It was a cold clear night on the 30th November when the drone of German aircraft engines were heard approaching Southampton. Raids were nothing new; people were used to the routine of seeking shelter and trying to lead as normal a life as possible. This one though was different; this raid was to level most of the city centre, kill over a hundred people and damage or destroy thousands of buildings. The approach of the enemy bombers was the start of the worst wartime weekend in Southampton with unprecedented destruction that would change the city forever.

Over 100 aeroplanes had approached high and began to dive down over the city. Just before 6pm the warning siren was sounded and minutes later the flares that bombers would use to light their targets began to land by parachute, making no sound. They lit the town making a mockery of the blackout. A local resident recalls 'Chandelier flares lit up the whole town around, just like daylight'. This allowed bombers to drop their heavy explosives, including two mines of nearly 2000 kg. These were then followed by thousands of incendiary devices, setting fire to buildings and further marking out the city for the bombers. Up to 9,000 incendiaries were dropped causing hundreds of fires.

The fire caused the most damage. There was no water to fight the blazes, reservoirs were low and water mains were cracked. The fire raged completely out of control at the bottom end of the High Street, at one point 647 fires were burning at the same time across Southampton. One man recalled the firestorm for the Southampton Oral History Team, 'It sweeps everything in front of it, it'll draw you into it if you're not careful... ...It was so hot that if you stood with your boots you could hear them sizzling with the heat from the pavements'. Despite over 2000 extra firefighters being drafted to the city, it was still burning brightly enough to light the way for the second attack a day later. German pilots reported that the glare of Southampton burning could be seen from the North of France.

The Bargate as an Air Raid shelter

Conservative estimates are that over 800 bombs fell on the city over these two days. This may be slightly less than other raids that year, but the bombs were bigger and the damage inflicted on the city was far greater. Familiar landmarks were destroyed. 1,169 properties across the city were lost. When the smoke cleared the only familiar site at the bottom end of the high street was the Bargate, still standing defiant. Good news for those using it as a bomb shelter.

Damage after the raids at 'Six Dials'

People had become used to the sounds of engines overhead. Some even chose to ignore the warning sirens and go about their evenings as normal, visiting the cinema, going to dances, staying in their homes. Some of the cinemas didn’t evacuate until the raid was well underway. One couple remembers ‘As we left the foyer, the sight of Above Bar in flames was a nightmare…’ They ran to try and find a bus home and had to hide in the waiting room instead ‘…we lay with our heads under the benches, while Southampton burned and disintegrated around us’ People sheltered in doorways watching in shock as the city centre burned. One witness in Andrew Bissell’s book ‘Southampton’s Children of the Blitz’ recalls that ‘ All the time there was the noise of HE (high explosives) falling and exploding, guns firing and the roar of fires of burning buildings. Shrapnel was falling like hail.’

The bombs fell for six hours on each day of the weekend. When it finished Southampton was left without water, gas, electricity and telephones. While the docks had survived the attack reasonably well, the central shopping district was almost obliterated. Landmark buildings such as Holy Rood and St Mary’s Churches had been levelled. The two nights took the lives of 137 people. As one survivor told Southampton's Oral History team, 'War is horrible, I don't care what anyone says. I don't think there is any redeeming feature to it at all - its just horrible.'

The war over Southampton

Southampton ablaze

Morale and trekking