| Leeds Blitz | |||||||
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| Part of theStrategic bombing campaign ofWorld War II | |||||||
.JPG) Directions to an ARP shelter at theUniversity of Leeds | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  Germany | ||||||
TheLeeds Blitz comprised nine airraids on the city ofLeeds by theNazi GermanLuftwaffe. The heaviest raid took place on the night of 14/15 March 1941, affecting thecity centre,Beeston,[1]Bramley[2] andArmley.[1][3] The city was subjected to other raids during the Second World War, but they were relatively minor; only the March 1941 raid caused widespread damage, including to the city's museum and its artefacts.
Leeds is a large city in the industrial heartland of theWest Riding of Yorkshire. The county's largest city, much of the region's economic, administrative and industrial activities were centred on Leeds which was also an important rail hub. Many industrial manufacturers around the city such asAvro at RAF Yeadon (nowLeeds Bradford Airport) which producedLancaster bombers,[4]Kirkstall Forge,[5]Barnbow munitions works[6] andROF Thorp Arch nearWetherby[7] adapted their output for war work providing likely raid targets. Leeds had takenprecautions, including building many public air raid shelters and large water tanks to be used for fire-fighting in the event of incendiary devices being dropped.[8]
Beginning just after 9 pm on Friday 14 March 1941, around 40 bombers took part in the raid on Leeds; in all 451 were over Britain that night.[9]Incendiary bombs were first dropped onto the city on the Friday night, later high explosive bombs were dropped on the Saturday.[10][11][12] Targets hit in the city centre included theTown Hall, the city's museum (then on Park Row),Leeds New station (now Leeds City station), theKirkgate Markets, the Central Post Office, theQuarry Hill flats, theHotel Metropole and the area now occupied by theInner Ring Road.[13] Around 100 houses were destroyed, 4,600 sustained damage, and around 65 people were killed.[14][15]
Other nearby towns were also damaged in this raid.Huddersfield was damaged by bombers seeking the David Brown factory atCrosland Moor (at the time making parts for theSupermarine Spitfire), while centralCastleford was also damaged by bombers seeking theHickson and Welch chemical works andFerrybridge power station.[16] In total 25 tons of bombs fell on Leeds during the raid, a quarter of the 100 tons often used as the threshold for a "major raid".[11][17] By comparison, that night inGlasgow 203 aircraft dropped 231 tons of high explosives, nearly ten times the amount dropped on Leeds, and 1,650 incendiary canisters, while in nearbySheffield 117 aircraft dropped 83 tons of high explosives and 328 incendiary canisters.[18]
Owing to the censorship and secrecy during the war, the press did not mention Leeds by name after the raid, instead referring to it as a "North East Inland Town"; the frequent raids on Hull were often referred to as a raid on a "North East Coastal Town".[19] German sources from the time claim raids on Glasgow, Leeds,Sheffield,Tilbury Docks,Plymouth andSouthampton.[20]
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The bombing of theLeeds City Museum resulted in the losses of historic civic possessions[21] including the destruction of amummy and a taxidermedtiger. Curator Herbert Ricketts described salvaging artefacts after the bombing as having "a dig in our own museum".[22][23] The museum's front, dating from 1821, was also damaged and had to be taken down.[24][25] A concrete front was built replacing the destroyed Victorian facade. The museum closed in 1965 and was moved to thecentral library on theHeadrow. The museum was demolished in 1966 and the site is now occupied by theHSBC bank.[26] In 1999, the museum was moved from the library, and is now housed in the formerMechanics Institute onMillennium Square.
Other historic buildings were superficially damaged. At certain sites, such as the town hall, shrapnel damage is still evident.[27]
31st (North Midland) Anti-Aircraft Brigade was responsible for anti-aircraft defence of West Yorkshire,[28] and throughout the war years Leeds had anti-aircraft guns positioned throughout the city.[29] There were many RAF airfields to the east of the city in theVale of York, while most were home tobomber command units,RAF Church Fenton was the base of afighter squadron.[30][31] On the night of the main Leeds raidJunkers Ju 88 andDornier Do 17 aircraft were shot down over Northern England, indicating these could have been the bombers used over Leeds.[32]
Following the raids, unexploded bombs have been found in the city[33] including one inPotternewton Park in 2012.[34] Unexploded anti-aircraft shells have also been found to the south and east of the city.[35] Starting in September 1940, all unexploded bombs were to be logged in a detailed 'bomb diary', although the scheme was not at first initiated in Leeds.[36]
TheTony Harrison poem "Shrapnel" relates to the raid on Beeston and the possibility of an act of heroism on the part of the bomber crews given the number of bombs falling on Cross Flats Park in Beeston as well as comparing the bombing to the bombings of7 July in London, of which two of the perpetrators came from Leeds.[37][38] Harrison, at the time a child, was sheltering in the cellar of a house on Tempest Road in Beeston.[39]