This week Grange Moor, like other places has celebrated VE-day and VE-plus-one-day. During the celebrations the thoughts of the inhabitants went back to the village’s VI day. Grange Moor has the distinction, although it is not proud of it, of being the only district around Huddersfield to be hit by a VI or flying-bomb.

Flying bombs were over this area in the early morning of Christmas  Eve last and one of the fell in a field at Dumb Steeple farm [1], fewer than 100 yards from the road.

About 130 houses, the village church and school, the Methodist chapel, the working men’s club  and the only public-house were damaged – but no-one was injured.     

“It was a miracle” the people said, and repeated it many times. had the bomb travelled another eighty yards or so  half the village would have been wiped out. Take Mr and Mrs Daniel Wood for example who were sleeping in the farmhouse only eighty yards from where the bomb dropped. “We had a miraculous escape ” Mr Wood told an examiner reporter.” ” There was a deafening crash, our ceiling came down, the roof lifted , the windows were blown in and the door blown off. A chest of drawers between the window and the bed saved us from flying glass”

On Dumb Steeple farm [1] there were cattle in sheds and poultry in huts but although the buildings were badly damaged no animal or bird was a casualty-remarkable said George Halstead the owner. Damage to the church included a cracked stain glass window. The Methodist chapel where a service would have been held on the day the bomb fell was extensively damaged and has not been used since. At the New Inn, bottles of wine and spirit- the Christmas Stock danced on the shelves before crashing to the floor., however the beer was untouched. The inn was knocked about a bit  but by Christmas eve was opened as usual.

Although the residents were considerably shaken by the “doodle-bug” there sense spirit and sense of humour didn’t fail them. For example when it was suggested to one lady that it must have been something of a shock she replied ” Ah knew nowt abaht it until ah fun mahself on t’ landing with yar Clara “

False teeth and fuse wire- it was a pity about the teeth of a lady staying at the New Inn who had left her false teeth in a glass of water at the bedside. The glass was smashed and so were the teeth. This was provoking, with the Christmas dinner in the offing. A man effected a temporary repair with fuse wire which allowed the lady to tackle the turkey.

A.R.P. and rescue workers were early on the scene after the bomb had fallen giving what help they could to the people  whose homes were, so to speak “about their ears”. Water, gas ,electricity and telephones were maintained  and repair work was put in hand immediately [estimated cost between £2,000 and £3,000}

Note [1] named after the Dumb Steeple shown below. The Dumb Steeple, 100yards east of the farm is a grade II listed monument (list no. 1313290) with the following plaque-Rebuilt by Richard Henry Beaumont 1766.

Note [2] Sometimes propaganda leaflets [copies of POW leaflets] were stashed in canisters in the missile and ejected minutes before impact. These were genuine letters attempting to praise the POW camps.

Original article in the Huddersfield Weekly Examiner published 12t May 1945 and also repeated in the Weekly Examiner 8th May 2013 from which this article is transcribed.

Further reading

1. Smith Peter J C; Flying Bombs over the Pennines-The story of the V-1 attack aimed at Manchester 24th December 1944; paperback
2. Smith, Peter J C; Air launched Doodlebugs; Pen & Sword Aviation 2006
3. V-1 flying Bomb-Wikipedia

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