Casualties of the bombing of Paignton

CASUALTIES OF THE BOMBING OF PAIGNTON

As war broke out in 1939, the Government, far away in London, saw that place as a primary target for enemy bombing and the seaside places of Devon as the safest of havens for the children of the capital. Evacuees began to arrive here in droves and soon the county was overflowing. Entire schools came, sharing buildings and splitting the school day into two so that facilities too could be shared. And, of course, in those early months, very little happened so that Devon did look like a safe place to be. But the German High Command began to look at its maps of England and came to the conclusion that if ever there was to be an invasion of Europe, Devon could provide excellent land and sea training facilities. Clearly, they needed to show the British Government that they were aware of their plans, that they could reach strategic targets in the south west and that there was no hiding place from Britain's most powerful enemy.

By March 1941, with hundreds of children already billeted in the town, Paignton was overflowing. Then came the raids on the City of Plymouth which left an even greater number of people homeless. Local government authorities had no choice but to get them out of Plymouth which had become nothing but a flattened wasteland of dereliction. Many evacuees saw London as a far safer option and began to return to their homes leaving gaps soon filled by the homeless people of Plymouth who had begun to arrive in Paignton and the surrounding area by the last week of March.

Then, on the night of 11/12 April, Paignton had its first air raid. Several incendiary bombs were dropped, starting many fires and killing Frankie Williams, a volunteer air-raid warden and Ernest Evans who lived in Corsham Road. There was a lull while the bombs fell elsewhere in Devon but in September 1942, there was a devastating raid which killed 13 people and totally destroyed 9, 11, 13, 15 and 23 Langs Road. Thirteen people were killed and over 1200 other houses in the locality damaged, some seriously. This led to every Paignton woman aged between 20 and 45 being required to register for fire-watching.

More properties were damaged in a raid on 13 February 1943, including Oldway, the house built by the Singer family - fortunately no one was killed this time; but Walter Weston was not so fortunate in November 1943 when he was killed while fire-watching at the Labour Exchange by a stray hit-and-run raider. This was the month in which Paignton received its first consignment of Morrison and Anderson shelters - an irony since this was the last month of the war in which Paignton was attacked from the air.

CLARKE, A.	Civilian Alice Jane Clark of 23 Langs Road, Paignton. Daughter of James John and Eliza Mortimer of Plympton St. Mary; wife of Chief Yeoman of Signals, Elon Clarke of the Royal Navy. Born in Plympton in the June Quarter of 1905. Died at 23 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 37.
ELLIS, J	Civilian Joseph Albert Ellis of 11 Langs Road, Preston Husband of Lucy May Ellis (see below). Born in Paignton in the December Quarter of 1897. Died at 11 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 44.
ELLIS, L	Civilian Lucy May Ellis of 11 Langs Road, Preston. Wife of Joseph Albert Ellis (see above). Died at 11 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 44.
EVANS, E	Civilian Ernest Bertram Evans of 36 Corsham Road, Paignton. Husband of Emily Evans. Born in Ludlow in the March Quarter of 1906. Injured 11 April 1941 at 36 Corsham Road, died at the District Hospital on the same day aged 35.
GOOCH, E	Civilian Eliza Ann Cook of 56 Gabriel Street, Honor Oak Park, London. Daughter of the late William Long; widow of George James Gooch. Died at 11 Langs Road, Preston 4 September 1942 aged 79.
LONGLEY, E	Civilian Elizabeth ("Eliza") Longley of 15 Langs Road, Preston. Widow of Henry Longley and mother of Esther Longley and John Ernest Longley (see below) - she had been a baker by trade. Born in Llynclys, Montgomery in 1856. Died at 15 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 86.
LONGLEY, E	Civilian Esther Mary Longley of 15 Langs Road, Preston. Daughter of Elizabeth and Henry Longley and sister of John Ernest Longley (see below) - Born in Newtown, Montgomery in the December Quarter of 1885. Died at 15 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 56.
LONGLEY, J	Civilian John Ernest Longley of 15 Langs Road, Preston. Son of Elizabeth and Henry Longley and brother of Esther Longley (see above) Born in Newtown, Montgomery in the December Quarter of 1879. Died at 15 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 63.
MORTIMER, W	Civilian Winifred Amy Mortimer of Ambleside, Southfield Avenue, Preston. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Spurway, of New Barn, Newton Road, Torquay; wife of Pilot Officer Gerald James Mortimer of the RAF. Born in the June Quarter of 1901. Died at 13 Langs Road, Preston 4 September 1942 aged 41.
NORTHCOTT, O	Civilian Olive May Northcott of 11 Langs Road, Preston. Daughter of Samuel and Nelly Vanstone, of 26 Warren Street, Morice Town, Devonport; wife of William Henry Northcott and mother of Pauline (see below). Born in Devonport in the March Quarter of 1905. Died at 11 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 37.
NORTHCOTT, P	Child. Pauline Margaret Northcott of 11 Langs Road, Preston. Daughter of William Henry Northcott, and of Olive May Northcott. Died at 11 Langs Road aged 5.
WESTON,W	Civilian Firewatcher. Walter Wallace Weston of of 353 Torquay Road, Preston. Son of the late Walter Wallace Weston and Eleanor Elizabeth Weston, of 47 Havelock Road, Tyseley, Birmingham; husband of Elsie Elizabeth Weston. Born in Birmingham in the December Quarter of 1892. Died at the Labour Exchange 16 November 1943 aged 51.
WILLIAMS,C	Civilian Catherine May Williams of 13 Langs Road, Preston. Daughter of James and Eliza Mortimer, of 11 Cedar Road, Preston; wife of Charles Williams. Born in Lodiswell in the September Quarter of 1893. Died at 13 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 49.
WILLIAMS, F	Civilian Air Raid Warden Frankie Sidney Williams of 30 Ebenezer Road, Paignton. Son of Mrs. Williams, of Rodbourne, Dartmouth Road; husband of Alice Mary Williams, Born in Liskeard in the September Quarter of 1901. Injured at Ebenezer Road 11 April 1941; died later that day at the District Hospital aged 39.
WITHERS, C	Civilian Caroline Withers of 9 Langs Road, Preston. Daughter of the late John and Annie Jewell, of South Healand, St. Giles in the Wood, Torrington; wife of Sydney Withers. Born in St. Giles in the Wood in the September Quarter of 1874. Died at 9 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 68.
WITHERS, S	Civilian Sydney Withers of 9 Langs Road, Preston. Son of the late Care and Elizabeth Withers, of Kilkampton, Cornwall; husband of Caroline Withers (née Jewell). Born in Kilkhampton in1862. Died at 9 Langs Road 4 September 1942 aged 69.