Remembering the Bath Blitz

(Wera Hobhouse visiting the Bath Blitz victims’ memorial at Haycombe Cemetery.)

This year marks 100 years of Remembrance as the Royal British Legion marks its centenary.

The charity worked with Parliament to install a House of Commons Constituency Garden of Remembrance to commemorate or reward individuals, groups or regiments for their military service. 

MPs from across the UK participated in an act of Remembrance at the House of Commons, where tributes are now held and remembered in a single place.

Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, invited Bath residents to nominate a worthy individual or group to dedicate the tribute to. The Bath Blitz Memorial Project was selected as an acknowledgement of innocent civilians who lost their lives in conflict and as a result of terrorism. 

The Bath Blitz Memorial Project was founded 20 years ago by a group of local people concerned that there was no memorial to remember the names of those who died when Bath was bombed, and that all traces of those days were disappearing and memories of Bath’s role in the Second World War were being forgotten.

In April 1942, Bath suffered enormous devastation at the hands of the Luftwaffe. More than 400 people were killed, many of them women and children, and over 19,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse said: 

“Remembrance Day is a permanent reminder of the sacrifice and suffering that results if we fail to keep the peace. 

“Many from Bath have served our country courageously over the years. It is fitting that we take this opportunity to remember the many civilians who lost their lives in our city during the Bath Blitz in late April 1942. Next spring will mark the 80th anniversary of this tragic event. All those in our city who perished or were injured deserve our recognition for their tremendous sacrifice. 

“I was honoured to plant a tribute in memory of the Bath Blitz victims at the House of Commons Constituency Garden of Remembrance, and to visit the memorial dedicated to them at Haycombe Cemetery.”