Nostalgia: When German bombs fell on Blind Babies home
Local historian Geoff Wright spotlights one of our area’s saddest episodes from World War II
PEOPLE are always asking what exactly happened on the dreadful night Birkdale’s ‘Sunshine Home for Blind Babies’ was bombed during the Second World War; so, with its 75th anniversary in mind, I drafted this sad ‘Nostalgia’ article to explain the awful incident, during the heaviest month’s raid from the air on the usually peaceful resort.
Terrifying attack
It would be extremely difficult to imagine a more poignant example of reckless bombing than destroying a home, full of blind babies – and yet this really happened, in Southport! During what was undoubtedly the heaviest raid on the ‘safe’ seaside town, the most terrifying incident took place on the night of Saturday, April 26, 1941, when the German air force delivered two bombs on Birkdale’s ‘Sunshine Home for Blind Babies’ at 2 Oxford Road. This was the ninth harrowing night-time raid (of 11) on Southport and the late 19th century Sunshine House took two direct hits, killing three young nurses.
Miracle escape
A few hours after its cheerful rooms had echoed with the happy prattle of the little inmates, the home for 27 blind babies and young childrenhildren was shattered by explosions during an enemy air raid.
Despite the back of the home collapsing, immediately followed by another mighty explosion which wrecked the front of the children’s home, the children were marvellous. Miraculously, although blown about and littered with broken and shattered glass, none of the sleeping babes were killed or even seriously injured during the bomb havoc.
In fact, not one of the babies was hurt – just a little shaken, although two of the children had to be treated for shock, but were soon ‘fairly comfortable’. The babies and children were safe, due to the devotion of the staff who remained behind.
One of the first eyewitnesses on the scene had a different view saying: “I’ll never forget the sight of all the little children in their cots waving their arms and crying. They had been able to hear the terrible noise but did not know what had happened because they couldn’t see it. There was rubble all over the place. The home was completely ruined, but the wing where the smallest babies were had hardly been touched.”
Carried to safety
Some 20 of the babies and children were in their cots and beds on the rear ground floor of the home, facing the sea, where the majority of the staff were, while the other seven were asleep in a room on the first floor, being looked over by three nurses.
The little babies and young children, all under seven years old and from all over the country, were carried to the cellars of the Palace Hotel. Here they were wrapped in blankets and later ferried by cars to a nearby schoolroom. Subsequently, a dozen of them were admitted to the Dr Barnado’s Home in Roe Lane (near Hartwood Road, which was the first area to be bombed in WWII) while others were taken to the Southport Infirmary children’s ward
TeenageT killedk nurses
The rear of the home crashed in ruins, while part of the front totally collapsed. Sadly three nurses were killed (one of them was not recovered from the ruins until the next day), and two other teenage probationer nurses (all born in 1924, a year after Sunshine House began) were in an upstairs room adjoining the babies’ bedrooms.
They were buried in crashing debris when three rooms were blown apart, totally collapsing, and were found to be dead when finally extricated;. They were Jean M. Everingham; Joyce B. Hughes; and Dorothy M. Powell:
Jean Mary Everingham (17), of Farm End Cottages, Selby, Yorkshire, who was born in Sealcoats, Yorkshire, the only child of former Royal Naval Air Service motor mechanic Frederick Penrose Everingham (1898-1968) and Rose Mary nee Glasby (1899-1975), both from Hull. She became a probationary nurse in Marfleet, Hull, where her former home address was at 20 Delhi Street. Jean’s body was not found until the following day (April 27). Her probate wasn’t read until September 1947, leaving £110. 19s9d to her mother.
Joyce Beryl Hughes (16), of 24 Bucks Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, was the only daughter of Charles Frederick Hughes (1888-1960), from Toxteth Park, and Clara nee Budge (1895-1978), from Cornwall. She had two brothers, Leslie (1927-2007) and Geoffrey (1921-2003).
Dorothy Marion Powell (17), of the Swan Hotel, Bolton, was the daughter of the late Gwillym Brynmor Powell (18951935), a former Welsh coal miner (Colliery Surface Worker) and Glamorgan-born Edith Minnie Powell nee Palmer (1878-1958), of 148 Ecclesfield Lane, Chapeltown, Sheffield, formerly of 6 Oakwood Street, Port Talbot, Glamorganshire, Wales.
The three staff members taken to hospital with serious injuries were the Matron, Miss Smith, and probationary nurses Muriel Calderbank (18), from Brooklen, Ashum-in-Furness (who later carried on living in the resort in Churchtown) and Mary Ponting (21), from Wolferton Road, Hull, were said to be ‘very poorly’.
Mary P. and Muriel were found together under debris. Mary Smith, had jumped through a window (not Mary Thomson nee Ponting) and hurt her leg badly, refused medical attention until she had made sure all the children were safe.
Another nurse, Sarah Porter, who had just finished her shift, dashed back on her bicycle to help, accompanied by her father, who was an air raid warden.
Unscathed Sister
A Bristol-born Sister, and a staff nurse, who came through the ordeal unscathed, apart from shock, told national press reporters: “I was on the ground floor, and the explosion threw me across the room. Then I ran to the babies. ARP workers helped to get them out of the debris in their bedrooms, and they were taken to a hospital close by for shelter.”
Marvellous staff
One staff member at this horrendous time, who became Eileen Melville, and a Sister at Sunshine House between 1930 and 1941, wrote to the Southport Visiter 25 years later, from Bristol, saying: “With sorrow I still remember the staff who lost their lives.”
She added: “We can now only marvel that help from the rescue services arrived so quickly, while the staff at the time long remembered, with gratitude, the many kindnesses afforded.”
Rescue parties
Rescue parties were quickly on the scene at the big old house with an imposing front door, including Cynthia Leacher and her sister Miss V. Lyon, both maids, who were both on fire watch at the time, following the air raid siren.
Miss Leacher, whose mother was chairman of the home’s executive committee, was