coventry cathedral world war ii history · 2015-04-04 · coventry cathedral world war ii history...

Coventry Cathedral - 1 - 2011

Coventry Cathedral World War II History

Teachers Information Pack

New Edition 2011


Welcome to the Coventry Cathedral World War II Information Pack

This publication is designed to help you and your students use Coventry Cathedral as a resource for work on the Second World War aspects of your curriculum. A history tour can be organised with the Cathedral Schools Team, who will provide you and your students with guides to accompany them; or indeed you could organise the tour yourself. The booklet has both a teacher’s information section and some sample worksheets for use before, during and after the visit. We recommend that pupils fill in the worksheets after the tour – this can be done on site or back in the classroom. Please feel free to copy the pupil sheets as many times as you choose, remembering to acknowledge its source. To help you further, this pack is available (at a small further cost) on disk. E Griffiths Coventry Cathedral Schools Team Contact the team on 024 7652 1256 For booking a tour please call or visit our website www.coventrycathedral.org.uk


THE BOMBING OF COVENTRY St Michaels Cathedral Coventry before 1940 THE COUNTDOWN : Thursday evening, November 14th, 1940 7.10 pm. Sirens sound. German aircraft overhead almost immediately. Heinkel 111 Pathfinders drop Flares to guide Junkers 88 Bombers. Many people find shelter in the Cathedral crypts. 8.00 pm. Bombs on the Cathedral.

Chancel roof: smothered in sand and thrown off. South aisle: burned through to inner roof, extinguished with sand and water. Nave: burns through and falls to floor near the lectern; they smothered in sand. Cappers Chapel roof: smothered with sand Smiths Chapel roof: ditto Girdlers Chapel East end: 4 bombs of which 3 quickly burn through and set fire to the inner roof. Provost Howard realises he cannot cope.

9.30 pm. Fire engine arrives from Solihull. Hose taken up ladder by north door but water supply fails. Second hose runs through vestries and sanctuary but again water supply fails. 11.00pm. Cathedral abandoned to its fate: Crypts evacuated. Why did the Cathedral burn - and so quickly? * The roof was almost flat, so that the bombs burned where they fell. * The roof was of oak, covered in sheets of lead, which melted. * There was an inner oak roof 18inches below the main roof, on which bombs lodged. * The interior was furnished with wooden chairs and pews, cup-boards, screens, etc and contained hundreds of books. The organ burned spectacularly because of the air inside it. * The weather was fine and windy. * There were only 4 fireguards on duty: Provost Howard aged (56), Jock Forbes (65) and 2 young men. * Nobody had any experience of attack on this scale. The supplies of sand and water in buckets soon ran out. * Solihull (and other) fire engines had difficulty getting into the city * Water mains were destroyed. * Burning beams fell, bringing down their supports. * The main beams were tied with steel girders, which twisted in the heat. * One report speaks of the columns themselves appearing to become thinner (and presumably weaker in the heat) * With the pressure of the roof removed, the counter thrust had no resistance.


WAS ANYTHING SAVED? From the Sanctuary: the high Altar cross, candlesticks, paten, Chalice, candlesnuffer, wafer-box and a wooden crucifix. From the Smith's Chapel: the Altar cross and candlesticks. From the vestries: all the Cathedral registers and service books, and the two Colours of the 7th Battalion, The Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Some of these were taken to the police station opposite, which remained undamaged. Many objects are now on display in the Gallery. Medieval Stained Glass: from the windows had been taken in late 1939 to Hampton Lucy Rectory in Warwickshire. Some can now be seen in the Gallery windows. The Cathedral clock: continued to strike the hours all night, and the quarters chimed until the electricity supply failed. The tower: remained standing; "an emblem of God's majesty and love." The crypts: were undamaged, as were the tower, spire, and the south porch. THE AFTERMATH. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 15TH 6.00 a.m. “As I went into the ruined Cathedral on the morning after the destruction, there flashed into my mind the deep certainty that as the Cathedral had been crucified with Christ, so it would rise again with Him: How or when, we could not tell; nor did it matter. The Cathedral would rise again." Provost R.T. Howard " Ruined and Rebuilt." Revd. A.P. Wales, of another Coventry Church, bound three nails together with wire into a cross, and later presented it to Provost Howard. A Press photographer took a photograph from the tower of the ruined Nave, on which can be seen two wooden beams fallen into the shape of a cross. (Copy in the Visitors Centre) SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16TH: King George VI visited the Ruins. (Painting in the Visitors Centre) A fallen pinnacle was later set up in commemoration. SUNDAY NOVEMBER 24TH: The first service was held in the Chapel of the Cross. This continued weekly until December 1958. DECEMBER 25TH BBC Broadcast from the Ruins (Shown in "The Spirit Of Coventry.") JANUARY 1941 The Altar of rubble built and Charred Cross erected in the ruined Sanctuary (This Cross is now in the Cathedral.) 1948 The rubble had been cleared from the Ruins and lawns laid out. A Cross of Nails was placed on the Altar. The words FATHER FORGIVE were carved on the Sanctuary wall, and an inscription placed on the tower.


