12 midnight - the bombs are still coming down. During the 1930s the population of Coventry grew by 90,000. Despair turned to outrage, then determination to stand proud despite the German attacks. Coventry counted as a jewel in the United Kingdom’s military-industrial crown. By 1947 Coventry's boundaries enclosed 19,167 acres (77.57 km 2). It began systematically bombing German cities, with the Luftwaffe’s attack on Coventry as something of a blueprint – over time aided by improved navigation and bomb-aiming technology, and pursued with ever more apocalyptic efficiency. Please enter your number below. 3,766/km² Population Density [2019] 2.0% Annual Population Change [2011 → 2019] Coventry: city in the West Midlands in England, UK – Inception: 1043 – Official Website – Local dialing code: … Was Churchill forewarned of the attack’s target by the Enigma codebreakers but did nothing for fear of betraying his source? A Luftwaffe briefing recommended incendiary bombs for such areas, stating: “The effects on industry [in Coventry] would be especially amplified due to the fact that the work force, which lives in immediate proximity to the factories, would suffer along with them.”. 3,000 homeless people had to be dealt with by the authorities after November. A pattern of radio ‘beams’, transmitted from stations along the French channel coast, met just before and over the target. The trams and tramlines in Coventry were too badly damaged and never ran again. - the Radio Counter-Measures headquarters informs the R.A.F. On Saturday 16th November, 1940, King George VI visited Coventry to see the ruined city for himself, and to show support for the victims. Coventry has grown by 6,820 since 2015, which represents a 1.60% annual change. 135 sorties flown by defence aircraft, only two actually opened fire on bombers, but none shot down. 79 public air-raid shelters were available. Die Besiedlung von Coventry startete im Jahr 1800. There they would drop bombs, creating fires and so guiding the mass of following bombers to the target. Coventry’s gas and electricity supplies, telephone exchange, and its water and sewage networks were laid waste. No casualties. 5,930 houses required evacuation while repairs were done. Fighter Command was ordered into action. You can unsubscribe at any time. In 1847 a cemetery was opened. 21 bombers made a diversionary raid on London, 22 more laid mines on the Thames. Coventry, England: City of Peace . Look at the census forms for Hubbardton in 1840 and Vernon in 1940. However, while morale in Coventry and elsewhere in Britain wavered, it did not break. After the two big raids of April 1941, there were no more than 6 fatalities in any single raid. 2am - and still more bombs keep coming down. 7:07pm - official "Air Raid Message Yellow" signal, which meant "Raiders approaching your area". 1930 The former Coventry workhouse became Gulson Road Municipal Hospital. Better to order the city’s people to their shelters and hope. Later waves of bombers sowed further destruction on the centre, killing and injuring repair and rescue teams now working there. 2) … Other aircraft fanned out towards the suburbs, targeting more factories and adjacent residential developments. 8:30pm - many telephone and telegraph wires broken, making communication very difficult. They are located on the outskirts of the … United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035. that the X-Gerat beams appear to have been aligned on Coventry. The total number of households is 23,924 with 3 people per household on average.The median age of the current population is 42 with 31,028 people being married and 26,310 being single. Nobody in Coventry was warned of this probability. 8pm - 240 fires already reported around the city. But the scale of the operation planned for mid-November – codenamed ‘Moonlight Sonata’ because of the expected full moon – foresaw a brutal step-change. Coventry Gore, welches jedoch im Jahr 1816 der Town Newport zugeschlagen wurde. If such people’s morale might be broken, perhaps the country could, after all, be bombed into surrender. Historic buildings came under attack, including the cathedral, plus large centrally located factories such as the Triumph Works, which was next to the cathedral. And in 2021, Coventry celebrates its well-earned status as the UK City of Culture. Most of the statistics, however, can be considered 'close enough' to give a good indication of the problems faced during and after the blitz. Could he nonetheless have somehow ‘saved’ the city? In fact, a succession of comparatively short – but in some cases lethally sharp – German raids against Coventry from late August onward had already killed 176 civilians. Official local and government figures for Coventry's population in 1940 vary wildly, and range from 190,000 to 250,000. 