GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Handsworth & Smethwick: gwrhs2635

An official photograph of Handsworth & Smethwick Goods shed on the morning after the night raid of 11th to 12th December 1940. This raid started at 18:05 on Wednesday 11th December and lasted thirteen hours; 278 German bombers dropped high explosive bombs, parachute landmines and 25,000 incendiaries in a widespread raid over Birmingham, targeting Bordesley, Duddeston, Solihull, Shirley, Harborne, Kings Norton, Smethwick and Handsworth. A total of 263 people were reportedly killed and a further 243 injured. Significant industrial damage (and 95 of the casualties) occurred at the Fisher & Ludlow's steel pressing Works and W & T Avery's, Soho Foundry in Smethwick. Also in Smethwick nearly 3,000 people were evacuated due to unexploded landmines. This was the first time that the 1000kg Luft Mine B (parachute landmine) had been used over Birmingham, but only seven of the eighteen dropped exploded. These landmines were originally designed as maritime magnetic mines for coastal waters, but were adapted for land use by setting a delayed action impact fuse. They had a thin steel casing which maximised the destructive effect of the explosive charge resulting in widespread damage to buildings, but to prevent damage to the landmines’ casing they required a parachute to slow their descent. Occasionally the parachute cords resulted in a Landmine becoming suspended from tree or structure and not exploding. A minimum 400 yard restriction was then enforced around the unexploded Landmine until it could be defused. After this raid, an Admiralty Disposal Squad from London was used to defuse the unexploded landmines.

During the raid at 00:17am on 12th December 1940, one of the parachute Landmines which did explode destroyed Handsworth and Smethwick Goods Shed and damaged the stable block. Three staff on Home Guard duties and three horses were killed. Those who died were; Horace Bidmead (aged 40) who started with the Great Western Railway in 1916 and was employed as an electrician in the Chief Mechanical Engineer's Department, Wallace Nelson Reed (aged 46) and Joseph Henry Spooner (aged 26). Normal working at Handsworth & Smethwick was resumed on 14th December.

Robert Ferris

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