Did St Cuthbert save Durham Cathedral from the Luftwaffe?
During the Second World War, the North East of England was subjected to some of the worst of the German bombing.
As hives of crucial heavy industry, places like Sunderland, Jarrow, Hartlepool and Wallsend, took a significant share of the 32,000 Luftwaffe raids to hit Britain.
But one of the most curious tales from those bombing raids involves the incredible escape of the region’s greatest landmark in the early hours of Friday, May 1, 1942.
The story of how Durham Cathedral avoided the carnage that struck others sounds like something from a film. But it happened.
The Blitz of 1940 and 1941 eased off when the Germans were forced to divert more resources into their battles in Russia.
However, in April to June 1942, the German air force, headed by Hermann Göring, decided on a bombing campaign of places in England noted for their historic buildings.
To determine which sites were most suitable for this treatment, the Germans consulted a guide book compiled for tourists in peacetime. This incrediblysimplisticapproach became known as the Baedeker Blitz after the guide book.
The first cathedral city to
be hit was Exeter on the night of April 23/24. Last hit was Canterbury on June 1, with Bath, Norwich and York in between.Very early on May 1, 1942, warnings were issued of a German raid over Durham.
According to the BBC’s
WW2People’sWar:"Thesirens soundedacrossthecity.Itwasa bright moonlight night following a warm summer day.
“A squadron of the Luftwaffe were right on schedule, their target to bomb the Durham Viaduct that carried the
main railway lines from the South to the North of England.
“As the plane approached, out of nowhere came a mist, descending over the city like a ghostly shroud, hiding every building, as if they had disappeared. They passed over, droppingtheirbombsonopen countryside doing little damage. No one has been able to explain this phenomenon, and it has become known as ‘Saint Cuthbert’s Mist’."
The skies over nearby places such as Sherburn and
Langley Moor were, it was later claimed, completely clear. It was as though Durham had been protected by the Saint whose shrine is still in its mightycathedral.Thefogthen dispersed at exactly the same time as the Luftwaffe.