4,187 school places were made unavailable by the damage. 6:17pm - the first wave of bombers (Heinkel 111's of Kampfgruppe 100) crossed the English coast at Dorset. The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, Try 6 issues of BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed for only £9.99, During the night of 14/15 November 1940, several hundred German bombers inflicted devastation on the industrial city of Coventry. Coventry, Connecticut Town Seal Location in Tolland County and the state of Connecticut Coordinates: 41°47′04″N 72°20′20″W / … It may take 50 to 100 years in all, and cost $80,000,000. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. 2 Coventry Cathedral, Cathedral Quarter. The city’s population of about a quarter of a million people would suffer an aerial attack of unprecedented duration and concentration, its accuracy enhanced by a revolutionary new guidance system known as the X-Gerät (X-Apparatus). The official Home Office figure is quoted at 238,400. Post-war, many have been tempted into speculations remote from the reality of Coventry’s martyrdom. The growth rate of the country is very strong but consistent, only exception is in 2016 with slower growth rate of 0.66%. You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email. 11pm - water dries up for those trying to save the cathedral. The Luftwaffe could celebrate and did so unashamedly. Tothe north the ground falls away fairly steeply, ratherless so to the west and east, and very gently to thesouth; this convex site is itself in a shallow basin,with a range of hills to the north-west and west andsporadic hills to the north-east. Welcome Dr. Carol Rank to our Advisory Council of leaders! Coventry was incorporated in May 1712. 'The Coventry I Remember', by M. S. Garratt. Vor ca. Coventry's total population, according to the 2011 UK census, was 316,960. Coventry. At the start of the Second World War, Coventry was an industrial city of around 238,000 people which, like much of the industrial West Midlands, contained metal and wood-working industries. In Coventry's case, these included cars, bicycles, aeroplane engines and, since 1900, munitions factories. The population was 12,435 at the 2010 census. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions and privacy policy. The mediaeval Gothic Cathedral of St Michael was built as the parish church in the late 14th to early 15th century, but largely destroyed by the Luftwaffe on the night of 14 November 1940 in an incendiary bombing raid - only the tower, spire and outer walls remain. There are 33,815 male residents living in Coventry Manor and 34,500 female residents. You have successfully linked your account! It is Gibson’s job to build a new Coventry from the ruins of the old city wrecked by Nazi bombs in 1940. However, it can sometimes be convenient to see the facts and figures laid out, so that events can be more easily understood. Countermeasures were, in fact, undertaken, including air attacks on the X-Gerät transmitters, whose locations were known to the British. 28 hotels, 80 garages & 121 offices destroyed. Coventry's 2021 population is now estimated at 432,386. In 1836 the first real police force was formed in Coventry. A recently regenerated city centre, globally renowned universities and an international population have all helped shape this city’s unique cultural identity. 28,000 homes had been restored by 30th January 1941 - about two thirds of the damaged number. Pre-planned retaliatory raids by Bomber Command against Berlin and other German cities were also under way even as the Luftwaffe sowed destruction on Coventry. The bombing of Coventry occurred on the night of 14 November 1940. Industry aside, however, there were further reasons for Berlin’s interest in the ‘Heart of England’. By 1851 the population of Coventry had reached 37,000 and by 1900 about 62,000. There had been yet another boundary extension in 1928 which brought even more districts within the city limits, and extensive new housing estates were rapidly developed, particularly within those districts, though barely fast enough to keep pace with demand. 16,048 houses had been repaired by 28th December 1940. Approx. Unlikely. In February 1942, Harris took charge of RAF Bomber Command. Certainly, American public opinion, hitherto still predominantly isolationist, had by the end of 1940 shifted sufficiently for President Roosevelt to gain congressional support for the supply of desperately needed aircraft and ships to Britain. Coventry people were kept awake by 373 siren alerts between June 1940 and August 1942. Uncovering the truth about WW2’s Katyn massacre. Cleveland's industry and population grew rapidly during the last quarter of the 19th Century. (fn. Accurate statistics appear to be an extremely difficult thing to achieve, especially in such difficult circumstances as were the case at that time. (See scholarly paper below) A city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands, Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. 