Dorothy Fleet - Bomb Damage

Dorothy Tinmouth was writing to her husband who was in the Royal Navy at their home in Selbourne Street, South Shields. She had twice declined her father's request to join them in an air raid shelter on her father's third request she agreed to join them in the air raid shelter because: "you are putting yourself at risk coming out of the shelter to get me. I'll come just to stop you coming into the house".

After the all clear siren went: "they came out the shelter and there was their piano standing in a pile of rubble. The house had gone. They lost everything." They then had to stay with relatives until they were later rehoused.

The bombing happened in that area because a railway line nearby had been bombed and an electric cable had been damaged and was given out sparks which attracted German bombers.