North Shields, Wilkinson's lemonade factory, air raid shelter

HER Number:
7675

District:
N Tyneside

Site Name:
North Shields, Wilkinson's lemonade factory, air raid shelter

Place:
North Shields

Map Sheet:
NZ36NE

Class:
Defence

Site Type: Broad:
Civil Defence Site

Site Type: Specific:
Air Raid Shelter

General Period:
Modern

Specific Period:
C20

Form of Evidence:
Documentary Evidence

Description:
There was a huge shelter under Wilkinson’s lemonade factory. It could hold up to 210 people. The shelter had three rooms, one was a smoking room, and each was equipped with bunk beds. Critically the ceiling was not reinforced and so at 11.12pm on Saturday May 3rd 1941, when a single bomb directly hit the shelter, 105 people were killed, 41 of whom were children. However, Ellen Lee, the ARP warden for the shelter bravely rescued 32 people from the explosion, despite having been badly burnt herself. It was the worst bombing incident in this part of the country during World War Two.

Easting:
36

Northing:
68

Grid Reference:
NZ3668

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
www.gatesheadgrid.org/westallswar; North Tyneside Council and Nexus, 2010, North Shields Heritage Trail, board 17 'A town where no town ought to be'