371,521. - German radio beam activity detected, although final direction of beam not yet set. An average of 532 houses per day were being repaired during the first few weeks after the November raid. The initial shock and despair in Coventry did not last. Meanwhile, senior figures within the British Air Ministry such as Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Harris, a hard-nosed technocrat who had long chafed against restraints on the RAF’s bombing of civilian targets, could argue that Coventry freed Britain to strike back with equal ruthlessness. Coventry Manor is an area in Napa,Napa County,California with a population of 68,315. Es waren bis zu 50.000 neue Arbeitsplätze vorgesehen, allerdings wurden nur 40.000 besetzt, davon 10.000 durch bis zum Bau des Kraftwerks noch arbeitslose Bewohner der Stadt. The population density was 3,408 people per square km. In 1950, the population of Coventry was 302,854. 449 bombers (according to German records) actually reached Coventry. As a result, the city's affluent population began looking beyond the city limits for respite from the dirt and bustle of urban living. The Coventry Blitz began on the night of 14 November 1940 and lasted 11 hours. There were many improvements in Coventry in the 19th century. Provost Howard and the fire-fighting team sit and watch helplessly as it burns down. Coventry's population by age - mid-2018 estimates. Vermont in 1940 (PDF 5.3 MB) - Vernon in 1940. The final air-raid for Coventry was on the 3rd August 1942, on Stoke Heath. From early September 1940, Adolf Hitler had given priority to nightly attacks on London, hoping to force the British to make peace. Population: 306,700 Geographical location: Central England; County of West Midlands Profile: It was in 1043 that Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife Godiva founded the Priory Church of St. Mary, as the first cathedral in Coventry. 98.64 km² Area. The debacle of Dunkirk had been a mere six months earlier, the Battle of Britain a close-run fight to survive. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Panic and chaos would likely have resulted. Although he was probably informed late that afternoon, after the Luftwaffe’s guidance beam, with its intersection point over Coventry, was identified. Hundreds more civilians were gravely injured. Compare the information the government collected in these two census counts. The Luftwaffe’s so-called ‘England Committee’, composed of Foreign Office officials and specialist academics, had advised the planners that the Midlands was a bastion of “conservative, stubborn-dour Englishness”. 6am - and the raid isn't quite over yet.... 6:16am - the "Raiders Passed" signal finally reaches Coventry. The first bombs of the war dropped in the vicinity of Coventry were 5 dropped on Ansty Aerodrome, 25 June 1940. Coventry is also the most central city in England, being only 12 miles (18 km) south-southwest of the country's geographical centre in Leicestershire; it is located in the West Midlands.The current Coventry Cathedral was built after most of the 14th century cathedral church of Saint Michael was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in the Coventry Blitz of 14 November 1940. America and WW2: when, how and why did the US get involved, and why they didn’t enter sooner? Everything you ever wanted to know about... What was Operation Sealion, Hitler’s planned invasion of Britain? Population. On the night of 14 November 1940, three hundred German bombers dropped 500 tons of explosives, 33,000 incendiary bombs and dozens of parachute mines on the industrial city of Coventry. Thanks! Entire families died together, often in rudimentary neighbourhood shelters. 6:50pm - first message received in Coventry that a raid was on the way. A total of around 1,250 Coventry people were killed in air-raids. The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 censuses in Coventry. Coventry is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. 111 out of 180 factories damaged, 75 of them destroyed - many minor businesses make up these figures. The metro area population of Coventry-Bedworth in 2020 was 426,000, a 1.91% increase from 2019. The word “Coventrated” (“conventriert” in German) was coined by Nazi propagandists to celebrate this new level of annihilation. Although Finest Hour has covered this subject before we asked Sir Martin for his own rendition based on his most recent research. (lower): Because of the wartime shortage of labor and materials, terraced houses like this one had to be limited to one story for the present. (There had been plans to phase the tram system out within a few years anyway, but this event brought it to a definite close.). So, given these weaknesses, should the government have attempted to evacuate Coventry at short notice? Die Bevölkerung nahm um 30.000 Einwohner zu. Coventry's population estimate 2018. 