Itchen Ferry village
Itchen Ferry village was a small hamlet on the East bank of the
Itchen ferrymen were granted permission to ferry passengers and goods across the River Itchen by the lords of the manors of Woolston and Southampton.[1] Lords of the manor of Woolston were paid in cash.[1] Lords of the manor of Southampton received free passage.[1]
The village lost a large part of its livelihood when the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/RichardParkerTombstone.jpg/250px-RichardParkerTombstone.jpg)
A memorial to Richard Parker of Itchen Ferry village can be seen in the graveyard of
Already absorbed into its larger neighbour,
But that was not the only raid. The Luftwaffe had targeted the area on a number of previous occasions.[2] An air raid shelter in the lower region of Sea Road near the railway line[1] is reported as receiving a direct hit on 24 September 1940.[2][6]
The area was subsequently used for training troops that would be fighting in similar ruined villages during the
Details of the bombing raids
- 24 September 1940 – 42 fatalities.[2]
- 26 September 1940 – 55 fatalities,[2] 49 seriously injured,[2] 43 other casualties.[2] This raid comprised the Heinkel He 111 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 55[8] escorted by the twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters of Zerstörergeschwader 26,[8] 160 aircraft in total[2] dropping 145 high explosive bombs.[2]
Reports of casualties in the direct hit on the air raid shelter (24 September) are contradictory. One report has approx 100[6] fatalities and approx 50[6] wounded, coincidentally the total of the two raids as listed above: it may have been politically expedient to combine those figures. Another source simply reports many fatalities.[1] The most reliable report, because it is based on local sources in Southampton rather than RAF sources, is that the shelter was largely unoccupied because the air raid warning was late.[2]
Changes to street names
When Woolston was absorbed into Southampton in 1920,[9] there were some duplicated street names. The following streets in the Itchen Ferry area were changed in 1924 [1] to avoid the consequential confusion.
Current name | Previous name |
---|---|
Hazel Road | Elm Road |
Laurel Road | Ivy Road |
Sea Road | Hill Street |
Tankerville Road | Britannia Road |
Walpole Road | Avenue Road |
Wharncliffe Road | Cliff Road |
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 1-85983-405-1
- ^ ISBN 0-903852-95-0
- ^ Maritime Memorials
- ^ Cannibalism and the common law. A.W. Brian Simpson. 1984
- ^ a b Southampton in the Twenties. Eric Wyeth Gadd
- ^ a b c The Battle of Britain. Richard Hough and Denis Richards. 1990
- ISBN 1-872649-04-1
- ^ a b Great Air Battles of World War II. Christopher Shores. 2002.
- ISBN 0-86146-003-0