BACKGROUND TO THE COVENTRY RAID OFFICIAL STATISTICS. 7.10p.m Sirens sounded the alarm

30-40,000 incendiaries fell, mainly 0.9kg magnesium type. Possibly 20% were explosive incendiaries. 503 tons of high explosives fell: 12,000-16,000 bombs, some weighing 500kg. Also 50 parachute mines of 1,000 k.g. each containing 700kg of high explosives. Out of a population of 238,000: 568 were killed 863 seriously injured 393 slightly

injured 6.16 am after 11.hrs 6 minutes The "all-clear” sounded. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE

449 Junkers 88 bombers were guided by Heinkel 111 pathfinders. They came mainly from a base in Brittany: They flew along a radio beam transmitted form near Cherbourg; dropped

their bombs according to radio signals sent from near Calais. The operation was code-named "Moonlight Sonata" Coventry was Target 53, code named "Korn"(= corn) Each squadron had a different target: 27: Alvis 55: Daimler 606: Gasholders. "But from 20,000 ft. a Cathedral looks very like a factory." ("The Spirit of Coventry")

BRITISH COUNTER MEASURES, CODE NAMED "COLD WATER"

Radio beams designed to confuse German pilots were easily distinguishable and useless.

Searchlights helped the enemy to navigate. The 64 barrage balloons were too scattered and possibly too low. Anti-aircraft guns lacked accuracy in detection. Fighter aircraft were too slow and relied on visual contact.

OTHER RAIDS

The first bombs fell on Coventry in June 1940. October 14:1940: One incendiary bomb broke through to the inner roof of the

Cathedral and caused £1,000 worth of damage before being extinguished by the fire-brigade. APR 10. 1941: (GOOD FRIDAY) early morning. A stick of incendiaries fell along the ruined nave and did no damage. A bomb at the base of the Charred Cross failed to explode.

The last bombs fell on the city in August 1942. “In two raids this week 360 tons of bombs were dropped; 451 people were

killed and 723 Seriously injured in the City.” (Compare the figures for November 14-15 above.)


NEWSPAPER FILES From Nov 14 th 1940. Imagine that these reports were filed by reporters from the Coventry newspapers, but not published because of the raid. TONIGHTS WEATHER. Fine spell expected to continue for several more days. Clear sky leading to a sharp frost. Wind strong easterly. Minimum temperature 28*F FULL MOON Rises 5.18pm. BLACK OUT 5.46pm. CATHEDRAL HIT A stick of incendiary bombs fell on the Cathedral within an hour of the air raid starting. Firewatchers on the roof are believed to have adequate supplies of sand and water and have not asked for assistance. HEAVY RAID IN PROSPECT Reports from the Royal Observer Corps indicate a very heavy concentration of Junkers 88 bombers crossing the south coast west of the Isle of Wight the aircraft are reported to be flying steadily northwards. CATHEDRAL SAFE. Fires that were earlier reported to have started on the Cathedral roof have not all been extinguished. Provost Howard, in charge of the fire-fighting, told our reporter that one bomb had fallen into the Nave but had been safely dealt with. Meanwhile the sound of the Cathedral Chimes gives reassurance to the rescue squads operating in other parts of the city. DOGFIGHTS OVER THE MIDLANDS. Several squadrons of Defiant, Blenheim and Hurricane night fighters have been scrambled over a wide area of the Midlands to attack approaching enemy bombers. Observers have seen many contacts in the light of powerful