1921 War Memorial Park was opened. 1919 The parish church of St Michael became a cathedral on the creation of Coventry Diocese. Between 50,000 & 100,000 of these were staying outside Coventry around the time of the November raid. Up to 50,000 new jobs were planned, but only 40,000 were filled, 10,000 of them by residents of the city who were still unemployed until the power plant was built. The first Coventry civilian casualties of the war were on the 27th June - 16 killed in Hillfields. 6:17pm - the first wave of bombers (Heinkel 111's of Kampfgruppe 100) crossed the English coast at Dorset. But Prof Jones argues that just as the Blitz spirit in Coventry meant civilians did not capitulate to the enemy, so too did that hold true in Dresden and also in Hamburg - … Among the HE's were around 50 parachute mines (also known as land-mines) weighing 1,000kg each. On 14 November 1940, the Luftwaffe launched its most devastating bombing raid of World War Two so far, an 11-hour attack which killed 568 people. ists of cold, hard statistics can never be the best way to portray such an horrific event as the blitz on Coventry. 2,306 houses destroyed or required demolition. In the words of the historian Frederick Taylor, "Coventry was therefore, in terms of what little law existed on the subject, a legitimate target for aerial bombing". The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public. 30 Jahren erlebte Coventry infolge des Baus eines Kraftwerks einen wirtschaftlichen Aufschwung. From a purely operational viewpoint, therefore, Coventry could be counted a German success, but the ensuing propaganda battle resulted in a crucial victory for Winston Churchill’s beleaguered government. Between 1,200 & 1,600 high explosives and oil bombs, totalling 503 tons, were dropped. Over 80% of all these fatalities came from just three raids - those of November 14th 1940 and 8th & 10th April 1941. His latest work, 1939: A People’s History, was recently published in paperback by Picador, Coventry is recognised as a city of peace and reconciliation. Ethnicity. Hardly. Survivors began to rebuild their lives. Tracking devices aboard an elite group of pathfinder aircraft enabled them to follow the beams and recognise where they intersected, in the final instance precisely over the pre-planned aiming point. formerly in KnightlowHundred, is situated in the north-east of the countyof Warwick and on the south-east fringe of the regiononce covered by the Forest of Arden. This is your first visit to my website today, thank you! The city was bombed many times during World War Two, but the most … And so it proved. An anniversary service at Coventry … Tracking devices aboard an elite group … A pattern of radio ‘beams’, transmitted from stations along the French channel coast, met just before and over the target. Please note: The above figures were compiled from several sources, and no two lists of figures agree exactly with each other. The 11-hour raid represented a radical departure in the air war that would mark (and mar) the way bomber fleets were used during the rest of the conflict. Hitler decided to broaden Germany’s bombing effort with large-scale attacks on Britain’s industrial towns, especially those involved in aircraft production. Godiva was a very religious woman and well known for her generous gifts to church communities. Abroad, the raid soon came to exemplify German barbarism. This second of Coventry's cathedrals was destroyed on 14 November 1940, when the German Luftwaffe raided the historic city centre of Coventry. At this point not exactly following the radio beam for fear of detection and interception. 371,521 Population [2019] – Estimate. Around 11:45pm - according to the Observer Corps Plotting Centre, the raid had "reached its height". The population of Coventry according to the census was 106,349. Photographs taken after the German bombing raid on Coventry in 1940 show a bewildered population and a city in ruins. These estimates represent the Urban agglomeration of Coventry, which typically includes Coventry's population … 41 actual raids took place between these dates. One thing seems clear, though, and of genuine historical significance: ‘Moonlight Sonata’ rebounded on Germany and the German people with a vengeance. 