One May morning - the worst 48 hours in Hull's history

Queen Victoria Square, early morning 9th May 1941 before
demolition of the Prudential Building tower

Hull's burning sky-line

On a bright May morning 75 years ago today, the people of Hull awoke to a scene of utter devastation. During two nights of the fiercest bombardment of WW2, 400 people had died, hundreds were seriously hurt and 10,000 people had been made homeless. Some poorer districts of the town had been obliterated as they lay near to the docks and riverside industrial areas which were Hitler’s target. The main shopping area of Paragon, Bond, Prospect and King Edward Streets had become one mass of fire. Also bombed were the Infirmary, City Hall, Guildhall, Paragon Station, the Fire Station where three firemen were killed, and many other key structures.  The Prudential Building by Queen Victoria Square received a direct hit, killing 16 people who were sheltering there. Its landmark tower, left standing precariously after a direct hit, was was demolished at 9am next morning. The five major department stores had been destroyed. Ambulance drivers, many women, drove through walls of fire to reach victims and the streets were filled with people fleeing the flames. The city’s fire brigade dealt with 800 fires over the two nights. All telephone communication between East and West Hull had been cut. It was estimated that between 32,000 and 50,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. During 1941 up to a third of the population took to sleeping in the fields outside the city at night to avoid the bombing raids. The bodies of many who died in the May bombing were unidentifiable and 200 were buried in a mass grave in one ceremony. Such was the outpouring of emotion on that occasion the council vowed never to do so again unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

In proportion to its size, Hull endured the worst bombing of any city outside London and much of this occurred in those two horrific nights between 7^th and 9^th May 1941. 95% of Hull homes were damaged or destroyed by the end of the war, making 152,000 people homeless. 1200 people were killed. The cost of the damage was estimated at £20 million pounds and arguably Hull has never recovered economically. None has been known to people outside Hull until relatively recently as the MOD applied a D-notice to reporting of the Hull Blitz. The Government did not lift this until the 1970s. It is difficult to see what justification there was for this and it did a great injustice to survivors of the Hull blitz.

Andrew Marvell stands on his plinth in front
of the ruined Co-op building

Those who are quick to make derogatory remarks about Hull would do well to remember these things. 75 years is not a long time. Not only are there many still alive with vivid and terrifying memories of that time, but such events leave an indelible stain on a city’s collective psyche. The fact that Hull could not hold its head up and have its wartime suffering recognised by the nation has, I believe, contributed to the lack of pride the people of Hull seem feel in themselves to this day.  The country is still forgetting - inexplicably the BBC has left Hull out of its forthcoming series on Blitz Cities. It also had the very practical effect that Hull did not receive the assistance it needed to get itself back on its feet economically. So don’t knock Hull. Its people endured much suffering to ensure that you and the rest of this nation kept the freedom you still enjoy today.