Wigan Album

you learn someting every day

Was it Harper or Hartley st?
thanks for the photo, its great to have snippets like this

The Zeppelin was trying to hit the huge Kirkless foundry at New Springs - the path of it's bombs were in line with it anyhow....

Apologies for my typo, you're quite right it is HARPER STREET not Hartley.
I'll post a map of the line the bombs took through Wigan, the first landed at Preston Street near Britannia Bridge and the last near the Crown Hotel at New Springs.

Makes ya think that somewere in Germany, maps were being looked at and places like Wigan and New Springs were being discussed between the high ranks of the Nazi regime.

Saw that they knew everything, from the depths and lengths of our rivers to our roads.

Kapitan-leutnant Herbert Ehrlich of the Imperial German Naval Airship Service was in charge of Zepplin L61. He dropped bombs on Wigan because he thought he was over Sheffield. He had seen the glare from the furnaces at Wigan Coal & Iron Co. as they were being recharged and they had no real navigation aids then. Strangely enough, I was telling a new intake of ATC Cadets in Wigan on Friday night about this and none of the 17 boys & girls had heard of this raid. E.T.

Gareth, This Zeppelin raid was in 1918, maps in darkness did not help much and there was no Nazi regime. E.T.

Wrong war I'm afraid, Gareth.
This took place in the 'Kaiser's War.'

That may have been true of the Second World War Gareth but accurate navigation and bombing were difficult in WW1. There were 5 Zeppelins that were ordered to bomb "Middle England", their actual target was Liverpool. Despite the poor weather this Zeppelin probably spotted the glare from "Top Place's" six blast furnaces and the commander thought he had bombed Sheffield. No warning was given to the people in Wigan unlike at the Brunner works (later ICI) at Northwich which the ship had passed over earlier when a "zepp warning hooter" was sounded.

My sincere apologies, and embarrasment at my mistake.
I enjoy things like this about Wigan and particularly Wigan Coal and Iron company as my grandmother was head-cook.
Sorry again!...I think I'll go brushing up on my history now.

it says hartley st/it is harper st or hartley avenue hartley st dosn't exist

it was Harper Street No. 1 to 9 that was taken out by the explosion. they are now gardens for the DSE residents. i did a full renovation of my house which faces Harper Street and it bears the marks off the explosion on the internal walls cracked the bricks internally but since been covered over.