Photograph courtesy of The National Museums and Galleries of Wales, ref: 85.25/60

The bombing of the city of Cardiff

Wales’ appeal was based upon the assumption that it was too

far to the West to suffer from German bombing raids. The

assumption proved to be unfounded. Cardiff suffered its first

raid in June 1940 and during the following fifteen months

thirty thousand buildings in the city were damaged, Llandaff

Cathedral among them.

“Measures were taken to defend Cardiff before the full fury of the

Blitz began. Anti-aircraft guns were ringed around the city and

rocket guns on Ely Racecourse were strategically placed to deter

low flying aircraft. Mobile guns on lorries were also deployed.”

A Light Anti-Aircraft (A.A.) GunPhotograph courtesy of Swansea Museum

Dennis Morgan, Cardiff: A City at War (1998)

A Barrage Balloon over Cathays Park.

How effective do you think barrage balloons were in protecting Cardiff from Luftwaffe bombers?

Talking Point: How did a barrage balloon work?

Image courtesy of Cardiff Council Libraries and Information Service

Croft Street and Rose Street, January 1941

Image courtesy of Dennis Morgan

On the 2nd January Cardiff was bombed by about 100 German aircraft.

High explosives and parachute mines caused extensive damage.

2nd January, 1941.

The attack began at 6:37 p.m. Flares fell

first, followed by incendiary bombs and eventually the thud

of high explosives and parachute mines.

“Riverside was the first suburb of Cardiff to feel the full

onslaught of the Luftwaffe. The district suffered the

heaviest casualties in the city as more than 60 people lost

their lives in the first half hour of the raid….seven people

lost their lives when a landmine struck their house…another

seven people were killed in another house….a high

explosive bomb hit the bakery and thirty-two people in the

basement were killed….the gasworks in Grangetown was lit

up by flames.” Dennis Morgan, Cardiff: A City at War (1998)

How many people were killed at just these three locations?

2nd January, 1941.

8:00 p.m. A parachute was noticed

drifting towards Llandaff Cathedral. Some people thought

that it was a German airman who had bailed out of his

aircraft.“ Probably the cords of the parachute became entangled in

the spire of the cathedral before a landmine exploded

outside the south porch….A huge crater erupted among the

ancient graves in the churchyard and tombstones were

hurled like ancient missiles more than half a mile away.”Dennis Morgan, Cardiff: A City at War (1998)

Oak doors had been split and the whole of the nave had been

unroofed. The inside of the cathedral was covered with debris,

including shattered slates, stained glass window fragments and

shattered timber.What do the past few slides tell you about the intensity of bombing on the 2nd January, 1941?

Image courtesy of Dennis Morgan

A view of the destruction caused by the landmine that

fell on Llandaff Cathedral

Llandaff Cathedral - old and new

Click here to compare the old and the new

NGfL Cymru

Click here for a view of the interior of the nave

2005

The devastated interior of the

nave of Llandaff Cathedral

compared with the rebuilt nave,

complete with Jacob Epstein’s

concrete arch and aluminium

statue of

Christ in Majesty. Image courtesy of Dennis Morgan

NGfL Cymru

Only Coventry Cathedral sustained more damage

than Llandaff during World War Two.

The Dean of the Cathedral could not find his steel

air raid helmet when the raid began and so had to

place a colander on his head to protect himself.

Unfortunately, he did sustain injuries none-the-

less, along with the Cathedral Verger who was

knocked over by the blast and covered in debris.

Memorial Stone at Llandaff Cathedral

Bomb damaged Bute Street, opposite Bute Street Station. April 1943.

Photograph courtesy of The National Museums and Galleries of Wales, ref: 79.85/60

Bomb damage near the Heath Hotel, Allensbank Road.Photograph courtesy of The National Museums and Galleries of Wales, ref: 85.25/60

‘A stick of bombs fell on Allensbank Road, severely

damaging a row of houses and the Heath Hotel…A

landmine fell on Cathays Cemetery (one lady) recalls

coming out of the Anderson shelter ” to find a piece of

gravestone from the cemetery on her parents’ bed.”

The final assault on Cardiff by the Luftwaffe occurred in

May and lasted for 83 minutes. Over 4,000 houses and 140

shops were destroyed or damaged and 45 people were

killed.

Landmines caused the worst damage throwing debris high

into the air and causing many people to be buried under

rubble.

Dennis Morgan, Cardiff: A City at War (1998)

What can you see?

Describe the level of devastation seen in these photographs.

The bombing of the

City of Cardiff

Areas/places affectedEffects of bombing

Defences

END