A little distance away two little girls Violet Brown age 10 and Betty Parsons age 11 must have heard the air raid siren and ran to hide in an arcade which unfortunately for them took a near hit. The wall near them collapsed and they were caught under the falling masonry and killed.
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They were buried beside each other in Reading Cemetery along with the other casualties of the raid.
At the end of the row you will find this headstone. It says
"Here lie the unidentified remains or two persons killed by enemy action 10th Feb 1943 Rest Eternal Grant unto Them O Lord"
The people who died on that tragic day lay almost forgotten today, they will be remembered as a new memorial That was unveiled near where they all died.
RIP
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6 comments:
Fantastic post! I have only just found out about the Reading Bombing, which is not surprising because a lot of what happened was covered up at the time to protect morale.
I will definitely have to visit Reading's cemeteries.
Thank you for linking up with Cemetery Sunday.
Beneath Thy Feet
how sad ... thank you for the history lesson...
Loved reading your historical account of this tragedy.
Thank you for sharing this on Taphophile Tragics. This kind of thing is always so sad to read about, but it makes me feel good that someone is drawing attention to it, and also sharing these photos.
Hi im Natalie my Grandfather was Arthur Parsons who passed last year. His sister was Betty Parsons whos grave is pictured above. I have been searching for her grave and thanks to you i have now found it. My Grandfather was reluctant to talk about the bombing which is understandable as its a painful subject. I knew as a child Betty was killed but i didnt know the full details. I have lived in Reading all my life so knowing exactly where she was killed is mind blowing as i have walked past and touched the walls so many time without knowing it where she died. Again thank you.
Glad to know my blog was of use to you and sorry for your loss
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