searchlights, and at least one Junkers 88 was seen to dive in flames. PROVOST CALLS FOR HELP. A severe fire has broken out in the Cathedral after a further fall of bombs. Provost Howard described the fire in the chapel roof by the north porch, as "very serious". " We've no sand or water left,” he said. Later he was heard shouting to the policeman on duty outside St Mary's hall to phone for immediate assistance from the Fire Brigade. COVENTRY THE TARGET. Little more than an hour after nightfall a squadron of Heinkel 111 aircraft began dropping flares over the city. The whole area is now lit up from Willenhall in the east to Allesley in the west. The famous three spires stand out clearly in the glare, as do factory chimneys and the Colliery winding-gear. There can be no doubt that the city is a major target for enemy action tonight. SOLIHULL TO THE RESCUE Over an hour after the Provost's appeal for help, an engine of the Solihull Fire Brigade is now stationed outside the Cathedral and directing its powerful jets of water onto the roof. A senior Officer told our reporter that the call had come through at 8.15p.m. but it had taken them over an hour to get through. "There's fallen masonry and craters and unexploded bombs all the way down Holyhead Road. In the end we had to go right round by Swanswell to get here," he said. CHURCHES AGAIN SANCTUARIES Coventry’s churches have rediscovered their ancient role as sanctuaries in times of war. Hundreds of citizens are nightly taking shelter in the mediaeval cellars, reassured by their strong stonewalls. Over 100 people are tonight sheltering in the Cathedral crypts, where the singing of popular songs and hymns keeps spirits up during the long vigil. "Even if the Cathedral gets hit, no bomb could possibly get through these vaults," was the confident prediction of one elderly man


COLOURS RESCUED The battle scarred Colours of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment are this morning safely housed in the strong-room of the Police head quarters building in Bailey Lane, where they were taken at the height of last night’s blaze by the Cathedral Provost, Rev, R.T.Howard "with the fire starting at the west end we had ample time to rescue the Cathedral's treasures from the Sanctuary and the vestries," the surprisingly cheerful Provost told our reporter. Other objects believed to have been saved include the silver cross and candlesticks from the high altar, the Communion Plate and the irreplaceable Parish Registers dating from the 14th Century. “As the midnight bells rang out over the blazing city, one fire burns with greater intensity and tragedy than any other in Coventry tonight. I am standing in Priory Row, as near as anyone can get to St Michael’s historic Cathedral, now rapidly being reduced to a heap of shapeless ruins by the force of the inferno. Through the empty windows I can see that nothing has survived of the beautiful mediaeval interior. Flames driven by the strong east wind are licking round the tower and dense bronze-coloured smoke is swirling around the base of the spire. The deafening roar of the flames is accompanied by a strange sizzling sound as the extensive lead panels on the roof slowly melt and drip into the furnace below. Every ten or fifteen minutes an earth-shattering crash signals the collapse of one of the mighty columns in the Nave. No lives have been lost. People sheltering in the crypts were led to safety when it became obvious that the building could not be saved. Many of the Cathedral's treasures have also been rescued. Surely, nothing but a miracle can now preserve Coventry’s most treasured monument. The Chief Fire Officer told me a few moments ago that all the city's water supplies have been destroyed, and there is little his men can do but extinguish subsidiary fires with their axes and flails. A small crowd of Cathedral workers is silently watching the violent end of 500 years of Coventry's history. All the rest of us can do is stand alongside them and pray that some good will come out of this evil.” Questions based on the Newspaper Files WORKSHEET 1 (Circle the correct answer) 1. The date of the destruction of Coventry Cathedral?

4th Nov 1940 14th Nov 1941 14th Nov 1940 2. What was ‘black out’ (a, b ,or c)

a) When you wear black clothes to go out.

b) When you cover the windows and doors with black cloth & when you have to switch all the lights off before you open the door.

c) When night falls.

3. Which are the German Aircraft out of this list?(circle) Junkers 88. Defiant Hurricane. Heinkel 111. Blenheim. 4. Was the weather; (circle)


foggy frosty wet warm clear? 5. Which of these cause fire? (circle)

Incendiary bombs, flares, heavy explosives. 6. Did the fire start : (circle)

on the Tower, on the roof, in the churchyard 7. Where were people sheltering? (circle)

In the Nave, in the Vestry, in the Crypt 8. How long did it take the fire engines to reach the Cathedral? (Circle)

30 mins, 1 ½ hours, 2 hours. 9. Where did the Fire Engine come from? was it: (Circle)

Stratford Solihull Smethwick 10. Why could they not put out the fire? Was it because: (a, b or c)

a) there was a hose pipe ban, b) the water mains had been bombed, c) the river had run dry


TEACHERS ANSWER SHEET. TO WORKSHEET 1. 1. November 14th 1940 2. b) No lights must be shown outside.. 3. Junkers 88: Heinkel 111: 4. Frosty: clear. 5. Incendiary bombs 6. On the roof. 7. In the crypt. 8. 1 ½ hrs 9. Solihull 10. b) The water mains had been bombed.


