There had been a lull in the enemy action over Norwich in the months leading up to the last week in April of 1942. There were those who started to ignore the sirens warning people to take shelter.
Then, on Monday, April 27, the Luftwaffe set out to reduce parts of the city to rubble after reading in the Baedeker travel guides that Norwich was a place of great historical interest.
It was approaching midnight when the deep rhythmic noise of between 25 and 30 planes could be heard in the skies.
Parachute flares lit up the city followed by the scream of heavy bombs hurling down on residential streets and across the city centre followed by shattering explosions.
The city was on fire.
For more than two hours the Luftwaffe pounded Norwich, dropping around 185 heavy bombs, weighing more than 50 tons.
At the time, official records reported 162 deaths with almost 600 others being seriously injured. Even the mortuary was bombed. Hundreds more were homeless and left with just the clothes on their backs.
It seemed that people were the targets rather than landmark buildings. The cathedral, the castle, city hall and the guildhall escaped while many residential streets were blown to pieces.
The destitute, the bereaved, grief-stricken and bewildered queued as more than 14,000 emergency ration cards were issued.
Smoke was still rising from the ruins when the bombers returned on the evening of Wednesday, April 29.
This time there was some attempt at defence with anti-aircraft fire but there were too many planes. Eye-witnesses said the second attack – although 45 minutes shorter, and claiming fewer lives - was more devastating than the first one.
More than 110 high explosive bombs were dropped on the city and the official figure put the death rate at 69.
The week ended on Friday May 1. The bombers returned but by now Norwich was defending itself...bombs still fell causing widespread damage.
In the nights which followed bedraggled women could be seen walking out of the war-torn city at night, pushing prams, barrows and carts with their possessions, to sleep in the countryside – farm buildings and the like.
In parts of Norwich there was no gas or electricity, no running water or sewerage facilities. The emergency services were stretched to the limit.
Apart from private houses, many public buildings, corner shops, department stores (including Curls (Debenhams), factories large and small (Caley's among them) were destroyed or damaged, along with churches and public house.
There were top-secret plans to evacuate Norwich and at the height of the Blitz this was considered. Nobody knows how close that special code-word came to be being used. An organisation called MAGNA – Mutual Aid Good Neighbours' Association – run by Ruth Hardy rose to the occasion and helped hundreds of families in their time of need.
When King George VI visited the city in October 1942 to see the ruins for himself, he told her: 'Mrs Hardy, there is too little friendship in the world today. Do keep up the wonderful work when the war is over.'
She did...but life was never the same again for so many people in Norwich after that terrible week in April of 1942.
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