53 KILLED AT BSA WORKS

The headline that never made the papers

On the night of the 19th November 1940 Birmingham suffered one of its
worst air raids of the blitz when a German bombers dropped two bombs on
the Armoury Road site of the Birmingham Small Arms factory at Small
Heath. Many night shift workers that night had stayed at their machines
when the sirens sounded and when they did decide to vacate the factory
floor the intensity of the raid made it impossible for them to reach
the air raid shelters safely. That night they chose to shelter in the
basement of the reinforced concrete factory, only one worker would be
pulled out alive after being trapped for 9 hours, 52 were crushed to
death when the complete factory building collapsed on top of them after
two direct hits.

Wartime reporting restrictions meant that the raid could not be reported by the media.

For the first time in 70 years there will be wreaths laid at Armoury Road
at 2 pm on the 19th November by Jon Price the organiser of the BSA
Memorial Appeal and webmaster of the Made in Birmingham website and the leader of The Respect Party and councillor for Sparkhill Salma Yaqoob.

A small gathering of motorcyclists, some on BSA motorcycles, will proceed
to the Birmingham Council House after the wreath laying to attend the
Birmingham Air Raid 70th anniversary day organised by local school
teacher Doug Smith. The exhibition, in conjunction with the Birmingham
Air Raids Association, is in the banqueting suite and will be open to
the public from 10 - 4 pm, there is no admission charge. Charles
Cundall's painting of the BSA disaster, owned and commissioned by the
BSA and presented to BMAG when the factory closed in 1975, will be also
on show.Mick Volante will be exhibiting a BSA Gold Star and Ken Broomfield will be exhibiting a BSA M20 and several BSA guns

There will be also an evening ticket only event commencing at 7pm.

THIS IS A TICKET ONLY EVENT--200 tickets only

1. The event begins at 7 pm
2. There will be a maximum 200 guests. They will be able to look at the displays until 8 pm. There will be tea and coffee
3. Welcome by Doug Smith, Swanshurst School
4. Barabara Johnson, Chairman of Barra to say a few words
5. Song by Rosemary Stacey – ‘My Dearest Dear’
6. Doug – Power Point – Birmingham’s contribution to the War effort and its sacrifice
7. Song by Andrea Dowsett – ‘Over the rainbow’
8. Doug – November 19^th 1940
9. Jon Price www.madeinbirmingham.org The BSA
10. Song by Rosemary Stacey ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square’
11. DVD of reminisces of the war
12. Song by Andrea Dowsett – ‘Don’t Sit Under the apple tree’
13. Poem by Jean Frier – ‘Seventy Years on’
14. Doug closing words

If you are attending the evening event you will have to make your own car parking arrangements

If you are staying in Birmingham for the evening event remember the adjacent Birmingham reference library is open till 8pm . Thre are numerous restaurants and those that masqueardes such (Mac Donalds etc)