Bombing and Evacuation in Coventry

The contributor shared that, in 1940, her parents and her father's younger sister were living on Thamley Road, Coundon, Coventry. On the evening of 14 November 1940, the contributor's father went to the air raid shelter on Moseley Avenue as soon as the siren sounded. The contributor's aunt and mother were due to follow him; however, before they could leave the house, the air raid began. The contributor's mother and aunt took shelter underneath the stairs, but the house received a direct hit. Neither woman was injured, and they managed to escape the rubble. The contributor's mother and aunt were taken to a reception centre on Cash's Lane in Foleshill. The following morning, the contributor's father emerged from the air raid shelter and went home to find his house in ruins and no sign of his wife or sister. The family was eventually reunited at the centre on Cash's Lane. The contributor's parents were evacuated to Atherstone and returned to Coventry in 1943. They lived in Canley until 1947, when their house on Thamley Road was rebuilt, and they were able to move back in.