14 : Damage in World War Two
The church was damaged when a flying bomb (‘doodlebug’) landed on the Brentham Estate on the south side of Meadvale Road between North View and Holyoake Walk on 20/8/1944. Vast damage was done to houses and property in the area. Four people were killed – three members of one family and a Canadian soldier billetted to them – and 26 taken to hospital. Father Barrett, writing in the church magazine, noted that ‘All the windows on the north side … have gone, including one of the stained-glass windows in the Sanctuary. The beautiful Rose Window in the west wall now lets in enough wind to blow the organ – and four or five windows on the south side have had to be taken down for safety sake. Lots and lots of tiles have been displaced – the heavy rainfall in the last few days has made this abundantly clear !’ The local paper printed only scant details because of wartime security, and no photographs are available.
Photos to follow
These charming postcards were sent to the 100+ children who were evacuated from the area during the war, to remind them of St Barnabas.
