Battle Abbey 1066 and all that

[keybasher]

On 2/2/1943 a hit-and-run raid took place on Battle, Sussex - Historically important as the Battle of Senlac/Hastings - when 3 aircraft, reported as Messerchmidts, dropped bombs on the town. One fell on the area now known as the cricket ground, one destroyed a Newsagents' shop with the loss of 2 lives, and the third landed in front of the Abbey, on the Abbey Green. This failed to explode, bounced through the Abbey Gateway, surprising a Canadian soldier 'on guard'. The Gateway contained two tons of explosives at the time, so had the bomb 'gone off' it could have destroyed much of local history. As a schoolboy, passing by on my way to school at the time, I am interested in finding details of the attacking force who so narrowly avoided annihilating me. Can anyone help with details, please.

Gordon

[Larry]

Wasn't JG2 about the only unit flying Bf 109s at this time in the West?

[Andy Saunders]

Chris Goss is your man for this. However, I believe it was an attack by three Fw 190's. I have a photograph of the gatehouse with a big chunk out of it before it was restored to its present state and I think there is a plaque to mark where the shop was hit. I ought to know (I live just along the road!) although I am honestly not sure if I have imagined that!!

[Andy Saunders]

For what its worth, here is the 1960's photo of the gatehouse to Battle Abbey. If you look to the left of the gate, at ground level, you can see the repaired patch where the bomb smashed through and which has just been concreted and rendered over. English Heritage have now "restored" this to its original state. It all looks a bit different now. Personally, I rather liked its old battle (no pun intended!) damage and feel it should have been left. After all, English Heritage have rather missed the point that this damage was of itself historic and ought to have been preserved as part of the real history of the abbey.

[Chris Goss]

All I have is 3 FW 190s of an unidentified unit (probably 10/JG 26) attacked Robertsbridge at 0850 hrs

[Andy Saunders]

Robertsbridge is about four or five miles to the north of Battle.

Is that from a German source Chris? If so, I suspect that they thought they had hit Robertsbridge. If a British Source (Home Security?) then maybe Robertsbridge was struck as well in this attack.

Local ARP reports at Lewes ESCC County Archives will reveal more detail, Keybasher.

[keybasher]

Thank you to the contributors to this item. I think the aircraft came from a north-easterly direction, probably following the railway line from Robertsbridge to Battle, either targetting the Jam Factory - in which case we'd have been covered in gooey stuff, or the military in the Abbey, in which case Battle would have ceased to exist. Two tons of gelignite were stored in the gateway complex.
Andy, I was outside the Abbey Hotel opposite the impact point but was thrown into the bar by a kindly passing gentleman. First visit to a pub, but not the last. In passing, were you associated with Battle ATC, grass-track racing at Brands Hatch and Tiger Moth flying at Rochester?

Gordon

[keybasher]

Here is a rather poor contemporary photograph of the event showing 'spectators' inspecting the bomb which went through the gateway, viewed from inside looking out towards Battle.

kb/Gordon


Attachment 4347

[Andy Saunders]

Gordon

All interesting stuff.

Not Battle ATC.....Eastbourne, many more moons ago than I care to recall.

I have done a bit of grass track racing in my mis-spent youth, (four wheels....never rode two!) but only a brief interlude. Nothing at Brands.

Have had some involvement at Rochester, and yes, I have flown into there in a Tiger Moth from Headcorn but such Tiger Moth flying I have ever done has been from Headcorn. My Rochester airport involvements have been mostly ground-bound.

Do we know each other?

[keybasher]

Thanks, Andy, for the reply. No, I'm afraid we've never met; I seem to be mixing you up with another Tiger flyer who lived in Robertsbridge and did those other things.
At the time of that particular Battle raid I was living in Stream Farm Cottages, Netherfield Road. Were you in the living in the local area at the time?
BTW, I have your book 'Battle over Sussex', and the series - very informative in the context of local history of the time and a reminder of the many wartime aircraft crashes I visited. Thank you.
Coincidentally, I am married to a member of the Saunders family from Robertsbridge.

kb/Gordon