We're continuing our series of talks to mark Edinburgh900. In this blog, History Curator Vicky Garrington explores a souvenir of the Blitz. Kept carefully for decades, it helps tell the story of Leith at War.
Cameron Horne was ten years old in April 1941 when the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) attempted to destroy Henry Robb’s shipyard at Leith Docks. The parachute mines they dropped missed their intended target, but did huge damage to a corner of Leith including the Town Hall and Library (now the Leith Library and Theatre complex). Cameron’s father was Assistant Chief Air Raid Warden for Leith, and would have been on the scene as soon as possible. Subsequently, some pieces of parachute and bomb were gifted by wardens to Cameron and other children visiting the scene. These wartime souvenirs were treasured until this year, when they were kindly gifted to Museums & Galleries Edinburgh.
The term ‘parachute mine’ was used for large bombs dropped by parachute. Initially used against shipping, by 1941 the Luftwaffe were using them against land targets. The parachute attached to the bomb slowed its descent, allowing it to remain on the surface of the ground. In this way, maximum damage could be achieved by the bomb’s explosion, which could be triggered by a timer or sensory mechanism.
The Luftwaffe attacked shipping throughout World War 2 in order to interrupt essential supply chains, but from late 1940 until the middle of 1941, they focused on docks. Ships were both berthed and constructed in the docks, so the impact of direct hits could be very disruptive. Some of the bombs dropped in the April 1941 raid on Leith did not explode, or else hit areas where damage was limited, but ‘Cameron’s bomb’ landed in a populous area and there were a number of casualties.
The bomb fragments salvaged from the site by Cameron include a section of parachute with cord attached, a portion of singed rope presumably from the inside of the bomb, and a metal fin. The parachute mines were over 2 metres long, and did not require aerodynamic fins, so this last fragment is likely to have come from a small incendiary bomb that also hit the site.
The Town Hall was severely damaged by the raid, and it was not fully repaired until the 1950s. Attempts were made to make areas damaged in the Blitz safe, and residents whose homes were hit were re-settled, but the process of rebuilding could not begin in earnest until the War ended in 1945.
Cameron was not alone in collecting souvenirs of the German raids. Children across the UK did the same. And with around 70,000 tonnes of bombs dropped on the UK during the war, there was plenty of opportunity. World War 2 for many children was a mixture of excitement, boredom and the bleak realities of casualties, blackouts, displacement and rationing. These souvenirs now stand as a reminder of British grit in the face of attack and as a memorial to those whose families were affected by the raids.
You can find out more about the bombing of Edinburgh at our Edinburgh900 lecture on the subject
A detailed explanation of the raid and its casualties can be read on Threadinburgh
More photographs of Edinburgh during World War 2 can be found on Capital Collections
Edinburgh 900
2024 marks the 900th anniversary of King David I introducing a new system of local government into Scotland, and making Edinburgh a royal burgh. To mark this anniversary, we're exploring the different ways the city museums' collections can tell Edinburgh's story. We'll be following the 10 themes of the programme, so keep an eye out for new blogs as we discover more. You can hear more about some of the items in these blogs in the Edinburgh 900 lecture series at the City Art Centre.