Story that was told to me as a youngster - WW2 bombing. (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, September 28, 2017, 01:45 (2402 days ago) @ Dlg

Hi Dlg,
I'm no expert but am always interested by wartime stories such as this one. In peacetime one source of info would be to search the local newspapers, either the DF Mercury at Cinderford library or the Glos Citizen etc from the internet. However, during wartime events like this wouldn't have been reported due to censorship. I can point you to a couple of my older posts which you will hopefully find of interest; this first link should take you to 2 raids on the Gloster Aircraft Factory at Brockworth, a great many Foresters worked in that neighbourhood's arms factories during the war. Perhaps your story relates to the case where Mrs Davies died when her bus received a direct hit ?. Maybe the actual facts were the other occupants didn't die in their seats, but were found still in their seats stiff with shock, as if dead... ??. Not doubting your Nan or your memory, but sometimes things do get confused with time. Full details would not have been reported in the papers, so Humphrey Phelps' excellent book relies on personal recollections such as yours.

please see this post http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=44177
and this followup post http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=entry&id=44334

This next link relates to the important Ediswan Cable works at Lydbrook which was also bombed during WW2. The post also includes a link to the Sungreen site which tells about one such raid, altho' no mention of any casualties. As you can see from my posts my dad was a teenager living in Lydbrook during the War and travelled to GAC etc regularly thro' his work on Edwards' buses. He passed away 25 years ago but as far as I recall he never told me about such a horrific event, but that doesn't mean it never happened.

http://forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=entry&id=41959

I do hope this helps you. It may be a little late now as most witnesses of the time are no longer with us, but if you were to write an open letter to the local newspapers the editor might well print it for you, and maybe yield more information.