91 (5) Grantchester Meadows, Newnham

History of 91 Grantchester Meadows

1913 (5)

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Message from BS in 2023:

I believe  I saw an article online from Capturing Cambridge asking for information  regarding the people who had lived at 91 Grantchester Meadows as you had a gap in the dates. While researching my family history I have found a  record of Florence Barker and Olive Mary Barker who were living there in 1939 and who both died there on 24th February 1941 They are recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves site as “Civilian war dead” I presume that the building was hit by a bomb although I have been unable to prove this.

1941 02 25

Ten Die in Raid. Ten people are known to have been killed and a number of others injured when a fairly concentrated attack was made on an East Anglian town (Cambridge) on Monday night. Six of the dead are women and four men. Three of the injured are stated to be in a serious condition. The fatal casualties included an elderly air raid warden, Mrs. Charles Gent and several other fire watchers who were standing in the road outside a hotel. Sapper Day and Mr. Brittain were among the other victims. Hund-reds of incendiary bombs and a considerable number of high explosives were dropped by the raiders, which flew over very low at intervals. Many flares could be seen in the sky around the outlying parts of the town and British fighters were heard overhead. The main brunt of the damage was borne by business and commercial premises in one street, where for some distance along both sides of the road (Hills Road) shops were demolished or damaged. Hardly a pane of glass intact in this district and several houses in side streets nearby suffered broken windows. It was in this area that two of the other fatal casualties, Mr. A. Negus and Mrs. Robertson, occurred. An eyewitness said next morning that during the raid a German plane appeared to fly over the road dropping incendiaries and was followed a few minutes later by another machine, which dropped high explosives. It was these which caused a large number of casualties. In another district a single high explosive bomb landed directly on a house, killing the Misses Barker, who were in the building at the time. Neighbours were also injured, but not seriously. The three others to lose their lives were Miss Thaxter, Mrs. Woodcock and Mr. Ashman. – 41 02 25a, b, c

Credit: Mike Petty, Cambridge Hills Road Scrapbook 1897 to 1990.

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1962

(Flat 2) Miss A S Brownjohn

(Flat 2) Miss A P Miller

(Flat 4) Miss A Silver