Southampton Air Raids 1940 – 1944

The following information was taken from A DIARY OF AIR RAIDS ON SOUTHAMPTON 6.06.1940 TO 27.06.1944. Mr Walter Kingston, who lived in Pound Street Bitterne, compiled the diary. Mr Dennis Kingston presented a copy to THE BITTERNE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY and it is now held in the Society archives.

THIS EXTRACT LISTS ONLY THOSE AIR RAID ALERTS THAT RESULTED IN ACTUAL BOMBING IN THE SOUTHAMPTON AREA

The diary lists all the dates, duration and times of the air raid warnings that were sounded in Southampton from June 1940 to October 1944

There were one thousand five hundred and forty nine air raid alerts during the period most of which would have resulted in some activity locally and, where the diary reports ALL QUIET during a period of alert there would have been some enemy activity in the near vicinity possibly at Portsmouth. The alert was sounded when enemy planes were reported flying over any part of our area. No one could be certain that we were not the target.

Inevitably all the local defence services were required to stand by during all of the hours of alert. The diary records that there were a total of one thousand six hundred and seventy eight hours and twenty-five minutes of alert between the sounding of the alarm and the all clear. The population lost many hours of sleep waiting for the All Clear signal and quite often people were unable to sleep at night in anticipation of another night of activity.

The extract listed here includes all those entries where Mr Kingston has reported that any bombs were dropped in and around Southampton and we have also included which part of the town was affected.

For those of us who can remember a particular incident it is a reminder of the date. For anyone who now lives in a house that was rebuilt after the war they may learn when the original house was damaged or destroyed.