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"VICTORIA ROAD" CAST IRON STREET SIGN

This street sign is a very significant piece of WWII history. All collectors of WWII memorabilia would agree that the Battle Of Britain is one of the most important events of early WWII.

The sign measures 5' 1/2" in length by 8,1/2" in width. It weigths approx. 60 lbs. and is approx. 1,1/2" thick.

The sign was broken into 4 pieces as a result of the Clacton crash. The breaks are almost exact and the sign fits back together quite nicely. I have had the sign looked at by 2 different professionals and it CAN be repaired. I have to admit I have struggled with whether to have it repaired or leave it as it is. Some have said that it's condition at present is more exact in terms of historical representation.

Below is the full account taken directly from the Essex Police Dept. Archives, published in the "History Notebook".

$450.00

The End of the Phoney War by Martyn Lockwood

As early as 1936 the threat of another war was recognised and the effects of air raids on civilians during the Spanish Civil war led the Home Office to introduce a scheme of air raid precaution training and the Police, as one of the key services concerned, were among the first to be selected for training. In April of that year Sergeant George Hodges attended a month's  course at the Anti-Gas school at Falfield, and on his return he set about the task of training members of the Essex County Constabulary, a task that was to last him two years. From this small beginning grew the organisation of Police Civil Defence instructors, eventually comprising some 67 officers.

Mine damage at Clacton

With the onset of World War II in September 1939, the Police were considered one of the essential services at every air raid incident, where they had a variety of duties to perform. In order to co-ordinate this work control rooms were set up, at Headquarters and also at Divisional Stations throughout the county. The control room at Headquarters was in direct touch with the Royal Observer Corps and information received as to the course of enemy aircraft was of very great value 272 members of the Special Constabulary were taken on for full - time paid duty and in addition the numbers of part time Special Constabulary were increased, and at their height totaled nearly 2000.

In 1941 a training school was opened at Headquarters, in which more than 600 Auxiliary Police from most of the Police Forces in the district received basic training in police duties, civil defence and first aid. By 1941 the Women's Auxiliary Police Corps was formed with a maximum of 48 employed on full time work and 9 on part time duties. They worked at police stations carrying out clerical work, manning telephones as well as other miscellaneous tasks. In addition a Police Auxiliary Messenger Service was formed. These consisted of some 211 part time volunteers, all aged between the ages of 15 and 18, willing to use their bicycles to carry messages and they proved of great value, often working under difficult circumstances

Some 62 Police Officers were also trained as Bomb Reconnaissance Officers, their job being to make preliminary examinations in the case of every suspected unexploded bomb, and these tasks were carried out often at great risk to the individuals concerned. The work of Air Raid Wardens was placed under the control of the Chief Constable, Captain Peel, and the county was divided into 17 areas, each under the control of a Chief Warden, whose office was established in a local police station. In 1940 six Inspectors and seven Sergeants were seconded to act as full-time assistants to the Chief Wardens. In 1940 the Local Defence Volunteers, (Dad's Army) were formed and it was at Police Stations throughout the County that the first enrolments took place. With the increased threat of invasion Police Stations were put on full alert and all Police Officers were given training in the use of firearms. Superintendent Sutton was appointed as full time liaison officer with the Headquarters of the Military Command in the county, a post he held until 1944. The period between September 1939 and April 1940 was known as the 'Phoney War' and the civilian population in this country was lulled into a false sense of security; however this was to change on the night of April 30, when the first civilian casualties to die through enemy action in England occurred in the popular seaside resort of Clacton - on - Sea; not however an intentional act, but as the result of a terrible accident. A Heinkel 111 H-4 belonging to a Luftwaffe coastal unit specialising in mine laying operations around the East Anglian coast had been intent on laying two parachute mines in the sea, when the aircraft became engulfed in a thick blanket of fog. The aircraft broke cover near Harwich and was engaged by an antiaircraft battery and so close did the shells explode that it was believed that extensive damage had been caused to an engine and steering gear. The Heinkel, still carrying the two parachute mines suspended beneath the belly of the aircraft, began flying in ever decreasing circles over Clacton. Eye - witnesses recall seeing flares fired from the stricken aircraft as if to warn the townsfolk of the impending danger. The aircraft circled the town until it eventually crashed in Victoria Road, near the junction with Skelmersdale Road, finally resting against no. 25, the home of a Mr and Mrs Frederick Gill and their 19 year old son, William.

