The Barrow Blitz of April and May 1941 caused a tremendous amount of damage to the housing stock of the town. 

One newspaper report states that of an estimated 18,000 houses in the town 9,000 were slightly damaged, 1300 seriously, 118 demolished by the bombing and another 500 demolished subsequent to the bombing.(1)

Baldwin Street was struck by at least one and possibly two High Explosive bombs, part of a ‘stitch’ running approximately north-south near Hawcoat Lane, on the night of 3rd/4th May 1941. (2)

Houses 1-3 and 18-20 Baldwin St were deemed so seriously damaged as to need demolition. Some houses in this category were later repaired.(3) Luckily, nobody is reported to have been killed and so it is assumed that the occupants were in their shelters.

Despite the camaraderie in the town, with many helping those whose houses had been damaged, the Blitz spirit was not felt by everybody. As reported by Trescatheric and Hughes ‘A serious element at this time was the looting which occurred in the wealthier parts of town. In Hawcoat Lane, Hill Road and elsewhere people returned home from shelters or rest centres to find bedding, clothes and food missing.’  Imagine returning home after a night of terror to find that a thief had stolen your things.