Events will mark the V1 bombing of 1944 that killed 27

Abbeyhills Road V1 bomb damage. December 24, 1944

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A SURVIVOR of a Second World War rocket attack on Oldham has told his story ahead of the 70th anniversary of the event.

Maurice Stanley (71) was one at the time of the bombing of Abbey Hills Road in the early hours of Christmas Eve, 1944, when a German V1 rocket, known as a doodlebug, destroyed a number of houses.

The deadly incident, one of the last V1 attacks of the Second World War, claimed the lives of 27 people and seriously injured another 49.

It is believed the original target of the raid was Manchester but the doodlebug had fallen short after running out of fuel.

Mr Stanley, whose father ran a bakery on the corner of Park Road and Abbey Hills Road, now lives in Ashton with his wife of 40 years, Margaret (69). The pair have three children, seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

He said: “The V1 dropped right across the road from where we lived. The roof blew off our house. My dad heard the siren and threw me under a table.

“The house was a complete wreck so my dad pushed me all the way to the other side of Oldham to my grandma’s house, but she said there was no room for us and we had to go all the way back.

“Eventually a woman in a near-by street took us in and we managed to get the house back in order.

“Some time later we found a clock from our house in a local charity shop that somebody must have taken when the place was a wreck.”

Plaque
Oldham Council will host two special events to remember those who lost their lives or were injured when the bomb hit.

A commemorative plaque will be unveiled at the site on Saturday, at noon, by Doreen Highland, who was a young girl when the attack destroyed her home. She now lives in Wales.

Members of the public are invited to attend the unveiling ceremony at 145 Abbey Hills Road.

Following the unveiling, refreshments will be served at Hope Congregational Church, Skipton Street, where people can learn more about the tragic event.

Local historian John Fidler will also be giving a talk on the bombing tonight, at 7pm, at Oldham Local Studies and Archives Centre in Union Street.

John will explain the background to the attack and the experiences of those involved using local and national archives, as well as reminiscences from local people.