This is the story of Bewdley at war, from early preparations in 1937 to a collective sigh of relief in 1945 that only one bomb had fallen inside the town boundary and most of its young men in uniform were at last coming home. The war brought major changes, transforming Bewdley from a quiet backwater to a place of feverish activity to defend the vital bridge crossing and keep its citizens safe from bombs and enemy invasion. The book records the Home Front; making strikers for mines, air raid wardens, bomb shelters, the Home Guard, checkpoints, evacuees and coping with rationing. It also tells the moving stories of Bewdley soldiers through interviews with their surviving relatives. It ends with a detailed war diary of events between 1939 and 1945 taken from the pages of the Kidderminster Shuttle newspaper.
New light on the dark days of WWII in Bewdley
Former journalist David Thomas has recently published a new study of the impact of the Second World War on the Worcestershire riverside town of Bewdley.
Titled Bewdley at War 1939 – 1945, David’s study tells the story of the impact of a global war on one local community, from early preparations in 1937 to a collective sigh of relief in 1945 that only one bomb had fallen inside the town boundary and most of its young men in uniform were at last coming home.
The war brought major changes, transforming Bewdley from a quiet backwater to a place of feverish activity to defend the vital bridge crossing and keep its citizens safe from bombs and enemy invasion.
The book records the Home Front: making strikers for mines, air raid wardens, bomb shelters, the Home Guard, checkpoints, evacuees and coping with rationing.
The author tells the moving stories of Bewdley soldiers through interviews with their surviving relatives. It ends with a detailed war diary of events between 1939 and 1945 taken from the pages of the Kidderminster Shuttle. As a result of original research, he is able to shed new light on the triumphs and the tragedies of Bewdley’s darkest hour.
Bewdley-born David Thomas has a degree in architecture but changed professions for journalism. During a 42-year career, he worked on local newspapers in Redditch, Kidderminster and London, then for a news agency covering the Old Bailey and the Court of Appeal. He became a freelance crime reporter at Worcester Crown Court for the Worcester News, national daily newspapers, BBC Hereford and Worcester radio and Midlands TV stations. He is a member of Bewdley Civic Society and Bewdley Historical Research Group.
Pub. 2025
126 pages
£9.99 + p & p
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