The day Binns was bombed in a Nazi air raid on Sunderland in 1941

Three famous landmarks were hit that year

By Chris Cordner

Published 10th Apr 2024, 10:46 BST

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One of Sunderland’s most famous buildings was in the news on this day in history.

It was back in 1941 when a Nazi air raid destroyed the Binns stores on both sides of Fawcett Street.

Firemen damping down the wreckage from the incendiary bombs which hit Binns on this day in 1941.

Firemen damping down the wreckage from the incendiary bombs which hit Binns on this day in 1941.

The people of Sunderland woke to be told incendiary bombs caused all the damage on the night of April 9 and into the morning of April 10.

The staff bounced back in style

But the resilience of the Wearside workforce shone through. Within three days, the business was operating again but this time from a converted motor store in Holmeside. There was a downside though as many staff had to be laid off.

The rebuild after the war eventually saw an underground passage so shoppers could then move from one side of the store to the other without having to cross the busy road.

Many famous landmarks were hit

Binns was not the only famous Sunderland building to be targeted in 1941.

German bombs also struck Victoria Hall and the Winter Gardens.

In a remarkable tale from the same year, a Sunderland baby escaped unscathed when a bomb hit a house.

The scene of an air raid in which a house was hit in Sunderland - but a child was remarkably rescued despite the devastation.

The scene of an air raid in which a house was hit in Sunderland - but a child was remarkably rescued despite the devastation.

A child was rescued from this wreckage in Tunstall Vale, 10 hours after a German air raid. The arrow indicates the corner of the bedroom in which the baby was found.

The cot that the child was rescued from in 1941.

The cot that the child was rescued from in 1941.

Elsewhere in the town, this was the scene in North Durham Street where houses were turned into rubble during a raid in April 1941.

Tell us if a relative of yours survived one of the air raids on Sunderland by emailing [email protected]

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