Bombing of Truro

The Bombing of Truro was an event that occurred on August 6 1942 during World War II when the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) bombed the civilian target of Truro, a city in the British county of Cornwall. Around fifteen people died in the bombing, some of them children.

The raid

The bombing, which actually consisted of three different raids, took place on August 6 1942. It was a seemingly normal and peaceful day until a report came in at around 7.31pm that two German planes had been spotted near St Issey, coming in low and very fast down the Camel Estuary. Two minutes later, a more firm report came in that the planes had been spotted over Grampound Road and at 7:34 the planes were actually spotted by an elderly woman three miles north of Truro.

A few minutes later, one of the German planes attacked and machine-gunned Truro railway station. A number of women were injured when the plane shot up the waiting room, and a postman was fatally wounded. At 7:36, a bomb was dropped on the Royal Infirmary Hospital, demolishing the south wing and killing ten innocents. Many more likely died as a result of the hospital's destruction. Just a minute later, a 500kg bomb was dropped on Agar Road and killed two people.

Ultimately, 100 houses were left damaged. Three of them were completely destroyed and four people had to be pulled from the rubble. About fifteen residents of Truro were killed by the bombs, two of them children. The identities of those responsible were never uncovered.

In 2018, a monument was erected in Truro to commemorate the victims of the bombing. On the anniversary of the bombing the monument was unveiled to the general public. A special service was held honouring the victims, attended by a healthy crowd of dignitaries, raid witnesses, members of the public and relatives of those with a connection to the raid.