The 1940 Sunderland air raid and the drama which resurfaced 62 years later

A German Heinkel He 111P bomber was shot down on September 5, 1940, crashing in Suffolk Street at 11.18pm.

It damaged a shop and one person from Sunderland was killed with two relatives being seriously injured.

All of the plane’s crew died.

All quiet - until 62 years later

This photo shows locals surveying the wreckage which happened during one of the many Luftwaffe raids on Sunderland at the time.

The incident was thought to have ended in 1940 until an unexpected discovery on October 14, 2002, changed all that.

1,000 lb bomb discovered

A 1,000-pound bomb was discovered during excavation work behind Deerness Park Medical Centre on Suffolk Street in Hendon. The bomb squad was called.

The bomb was never dropped from a plane. It was shed in a crash landing, then lay undetected. It was packed high with explosives and was also close to a gas main.

A huge area was evacuated

Police immediately closed off Suffolk Street and the surrounding areas. Hundreds of residents were evacuated.

Trees and fencing were removed, while metal skips were filled with sand and water to lower any impact should the bomb go off. A Sunderland Echo report on October 16, 2002, said: “Army chiefs revealed that an attempt to disarm the bomb, last night, had failed.

It could have left a 25ft crater

“The disposal team is now in discussions with experts and examining the options that could be used to end the situation.

“Police chiefs have urged people to leave the area around Suffolk Street, following fears that if the bomb exploded it would create a 25ft wide crater, damaging buildings up to 650ft away.”

Up to 2,000 residents left their homes and many slept at Southmoor School, others with relatives.

Four schools were closed

Southmoor and Thornhill School were closed, as were primaries Valley Road and Hudson Road.

Also closed were the Raich Carter Centre, Winter Gardens, Silksworth Tennis Centre, Hendon Library and Nookside Day Centre.

Eventually, the bomb was removed from behind Deerness Park Health Centre.

Moved - under a police escort

It was placed on a trailer pulled by an Army truck, flanked by five police cars, two coastguard vehicles and a military jeep; and taken towards Hendon Beach.

It was placed in a hole dug by soldiers at the bottom of the cliffs at Salterfen Rocks at 1.25am on Thursday, October 17, and was detonated by remote control.

German air raids were a terrifying and devastating experience for Wearside throughout the Second World War. 

The worst was still to come

But the worst came in 1943.

On May 16, high explosive bombs as well as mines and 1,300 incendiary devices fell on the town and 75 people were killed. Thankfully, 30 of the bombs didn’t explode.

Casualties on a similar scale were reported eight days later. Bombs fell on The Bromarsh cinema.

Three people died and many others were trapped in the shelter there.

In St George’s Square, one bomb left wreckage and bodies were still being recovered two weeks later.

A direct hit on an air raid shelter – 12 died

At Hendon, an air raid shelter suffered a direct hit and 12 people were killed. Ten more were badly injured. Those were the final raids but when the war was over, the Government said Sunderland was one of the seven-most bombed towns in the country. Tell us if you remember the 2002 incident or if you had a relative who remembered the original Nazi raid in 1940.

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