I suspect the term “coventried" has now passed out of living memory, and yet 80 years ago it was used to describe the destruction of towns and cities from aieral bomarbment.
It was first used by the Germans following the attack on Coventry on the night of November 14th, 1940, which left an estimated 560 people dead, 863 badly injured, with 393 receiving lesser injuries.
More than 4,300 homes were destroyed, two thirds of the city’s buildings damaged, and one third of its factories complete destroyed.
All of which leads into this Radio 4 programme on the attack and the subsequent rebuilfing of the city.
“The Raising of Coventry tells the story of the bombing of Coventry 80 years ago. This documentary explores the city being razed to ground by 500 Nazi planes, to the rising up as a post war city, to Coventry being the City of Culture in 2021.
During the programme, dramatic story telling is used as 3 fictional characters tell their story of the bombing from emerging from the shelter, to a German pilot, to a priest who is in the Cathedral after and questioning his faith. This is mixed with historical news clips and eyewitnesses who lived through that night.
The show examines the true impact of 14th November 1940. Exploring the myth that Churchill sacrificed Coventry, so the Germans didn’t know the UK had cracked the enigma code. The show unearths the truth that Coventry was used to draw in allies as it was the first bombing of a City to be reported.
Through soundscapes, eyewitness and experts the show takes the listener to that November night and explores the sights, sounds and feelings of that terrifying night.
The show later explores the legacy of a post war city the highs it felt in the 50’s and 60’s, to disparaging remarks of it's architecture to the city re-emerging as the UK City of Culture in 2021.
The Raising of Coventry is narrated by Midlands Actor Cassie Bradley who is joined by Coventry actor Jay Sutherland, German Marcel Rasche and Brassic’s Steve Evets to tell the story of that night and the events that followed. They take the listener on a journey, exploring myths and discovering the real legacy of that night - not a city reborn but a City that has become a symbol around the world as a place of peace and reconciliation."
Location; Coventry
Pictures; A street in Coventry, England, after the Coventry Blitz of 14–15 November 1940. In the background are the tower and spire of Holy Trinity parish church. November 16th, 1940, Children searching for books among the ruins of their school in Coventry after a night raid, 10 April 1941, The Imperial War Museum
* The Raising of Coventry, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pfdn
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