The Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble is out now 🎉 Click to get your copy!
The inspiration that made me decide to write a series set in Bath during WWII came from a friend who asked if I knew much about the Baedeker raids that happened over three days in the city during April 1942. I knew nothing! I’d never even heard about them, but my need to learn was instantaneous and the start of my research for my new series, The Home Front Nurses began.
I read books and immersed myself in everything I could learn online, I also went to my local archive centre and found lots of amazing facts and stories from letters and diaries of people who lived through the raids. However, one of the most useful aspects of my research occurred during this year’s annual Bath Festival when I signed up for the Bath Blitz Walking Tour. I was so looking forward to it as I had very little to no idea of which areas of the city had been affected by the bombing (my mum went on to tell me my nan’s house was flattened on the second night of the raids!).
The tour guide–whose name I forgot to note down, much to my shame–proved himself a fountain of knowledge and enthusiasm who walked with us for two hours and talking about many different spots in Bath. I saw bomb damage I’d never noticed before, evidence of demolition and rebuilding and sadly learned the names of entire families who were killed outright when their homes suffered direct hits. The guide also told us stories of the industrial area situated along part of the River Avon that runs through Bath which was a slum area at the time. A bomb hit the gasworks here, but never exploded–if it had, it would have been catastrophic.
An unexploded bomb also landed in the grassed area in the centre of The Circus, a beautiful circle of Georgian residential houses. The bomb was later disturbed by the clearing work of firemen and volunteers and killed at least one person, injuring many others. It would have been a lot worse if the bomb had exploded when it was dropped. Other buildings close to The Circus were also affected. An upper-class hotel at the time, The Regina, took a direct hit, killing all the people taking shelter in the basement except for two, the force of the blast setting fire to the Assembly Rooms across the road which was nearly completely gutted. The Assembly Rooms were Bath’s premier venue for balls and soirees and was visited by famous writers such Charles Dickens and Jane Austen during their time staying (and writing) in Bath.
If you are interested in learning more about the Bath Blitz, I cannot recommend the walking tour enough–here is a link to the website detailing the next available walks (and other things that might interest you). A memorial listing all those who were lost stands at the main entrance way to Victoria Park which can be found in the centre of the city off of Gay Street and near Queen Square…
Rachel x