Documents held at the Suffolk Records Office, in Bury St Edmunds, contain information of ten air-raids in and around Brandon, mainly during 1940-41. Most of the incidents were of bombs falling into rural farmland, not causing much damage, but two raids did inflict damage on Brandon homes. Although there were no human casualties, it was a close call for some – Jack Inns recalled how close he came to being killed. The final entry for 1941 details a raid on the Barnardo Boys’ home at Wangford Hall, which was adjacent to R.A.F. Lakenheath, and injured two.
This information is taken from war-time documents between the Mildenhall Rural District Council – Air Raid Precautions Department Officer, – W.T. Croose; and the West Suffolk County Council – Air Raid Precautions Department Controller – John Creese; at Bury St. Edmunds.
HE = High Explosive bomb; INC = Incendiary bomb;
| Date | Location | Occupier’s name | Bombs | Damage |
| 07-06-40 | Wangford Common (Camouflaged aerodrome) |
15 HE | ||
| 17-06-40 (09.10) |
Chalk Hall Farm, Elveden. | 1 HE (unexploded) 4 HE |
shed smashed & private telephone wire damaged; | |
| 16-11-40 (02.00) |
Fen House Farm, Brandon. | 1 HE 1 INC |
some windows broken; | |
| In woods, off Town Street. | 1 HE | no damage; | ||
| 30-01-41 | Fen House Farm, Brandon. | 1 HE (unexploded) 2 HE |
slight damage to wire fence & railway line; |
(also bombing at Lakenheath, Barton Mills, Beck Row, Herringswell & West Row this date and time)
| (20.00) | Calders Wood Yard, near Brandon Railway Station. | 6 INC | band saw machine; cross-cut machine; damage to belts; |
|
| Wangford Warren | “some HE & INC” | trees damaged; | ||
| May Day Farm | 5 HE “some INC” |
no damage; | ||
| In Fish Pond | 30 INC | no damage | ||
| (also bombing in Lakenheath half hour previous) | ||||
| 12-05-41 (00.20) |
“a Brandon field” | 1 HE | electric cable & telephone wires down; window broken; |
|
| (00.30) | May Day Farm | “several HE” | no damage; | |
| 12-05-41 | BRANDON | 10 HE | ||
| 16 High Street, | Caban | external plaster damaged; | ||
| 32 George Street, | P.W. Steggles | slates shifted & gutters; | ||
| 30 George Street, | H. Wolsey | slates shifted & gutters; | ||
| 14 George Street, | E.E. Carter | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 179 Thetford Road, | T.W. Adams | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 165 Thetford Road, | Mrs. Snare | window forced in; | ||
| 155 Thetford Road, | R. Royal | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 141 Thetford Road, | Mrs. Branch | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 145 Thetford Road, | V. Warfe | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 104 Thetford Road, | D. Elmer | tiles shifted & outhouse damaged; | ||
| 98 Thetford Road, | W.S. Elmer | tiles shifted & ceiling damaged; | ||
| 96 Thetford Road, | F. Edwards | ceilings damaged; | ||
| 74 Thetford Road, | H. Edwards | tiles shifted & outhouse damaged; | ||
| 72 Thetford Road, | H. Field | outhouse damaged; | ||
| 68 Thetford Road, | T. Edwards | outhouse damaged; | ||
| 66 Thetford Road, | W. Edwards | outhouse damaged; | ||
| 63 Thetford Road, | Mrs Field | outhouse damaged; | ||
| 49 Thetford Road, | L.M. Mathews | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 36 Bury Road, | C. Smith | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 38 Bury Road, | ceiling damaged; | |||
| 40 Bury Road, | W. Reed | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 42 Bury Road, | S. Thompson | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 44 Bury Road, | E. Hunt | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 46 Bury Road, | ceiling damaged; | |||
| 62 Bury Road, | D.P. Lingwood | wood garage shifted; | ||
| 64 Bury Road, | W.A. Drewry | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 66 Bury Road, | G. Drewry | tiles shifted; ceiling damaged; |
||
| 70 Bury Road, | C.M. Towler | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 76 Bury Road, | T.H. Palmer | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 78 Bury Road, | Mrs A.M. Steggles | tiles shifted; | ||
| 82 Bury Road, | P.E. Tilney | tiles shifted; | ||
| 84 Bury Road, | Mrs. Emily Field | tiles shifted; | ||
