Seventy years ago, the city of Exeter had wrought upon it the most devastating chapter of its history. Exeter had long been considered one of Britain's most beautiful cities, from its medieval bridge, through its winding streets, to its magnificent cathedral. On the evening of 4th May, 1942, this was altered forever, as the Blitz came shockingly to this peaceful city.
Devon had seen its fair share of German bombs in the course of the Second World War, with the enormous naval base of Plymouth bearing the brunt of the raids. Exeter, however, was different; it had little military importance and, although a railway junction, there was little strategic gain to be made from the destruction of the city. Military strategy, however, was not on Hitler's mind when the city was targeted - Exeter was a revenge bombing. In March 1942, the R.A.F. razed the beautiful German city of Lubeck, and in retaliation the German high command highlighted several English cities - amongst them Bath, York and Norwich - to receive similar punishment. As much of the information was taken from Baedeker travel guides, these raids became known as the Baedeker Raids.
Exeter had already received two minor raids in April, but nobody could have predicted the events that unfolded in the very early hours of 4th May. At 01.36 in the morning, around 20 Luftwaffe bombers flew up the River Exe and dropped incendiary bombs, designed to ignite and cause roof fires. Despite the heroic efforts of firefighters, the flames spread quickly, and by 02.15 the High Street was ablaze. At 02.50, the bombers turned around to return to their base, leaving behind a city engulfed in an inferno.
Firefighters battled through the night, as Exeter lost historic buildings and unique architecture. Among the biggest architectural losses was Bedford Circus, one of England's most notable pieces of Georgian town planning, widely regarded to be on a par with Bath's Royal Crescent. Through the burning night, the city lost 1,500 houses (with a further 2,700 receiving substantial damage), 400 shops, 150 offices, 50 warehouses, and 36 pubs. Eyewitnesses claimed that in some places the fires burned for a week afterwards. In the morning, residents emerged to find a foreign city, flattened and unrecognisable - a scene that was repeated across Europe in six years of very cruel war.
The human cost of all the bombing raids on Exeter during the Second World War stood at 265 killed, 111 seriously injured, and 677 injured to a lesser extent. Many of the dead were fireguards who gave their lives trying to protect the city.
Exeter's Latin motto is Semper Fidelis, meaning ever faithful. There can perhaps be no more fitting a motto for a city that, following this dreadful night, kept its faith and its belief, as was so iconically enshrined in the photos of the cathedral, poking through the devastation. After the war, the rebuilding of the city began - there was a faith in a new age, more peaceful and prosperous than anything ever known before. This culminated in the publication of Thomas Sharp's Exeter Phoenix Plan, which led to the city's new centrepiece, Princesshay shopping precinct, the first pedestrian-only shopping street in the country. Building began in 1949 when the then Princess Elizabeth unveiled a commemorative plaque. The Phoenix sculpture, one of Exeter's most prominent public sculptures, was erected in the centre in 1957 by Hughes of Exeter, on the sight of their former premises, to symbolise the city's growth out of the ashes. Exeter was back on its feet and ready to move forwards.
The Princesshay shopping precinct survived until the turn of the 21st century, when it was torn down and replaced with a newer, more modern facility. For some (but certainly not all!), this more accurately signifies the return of Exeter's prosperity over a period of some 65 years. Opened in 2007, the new precinct has been a hit with residents and non-residents alike, so much so that, two days before the 70th anniversary of the bombing raid, it was revisited by the now Queen Elizabeth II, as part of her Jubilee tour. The crowds were out in their thousands to welcome Her Majesty, who looked radiant and lovely, truly regal in every sense. Beyond the excitement of the day, however, lies a much more poignant meaning to her visit, for there can surely be no more proper a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Exeter Blitz than the sight of a crowd of thousands cheering their monarch, at the very heart of the city, under a very British flag. It is surely a sight that every Blitz victim would have wanted to see.
With thanks to the always brilliant Exeter Memories website for the three black-and-white photos, http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/
