Survivor recalls events of notorious school bombing 80 years ago

WARRINGTON author Eric Brady is today recalling the events of the notorious Sandhurst Road School bombing during the Second World War, in London 80 years ago today (Friday, Jan 20), which claimed the lives of 38 children, including his sister, Kitty.

While Eric, who turns 90 later this year, was badly injured, his sister lay by his side, probably saving his life by shielding the full force of the blast, which also claimed the lives of six staff.

During lockdown Eric turned his memoir of the bombing and its aftermath into a podcast consisting of 33 episodes of around 6 to 8 minutes. The podcast also covers his earlier evacuation with his sister to Folkestone then Tredegar.
In episode 17, Eric explains what happened on 20 January 1943 as he sat down to lunch. A distant air raid warning sounded and his sister ran into the dining hall moments before the bomb hit. Listen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SFu0mA4B7k
Eric’s 2012 memoir: “Adolf Hitler, his bombers – and me” is also available on Amazon and Lulu.

Eric said: “Recalling these events from 80 years ago is an emotional experience, particularly the memories of my sister, Kitty, and the tough decisions my parents faced in evacuating us from London earlier in the war. We were refugees really, sent away as young children to be cared for by strangers. Some resented us, at first, because of the way the London Government had broken the miners’ strikes in Wales, but we were well looked after by our adopted families.”
Eric and Kitty returned to London in September 1942, three years after leaving home. Just four months later, Sandhurst Road School was bombed at lunchtime by the leader of a two-squadron Ground-attack force. Eric was eating his sandwiches in the dining hall when a distant air raid warning sounded. The head teacher sent his sister, Kitty, to the hall to order the children to the shelters, but there was no time.
In the emotional episode recalling the events (no. 17), Eric explains: “My position was fairly near the entrance. I saw her come in, just as the teacher shouted to us to get under the tables. And the bomb hit. And I’d been excited up to that moment, until I saw the school falling down on us. Kitty came running towards me. And all the rubble hit.”
Eric was pulled from the rubble seven hours later, seriously injured, including a head injury that doctors warned could have caused brain damage. Kitty was one of the 38 children killed.

Eric’s mother told his brother, Eddie, that she had been found lying on his right side, shielding it from injury and saving his life.
Eric married Irene, had three children and worked as a probation officer. Throughout that time, he has published articles and written many books, from children’s adventures to science fiction, to adult thrillers, including a trilogy that dramatizes his war experiences and imagines a future for the fictionalised family where the daughter survives the bombing.
Eric said, “When I hear current news of refugees and bombings, it always makes me think of the people behind the headlines and what they are going through. Events like these have a lifelong impact.”
All episodes of the podcast can be accessed via:
https://ericbrady.blogspot.com/
Eric’s full library of books is available via:
http://ericbradybooks.co.uk/

In this episode of his Second World War podcast, Eric Brady talks about being buried under the rubble of Sandhurst Road School following the bombing 80 years ago today: https://t.co/3oSyD37hLK

— Mike Brady (@mikebradyuk) January 20, 2023