THE SWASTIKA Swastika : comes from a sanscrit word ‘swasti’, meaning ‘inner peace’ or ‘well being’. A symbol used by Hindus for centuries. It is used as a decoration in the homes and Temples of devout Hindus, and can be found on greetings cards and wedding invitations. Some Hindus also paint the sign on the floor outside their front door as a sign of welcome. An unusual way of using the design is to make the swastika sign out of grains of rice on the floor of the courtyard of the Temple, for the birds to come and feed on. However the symbol is thought to have been used even before Hinduism, by the Hittite civilisation 1000 BC. It has been suggested that the design originally represented the sun, or even the wheels of the sun god’s chariot. It was found as a decoration at Troy, and was a popular motif on Greek coins, which is how it came to be so widespread. In China it was seen as a Taoist emblem symbolising divine power. Buddhists would also recognise it as a sign of good fortune. You often see the swastika around the border of Chinese and Japanese carpets, fabrics, pottery and woodwork. Christianity also adopted the swastika as a symbol of the cross of Christ. The Swastika has two forms. The arms either going clockwise, or anticlockwise. The clockwise version can denote:- male and female, yin and yang, sun and moon. The anticlockwise version is the Buddhist, Taoist and Greek version. This is the form which was adopted by Christianity. You can find the swastika in two places at Coventry Cathedral: in the ruined Cathedral decorating the Mitre (hat) on the Bishop’s tomb, and in the Visitors Centre, on an embroidered scarf in the large glass display case nearest to the entrance. It was not until the 1930's that Adolph Hitler adopted the swastika as a symbol for the Nazi party: presumably in the hope that he was going to turn Germany into a prosperous, pure nation, sentiments or wishes which he associated with this symbol. Sadly this is the use of the swastika most easily recognised by people today.


THE RUINS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET 2 1 What do you know about the altar cross? 2 Complete the saying F _ t _ _ r F _ _ g _ v _ Where are these words found? 3 a) Who is holding a model of the Cathedral? b) What religious symbol can you see on his hat (mitre)? c) Why do you think this symbol has been used?

d) Who used this symbol in an evil way 4 Name three of the old Guilds which used to have chapels in the Cathedral (1) (2) (3 5 Complete the saying " George 16 November viewing " 6 a) Can you see or have you visited any important parts of the old Cathedral which survived the bombing? Name them

b) Can you think why they survived?

7 a) What is the name given to the model showing two kneeling figures?

b) Where is there an identical sculpture?


WORKSHEET 2 THE RUINS ACTIVITY ANSWERS 1. Charred wood, found in the shape of a cross, the morning after the bombing. 2. FATHER FORGIVE on the sanctuary wall behind the altar. 3 a) Bishop Yeatman Biggs

b) Swastika.

c) Ancient religious symbol for good, happiness, life.

d) The Nazis. Adolf Hitler 4 (1) Smiths; (2) Drapers; (3) Dyers; (4) Mercers (5) Cappers. 5 "King George VI 16th November 1940 stood here viewing the ruins". 6 a) Tower, Chapel of Cross, Wylie Chapel, International Centre.

b) Cathedral destroyed by incendiary (fire) bombs NOT high explosive bombs. Stone does not easily burn. Some parts have been restored. 7 a) "Reconciliation".

b) Hiroshima, Japan.


RECONSTRUCTION For five years after the bombing, the Cathedral community met in Holy Trinity Church next door. Then in 1945, after the Chapel of the Cross had been restored, the congregation moved in there for the next twelve years. During the whole of this time, the people were determined to have a new Cathedral. After a great deal of negotiating, a Reconstruction Committee was set up to oversee the design and building of a new Cathedral for Coventry. In 1950 a competition was held and as a result, Basil Spence was appointed as the architect for the new building. It was not until 1954 that the licence to build was issued. On 10th January 1955, Messrs John Laing ‘builders’ signed the contract to begin the building. Reconstruction began with the clearing of the site and in 1956 the foundation stone was laid by Queen Elizabeth II. Basil Spence commissioned the artists he needed to begin working on the Tapestry, Statues,and glass work for the Cathedral. Many countries and individuals gave generously towards the cost of the building project. Canada gave a total of £33,000 towards the cost of the organ, as a mark of thanks, a bronze maple leaf is set into the Nave floor near the West Screen. The Bethlehem font was the gift of Jews, Christians and Muslims who live in Israel. Sweden gave the floor of the Chapel of Unity, and the Swedish Windows. The windows in the Chapel of Unity were donated by the United Churches of Germany. The German government also gave £4,250 towards the cost of rebuilding. Local people gave the money for the Tapestry, the Baptistry Window, and the statue of St Michael and the Devil. Underneath the canopy are two large wooden crosses, these are the gifts of a local businessman and are made from local oak trees. The first nave window on the font side was paid for by local school children, and is known as the ‘children’s window’. The New Cathedral was completed in 1962, and consecrated in the presence of the Queen and her family, the Archbishop of Canterbury and representatives from all over the world.

coventry cathedral world war ii history · 2015-04-04 · coventry cathedral world war ii history...

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