85th Anniversary of the Bombing of Cheltenham
Yesterday marked the 85th Anniversary of the worst bombing raid Cheltenham suffered during World War 2. On the night of the 11th December 1940 bombs fell across Cheltenham killing 20 people and making 600 homeless. Five bombs fell across the Dean Close site as remembered by the then Headmaster, Hugh Elder.
''...a 'stick' of five high-explosive bombs, of which the first fell without warning while we were at supper, striking the hard ground on the south side of the main building and shattering every pane of glass within reach of the blast. Three more fell in a line across the cricket-field and made large craters in the soft turf. The fifth scored a direct hit on the Junior School form-rooms at the end of Fortfield garden and wrecked them. We retreated to the cellars, where we spent a noisy and unpleasant night; but a survey on the following morning showed that we were very lucky, for nobody had been injured and structural damage was limited to one isolated building.'
Luckily, the school had broken up for Christmas the day before, so only a handful of boys were on site.
The damaged Fortfield stables following the bombing with Mr and Mrs Horsley who were in charge of the Junior department.
Crater Pitch as it became known with E.S. Hoare a Master at Dean Close.
The 'survivors' with the Head and his dog on the far right.