Queen Street after the Bombing Raid
He resided at 20 Queen Street, South Shields, and was the son of the late George and Catherine Stephenson, husband of May Stephenson. He died in Queen Street.
It is estimated that about fifty bombers took part in this attack on South Shields. Many fires were started including one that required twenty pumps to contain it. St Hilda's Church in the Market Place, the Town Hall, Crofton's Department Store, Woolworth's were hit, a Public Shelter in the Market Place received hits on two of its entrances, killing twelve people. In a public house which had its roof blown off, a merchant seaman dug himself out and walked six miles to rejoin his ship.
One of the heaviest bombs to fall in this raid fell on Queen Street between Station Approach and Mile End Road at 22.05. It demolished all the property on the north side, including Chipchase's Tripe Shop which had remained practically unaltered since 1832, and rear of Moorhouse's Furniture Store in Mile End Road. Many people were buried under the debris of ten or twelve houses. Some difficulties arose when the 80' diameter crater began to fill with water from a fractured main. Business premises in this part of King Street suffered as did outbuildings at the back. From the 'Kopf Ring' found on the lip of the crater it was judged that the bomb weighed about 1,800kg.
Casualties were: Sixty-eight killed including thirty-four men, twenty-two women and twelve children / one hundred and seventeen seriously injured including sixty-seven men, thirty-seven women and thirteen children / ninety-one slightly injured including fifty-four men, thirty women and seven children. Included in the above figures were one Air Raid Warden killed, two seriously injured and seven slightly injured / one Messenger seriously injured and one slightly injured / one Special Constable killed, one seriously injured and one slightly injured / one Fireman killed, three seriously injured and five slightly injured / two Firewatchers killed and one seriously injured.
Source : NE Diary Incidents. N761 Roy Ripley &Brian Pears.
Frederick Oliver Stephenson is remembered at South Shields in W101.08 page 76.