For a while there was strange stillness in the night air until suddenly the whole area was devastated by a huge explosion, as one of the two mines detonated. Local people who had been running to the scene were injured by flying glass. At Clacton Police Station Detective Sergeant E. Barkway (Later Detective Chief Superintendent and head of Essex CID) and the Duty Inspector heard the noise and rushed to the area and were greeted with a scene of utter devastation. Some 67 houses were seriously damaged and 170 more received slight damage.

No 25 Victoria Road was completely flattened and beside the remains of the aircraft the charred remains of the four crewmen lay. A search was made of the rubble for survivors and eventually William Gill, badly injured but alive, was dragged out. Unfortunately both his parents had been killed in the blast.

During the night and much of the next day the emergency services worked to clear the area and house those made homeless by the explosion. Rescuer workers noticed what they believed to be a hot water cylinder lying among the rubble and Detective Sergeant Barkway remembered resting his foot on it on several occasions. But then  someone more curious noticed German words stencilled on the side of the `hot water cylinder'. As a precaution the area was evacuated and two Royal Naval mine disposal officers, Lieutenant - Commander R. Ryan and Chief Petty Officer R. Ellingworth were called in and identified it as the new `C' type parachute mine. Miraculously the mine had not exploded when the Heinkel crashed and it was defused and taken away for further examination.

Damage caused at Victoria Road

Sadly the two men were killed at Dagenham during the London Blitz whilst examining another parachute mine - both were awarded a posthumous George Cross). The four airmen who died were Oberleutnant and Flugzeugfuhrer Herman Vagts, aged 25 years, the pilot of the Heinkel, Herman Sodmann, 24, Karl-Heinz Fresen, 26 and Hans- Gunter Koch, 21. It was decided to bury the four airmen in the local cemetery and on May 4 crowds lined the streets as RAF lorries carried the Swastika- draped coffins to their final resting place at Burrsville Park. Extra police were drafted in to the area as a precaution against demonstrations, but apart from an outcry from some of the popular press, all passed off peacefully. Many floral tributes from local people were laid on the graves. Just a week later Mr and Mrs Gill were laid to rest in the local cemetery. Apart from those who died, some 160 people were injured in the explosion. Despite the training in preparation for such an eventuality and warnings to take shelter during a raid, many of the injuries were caused by flying glass as local residents gazed on the scene from their windows. Inspector Sidney Smy from Clacton was commended by the Chief Constable for the able manner in which he controlled police involvement in the whole incident. Today the only lasting memory of this tragedy is a brass plate on a memorial seat, opposite where no.25 stood. Sadly this was not the only tragedy during the war and Essex Police History Notebook No 24 `The Luftwaffe versus Headquarters' tells of another incident when innocent civilians were killed. In total during the 1939 - 1945 War some 845 people were killed and nearly 6000 injured in Essex alone. The following were targeted at Essex during this time: 14000 high explosive bombs 1500 butterfly bombs 680 oil bombs 142,000 incendiaries 530 parachute mines 511 V1 rockets 400 V2 rockets. During World War Two, some 291 members of the Essex County Constabulary served with the armed forces and sadly of this number 24 were killed whilst on active service. A memorial service was held in their honour at Chelmsford Cathedral on the 19 May 1946 attended by many dignitaries and some 400 Police Officers and the relatives of those killed. Afterwards the Lord Lieutenant took the salute from the steps of the Shire Hall.

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