Died
John Enoch Marsh 14 April 1941
Nellie & Mabel Goude 15 April 1941
William Allison & Mary Hudson 4 May 1941
Kathleen Barker 5 May 1941
Sources
The Barrow Blitz (2009)
Barrow News
North Western Daily Mail
Cumbria BMD
Place
Walks
Barrow 3 point 10
Themes
Civilian dead in the ‘Barrow Blitz’
Marsh, Goude, Hudson, Barker, Tamblyn, Gerrish
The ‘Barrow Blitz’ has been ably explored by Bryn Trescatheric in The Barrow Blitz (2009) published by the Dock Museum.
John Enoch Marsh - Died 14 April 1941
William Allison & Mary Hudson - Died 4 May 1941
Alice Tamblyn
Kathleen Barker - Died 5 May 1941
Nellie & Mabel Goude - Died 15 April 1941
Edith Gerrish
John Marsh (aged 72) died with his daughter in law Ethel (Aged 26) (Wife of W. Marsh) at 38 Vernon Street. Her husband, Fusilier Walter Marsh (3460131) 10th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers, died on 05/12/1942 aged 32, and is buried in Chittagong War Cemetery.
The Goude family home at 4 Union Street was one of several destroyed by enemy action on the night of the 15th/16th April 1941. Trescatheric reports that this was due to a land mine. Nellie Goude, a widow, was aged 69, and her unmarried daughter Mabel, was 44. About seventeen people died in Union Street (figures vary) including six at no. 8 and three at No. 10. News reports during WW2 omitted most details, thinking that it could be of use to enemy agents. Thus, while the North Western Daily Mail published pictures of the destruction, they were not identified by street, or even by town: simply as ‘Bomb damage in a North West town’. Barrovians, of course, knew what had been done, and where. Death notices in the NWDM listed couples to be buried together, a sign of common tragedy befalling the household.
William Allison Hudson, B.A., (aged 47) and Mary Stobart McLoughton Hudson (aged 45) died at 26 Hill Road, Hawcoat. CWGC reports that she was the daughter of Mrs. Binnie, of 28 St. Paul’s Road, Ardmore, Philadelphia, USA. He was a schoolmaster at Barrow Grammar School. (See below)
Kathleen Barker (21yrs) of 91 Hawcoat Lane, was injured in the same raid, and died at North Lonsdale Hospital the following day. She was the wife of Gordon Milton Barker. Gordon M Barker had married Kathleen Thompson at St Paul’s, Newbarns in 1939 (Cumbria BMD)
Alice Tamblyn was a widow who lived at the Goude’s house, 4 Union Street. Was she a relative, or simply a paying lodger?
Many of the news accounts of the funerals made no mention of the cause of death. Due to censorship, headlines in the local paper simply mentioned ‘Bomb Damage in North-West Town’. This would certainly not fool local readers, and probably no-one else either.
A typical funeral account from Barrow News 26 April 1941 reads:
Barrow News, 26 April 1941WARDENS ACT AS BEARERS AT BARROW
The funeral of Mrs. Edith M. Gerrish took place on Monday afternoon from 33. Adelaide-street, Barrow. The first portion of the service was conducted at St. Mark’s Church by the Rev. G. E. Woodmansey, who also officiated at the graveside.
The mourners were: Mr. J. Gerrish, husband; Mr. Harry Gerrish and Miss D. Fisher, son and fiancée; Mr. John Gerrish, son; Mr. and Mrs. A. Hoggarth, brother and sister-in-law; Mr. W. Gerrish, sister and brother-in-law (sic); Mr. and Mrs. G. Tomlin; Mr. S. Lockley; Mr. E. Lockley; Mr. and Mrs. G. Dickson, Miss Bloomer, Miss Foster, Mrs. F.P. Gerrish, Mr. W. Gerrish, Mr. J. Gerrish, Mr. and Mrs. J. Padley, Mr. and Mrs. A. Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Mr. and Miss Fisher, Mr. and Mrs. Townson, and Mrs. Grant, Wardens Govan, Fenton, Bell, Cowan, Wilkinson, and Kirkby acted as bearers, and a large number of Wardens from D3 Post attended the funeral.
The arrangements were carried out by Mr. W. J. Fox, of Rawlinson-street, Barrow.
On the same day:
Barrow News, 26 April 1941LATE MR. ERIC DAVIS FUNERAL AT BARROW CEMETERY
The funeral of a popular young Barrow man, Mr. Eric Davis, of 36, Dundas-street, Barrow, took place at Barrow Cemetery on Saturday, following a service at the Emmanuel Congregational Church. The Rev. Walter Etchells, minister of the church, and the Rev. C. E. Youngman, vicar of St. James’s, conducted the service, and the latter officiated at the graveside.
Aged 21 years, Mr. Davis worked at Barrow Shipyard and took a lively interest in the Home Guard, being a member of “C” Company.
Among the large number of mourners were sixteen members of “C” Company, under the commanding officer, Mr. C. B. Waterhouse. Other members of the Company, under Sergt. Whalley, acted as bearers.
The mourners were: Mr. and Mrs. C. Davis, father and mother; Miss Davis, sister; Mrs. Holdsworth, grandmother; Mrs. A. Pinnington (Manchester), aunt; Miss M. Pettifer, fiancée; Mr. and Mrs. Brazier, and many friends from the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavour, of which Mr. Davis was a member.
Amongst the numerous floral tributes were wreaths from “C” Company of the Home Guard, workmates from Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd., and members of the church.
Arrangements were carried out by Messrs. Tickle and Son, William-street, Barrow
On 17 May 1941 the News reported:
Barrow News, 17 May 1941LATE MR. W.A. HUDSON
21 YEARS BARROW GRAMMAR SCHOOL MASTER
NOBILITY OF SPIRIT WILL BE TREASURED MEMORY
War could hardly have dealt the Barrow Grammar School a crueller blow than the taking of Mr. William Allison Hudson. He joined the staff of the school in January, 1920, as modern languages master, and having served under every headmaster the school has known, could rightly be regarded as an indispensable part of the place. On the death of Mr. J. H. Childs, the second master, in 1936, Mr. Hudson was entrusted with the senior modern languages post, a promotion which was not only a fitting reward for his sound work over many years, but also a confidence amply justified in the years, unhappily few, which followed. But the school’s record of modern language scholarships to the Universities was due as much to the solid foundation which Mr. Hudson laid in the middle school as to his work with the sixth form. He had the gift of inspiring the boys and bringing out the best that was in them.
By many old boys, however, he will be remembered more for his untiring interest in Association football, of which he was in charge. He had coached the school eleven, and right up to the time of his death could often be seen changed to play with his form. He was also responsible for the school music, and the interest which boys took in music was largely due to his patient endeavour. The musical programme on speech day, together with concerts in the happier pre-war days, were entirely in his hands.
But Mr. Hudson’s work did not end when these things were done. He always gave most generously of his time and energy to all the best things in the life of the school. And while the illness of his wife over many years restricted his social activities in the town, it gave to him a nobility of spirit which will always be a treasured memory in the minds of those whose good fortune it was to work with him.
The School Magazine, The Barrovian, carried a lengthy eulogy to Mr. Hudson. Click on the image to see a larger version, or download the pdf.
