Newspaper article about Bombing around us in WWII
August 16th 1940 RAF Brize Norton. Two German aircraft bombed the base. Nos 1 and 3 C-type hangars plus 4 aircraft were destroyed or written off. It was the most spectacular attack on any British airfield during WWII. One civilian, Frederick Harden was killed, he was 61 and came from Witney. On the same day six civilian Irish workmen were killed in the raid on RAF Stanton Harcourt which was under construction.
Stanley Jenkins describes in his book,Witney Through Time, how one of the bombs landed on Church Green and
second exploded behind the Eagle Brewery. The bombs caused blast damage to the grammar school and many houses.
their reports speak of army vehicles parked round Church Green being destroyed, windows being shattered in he church, the council offices and the police station as well as several shops. In addition, falling glass from the glazed roof of the weaving sheds at Mount Mills, the home of blanket manufacturers James Marriott and Sons, damaged the looms and production of blankets was halted while they were repaired. Remarkably the only injuries appear to have been cuts and bruises and building repairs were quickly carried out.