A stirring account of quiet heroism and resilience
‘The East End was one big ball of flame,” recalled Stan Harris, who was an 11-year-old schoolboy during the Blitz. “I hid under the table and next minute, bang! The fireplace was blown out, doors came off, roof gone. Instead of looking up at the ceiling, I was looking at the stars.”
In a neat premise, each documentary in the four-part series Blitz: The Bombs That Changed Britain (BBC Two) tells the story of one specific bomb, following its shock waves – both literal and figurative. This first film followed one that fell on Martindale Road in east London on the first night of the Blitz. There was initial relief that it didn’t explode – but tragedy soon followed.
As residents were evacuated, most headed to a local school to wait for buses to take them to safety. But the buses never came, so the evacuees became a sitting target. Crusading journalist Ritchie Calder warned the authorities that it was a tragedy waiting to happen but to no avail. When the Luftwaffe returned, they scored a direct hit, killing hundreds.
Judy Gregory was moved to tears when she discovered how an entire branch of her family tree was lost. “All for the sake of a bomb that didn’t explode,” she sobbed.
Calder’s grandsons proudly traced his mission to raise awareness of the real problem: that people lost everything, including their homes, meaning citywide welfare systems were urgently needed. The film also explored the doughty work of Mickey “The Midget” Davis, who improvised shelters, and Henry Willink MP, who reformed social care in record time and led the call for a National Health Service.
The tale was told through first-hand testimony, heart-wrenching diary excerpts and the meticulous records kept at the time. Whizzy graphics, aerial photography and sepia-tinted footage bought it to vivid visual life. The narrative skilfully moved from specific to general, from individual lives to wider consequences. There is potential here for a longer series.
It was ultimately stirring, too: full of quiet heroism and plucky British resilience. These bombs might have brought catastrophic death and destruction but they also shaped our country.
Blitz: The Bombs That Changed Britain ★★★★