.

[youngtug]

Birmingham; http://www.culture24.org.uk/asset_arena/3/83/30383/v0_master.jpg
and;
     https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5047/5333867878_672239f148_b.jpg

From here; 
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l5i/

[Treetotal]

As I grew up in Hull, I watched it with interest and wondered why some of the letters written by Hull schoolchildren were kept at Norwich University, they were part of a study I believe...This might be of interest:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/birminghams-second-world-war-evacuees-101944

You could try here.


http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/familyhistory

Carol

[ankerdine]

Youngtug, thank you for those links. There's so much to take in. To see these photos, which I've never seen before, is very moving.

 Luckily I was born in June 1945 so escaped these horrors but my OH was born January 1940 and he was apparently frequently taken down into the shelter in a washing basket.

Judy

[ankerdine]

Treetotal, I too wondered why these letters were stored at the university. What an amazing programme it was. I loved the letter where the little boy said he was going to give Hitler a punch / biff on his chin, along with all those other Nazis. Can't remember the exact wording but it made me laugh.

Judy

[jillruss]

I watched the programme on Hull as I'm from there. It was very interesting and opened my eyes to the horror of going through that night after night. We don't know how lucky we are these days - we should make programmes like this compulsory viewing for schoolchildren today.

I stupidly thought the bombs had fallen only on Hull Docks, not far from where my mother and grandparents lived at the time. I had no idea bombs had fallen on the outskirts of Hull - 6th Avenue isn't so far from where I was brought up, though I was born after the war. It really brings it home to you when the locations are places you know pretty well.

I recorded last night's programme, which I think was about Glasgow.