21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

Looking into a raid on my home town 21st April 1941. The Newark Herald reported a Heinkel 111 dropping 5 HE bombs and machine gunning the streets. It was reported there were 8 light casualties. Local ARP reports suggests otherwise , 6 people trapped in one demolished house and 27 causalities treated at first aid stations. The reports say the raider was driven off by AA and RAF fighters. It seems on that day the Luftwaffe were busy attacking London and the ports on the South coast. It does seem at odds with other attacks in the area these mostly happened at night or in the afternoon. No military targets would have been in the area , I know this isn't a prerequisite for a raid. Although what is now London Road in town used to be the old Great North Road and Allied crews used it as a visual point for approaching RAF Balderton or RAF Winthorpe. In fact an RAF Hampden crashed killing 6 children half a mile up the road. The paper goes into more detail than it did on the bigger raid on Ransome and Marles the preceding month , mentioning the type of aircraft , AAA and fighters. Now if this wasn't enemy action could it have been an Allied aircraft accidentally dropping its bombs or purposely jettisoning its bombs due to problems aboard. I know they did do this as my dad told me how his village had the windows blown out after a RAF aircraft dropped its load into the flooded fields nearby. Any info or ideas will be gratefully received TIA Shaun.

Re: 21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

...but jettisoning onto a major town??? Just go with it was a German aircraft and the records no longer exist. Such a 'Blue on Blue' is highly unlikely (but not impossible)

Re: 21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

Was just putting the idea out there , although at that time the area around were the bombing took place would have been quite rural to both sides of the Great North Rd. But I do think you are right , couldn't see any aircrew lasting long standing before the CO explaining why they had just "bombed" the neighbours. But as I said it had happened before in the area. Girton which lays between RAF Wigsley , Swinderby and Winthorpe did get damaged by an RAF plane jettisoning its bomb load into The Fleet flood plain of The Trent.

Re: 21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

Hello

Re: Hampden, this sounds like one of your ARP listings - From a list of - Civilian War Deaths 1939 - 45 other than in Air Raid Incidents:-

Register No. - 1824
County - Nottinghamshire
Location - New Balderton
District - Newark Road
Surname of Victims - 6 Brumpton
Number - 6
Date - 16 August 1941
Aircraft - Hampden X2959
Other Fatalities - 2 Aircrew

Nicholas Roberts gives:-

X2959 of 25 OTU 16th August 1941 Undershot Balderton, hit trees, then roof of house in London Road, New Balderton, 00.30 hours. Six civilians in house killed, plus crew of two. Circuit training.

Tragically, for this surname registered in the Registration District of Newark - Free BMD Deaths Register (unchecked) gives:-
Sheila Brumpton 6
Lucy Brumpton 8
Alan Brumpton 11
Mary E Brumpton 13
Joyce Brumpton 14
Geoffrey L. Brumpton 18

Re: 21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

Further to posting re Hampden

The Nottingham Evening Post Saturday, August 16, 1941 has a report.

Mr W. R. Brumpton was on night work at the time. Mrs Brumpton of 84 London Road, New Balderton, Newark, first thought the crash was bombs, some neighbouring houses were damaged.

Mrs Brumpton tried to get to her 6 other children, but the doorway was blocked which prevented her from reaching the other rooms. Her other son was an "invalid" according to other papers, in the same room and she was able to save him by lowering him to a man outside and then she jumped out of the window.

The full name of one son (not given on the BMD Deaths Register) was given by the newspaper as Geoffrey Lascelles Brumpton, aged 18.

The Newark Fire Brigade and the A.F.S., attended and the W.V.S., took Mrs Brumpton and her son to the W.V.S. Room.

A third member of the "British plane" crew escaped with slight injuries.

Bomber Command Losses Volume 7 Operational Training Units 1940 - 1947, first published 2002, by W. R. Chorley has an account by date (page 66) and on page 91 & page 92, the Coroner was Mr J B Norman according to Bill Chorley.

Re: 21st April 1941 raid on Newark on Trent ( maybe )
 

Yes that's the one , they often used the Great North Road as a visual reference to line up with RAF Balderton as it ran North to South. That Hampden was approaching from the North when it clipped tall trees at what is now the Newark Academy School ( aka The Grove School when I was there ) and cartwheeled across the road.

http://www.aircrewremembered.com/baldachin-sydney.html