| 86 Bury Road, | W. Vail | tiles shifted & chimney damaged; | ||
| 88 Bury Road, | Ashley | tiles shifted & door forced; | ||
| 90 Bury Road, | C. Mutum | tiles shifted & door forced; | ||
| 92 Bury Road, | W. Chilley | windows forced inwards; | ||
| 94 Bury Road, | E. Norton | ceiling damaged; | ||
| 96 Bury Road, | A.J. Ward | windows & doors forced; | ||
| 98 Bury Road, | B. Mutum | ceilings damaged & doors forced; | ||
| 100 Bury Road, | W. Cleaver | fairly, general; | ||
| 31-07-41 (03.30) |
BRANDON | |||
| Gas House Lane (fowl houses) |
W. Hurrell | |||
| Gas House Lane (gasometer) |
British Gas Light Co. Ltd. | pierced by splinters in two places; | ||
| Gas House Lane (house) |
George Phillpot | windows & doors; | ||
| Gas House Lane (bungalow) |
ceilings & contents; | |||
| Waterworks Road (asbestos garage) |
Frank Kybird | roof & walls damaged; contents slightly damaged; |
||
| Waterworks (engine house) |
Mildenhall Rural District Council | slight damage to roof & walls pitted; windows damaged, etc.; |
||
| Waterworks (house) |
Frank Kybird | slight damage to roof & walls pitted; ceiling & windows damaged; |
||
| 54 Thetford Road, (house) |
Westley Edwards | ceilings; | ||
| 54 Thetford Road, (Coach & Horses – public house) |
E.W. Middleton | windows & ceilings; | ||
| 56 Thetford Road, | Mrs. Docking | ceiling; | ||
| 137 Thetford Road, | Mr. Royal | |||
| 143 Thetford Road, | Frank Bulloch | roof slight damage; | ||
| 145 Thetford Road, | Vic Warfe | roof slight damage; | ||
| 147 Thetford Road, | E.R. Field | ceiling; | ||
| 149 Thetford Road, | George A.R. Bond | roof slight damage; | ||
| 151 Thetford Road, | Phillip Norton | ceilings; | ||
| 155 Thetford Road, | Robert Royal | ceilings & windows; | ||
| 157 Thetford Road, | Percy Whitta | ceiling; | ||
| 159 Thetford Road, | Oscar F. Bilverstone | slight ceiling damage; | ||
| 161 Thetford Road, | Palmer | slight roof damage; | ||
| 163 Thetford Road, | Percy Ayms | slight roof damage & ceilings; | ||
| 165 Thetford Road, | Mrs. Snare | slight roof damage; ceilings & doors; |
||
| 167 Thetford Road, | William H. Inns | slight roof damage; small bulge in wall; damage to ceilings, windows & contents; outhouse demolished; |
||
| 169 Thetford Road, | S.E. Shepherd | slight roof damage; damage to ceilings & windows; outhouse demolished; |
||
| 171 Thetford Road, | Wing | slight roof damage; | ||
| 173 Thetford Road, | Mrs. Docking | slight roof damage; | ||
| 175 Thetford Road, | Ernie Cole-Wilkins | |||
| 177 Thetford Road, | William Stammers | |||
| 179 Thetford Road, | Tom W. Adams | slight roof damage; | ||
| 181 Thetford Road, | J. Hacker | |||
| 183 Thetford Road, | R. Swinton | slight roof damage; | ||
| 185 Thetford Road, | D. Blackmore | very slight wall damage; | ||
| 13-10-41 (02.30) |
Wangford Hall | Dr. Barnardo’s home for boys. |
4 HE | windows & roof damaged; 2 boys slightly injured; Dr. Barnardo’s children evacuated; |
| 03-10-43 (23.25) |
Shakers Lodge, Thetford Forest, Brandon. | a container of SD2s. (Butterfly bombs – opening at a preset altitude to scatter bomblets) (also at Elveden this night) |
||
The repair bill
The following is an extract from the builder’s bill submitted to the Mildenhall Rural District Council for repairs to houses caught in the bomb blasts of 31st July 1941 air raid …
November 30th 1941, bomb damage – Thetford Road Council houses, Brandon.
W. Peeke-Vont & Son, Watton, Norfolk.
Erecting a pair of coal houses at rear of Nos. 167 & 169, – as per estimate, £30
Conversion of 2 existing coal houses to W.C.s, – as per estimate, £25
TOTAL = £55
No. 145 – Repairs to ceilings, doors, etc. – £1 10s
No. 147 – Repairs to ceiling – 7s 6d
No. 149 – Repairs to lead valleys & roofs – £9
No. 155 – New ceiling to landing repairs to plaster in living room & new lead valley gutter – £15
TOTAL = £ 25 17s 6d
Labour costs:
Bricklayer’s labour – 779 hours – £74 13s 1d
Bricklayer’s Labourer – 136 hours – £10 4s
Carpenter – 83 hours – £7 19s 1d
Carpenter’s Labourer – 55½ hours – £4 3s 3d
Painter & Galzier – 302 hours – £28 18s 10d
Cartage and conveyance of workmen & materials – 28 hours – £11 15s
Materials as per invoice attached – £48 0s 3d
TOTAL = £185 13s 6d