1914 The first motor buses in Coventry were introduced. Local historians have recorded the names of almost all the casualties and where they perished. Coventry Cathedral in November 1940 after the devastating raid on the fourteenth. At this point not exactly following the radio beam for fear of detection and interception. The three-year campaign saw the near-obliteration of Hamburg, Kassel, Berlin, and other German population centres – including, most notoriously, the historic city of Dresden in 1945. 1 enemy aircraft officially shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Despite the destruction, the west tower of the cathedral miraculously survived, relatively intact. There seems to be a problem, please try again. The current metro area population of Coventry-Bedworth in 2021 is 432,000, a 1.41% increase from 2020. 33,000 people could be accommodated in these shelters. A gasworks opened in Coventry in 1820 and the town soon had gas street lighting. The city’s population of about a quarter of a million people would suffer an aerial attack of unprecedented duration and concentration, its accuracy enhanced by a revolutionary new guidance system known as the X-Gerät (X-Apparatus). The high explosives contained a mixture of between 50kg and 500kg in weight. The population of Coventry in the past 9 years can be used to estimate the population of the country in 2020. (I know the above lines appear to be repeating a bit, but I'm trying to get the message across that for hour after hour, the people of Coventry faced a non-stop stream of absolute terror, and just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, still more total destruction and death rained down relentlessly from the moonlit sky above. ... 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 Einwohner: 728: 616: 668: 610: 549: 497: 458: 492: 674: 806 Jahr 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 Einwohner: 1014: 1086: Wirtschaft und Infrastruktur Verkehr. Save up to 72% and get your first 6 issues for only £9.99! 7:10pm - before the sirens finish wailing, the first incendiary bombs start dropping. 14 shelters received damage; 11 of these had to be abandoned. And why was it cancelled? By November, however, despite this relentless Blitz against eight million Londoners, Britain still held firm. Known as ‘Operation Moonlight Sonata’, more than 400 German bombers attacked Coventry, leaving a trail of destruction. Another claimed but not confirmed. 7:10pm - official "Air Raid Message Red" signal - Sirens sounded. 7:40pm - incendiaries reported to have landed on the cathedral roofs. After the war a second story will be added to them. 3pm approx. “The war without an end”: what happened in Europe after VE Day. 1pm approx. If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. The population development of Coventry as well as related information and services (Wikipedia, Google, images). Name Status Population Census 2001-04-29 Population Census 2011-03-27 Population Estimate 2019-06-30; Coventry: Unparished Area: 294,283: 310,369: 364,967: West Midlands: Region: 5,267,308: 5,601,847 : 5,934,037: Source: UK Office for National Statistics (web). The raid levelled most of the city centre and devastated the cathedral building. Frederick Taylor is the author of a number of books on the Second World War, including the bombing of Coventry and Dresden. What do the changes in questions suggest about societal changes between 1840 and 1940? The population increased by 30,000. When dawn broke over the shattered, still-burning city, 568 of its inhabitants were dead. The growth ranges from 0.66% to 1.74%, adding around Vermont in 1950 (PDF 7.0 MB) Vermont in 1960 (PDF 2.5 MB) Vermont in 1970 (PDF 3.9 MB) Vermont in 1980 (PDF 4.9 MB) Vermont in 1990 (PDF 3.8 MB) Ideas for Census Record Lessons. The carnage began at around 7pm on 14 November in the city centre. German intelligence was well-informed about the city’s industries and key infrastructure – exactly where in the city aero engines were manufactured; radar sets; military vehicles and navigation aids, and so on. Food rationing was temporarily lifted. Wire reports, including shocking pictures of the ravaged cathedral (though less often of the wrecked factories) and of civilian corpses being lowered into mass graves, spread around the world, especially to the still-neutral USA. 881 canisters containing a total of around 30,000 incendiaries were dropped. Every aspect was calculated to maximise destruction and inspire terror. These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of the UN World Urbanization Prospects. 64 light capacity flare-bombs were dropped. 5am - hard to believe, but the Germans are still returning to drop more bombs. But the British night-fighters, most still lacking onboard radar, could not find the enemy bombers, and the local anti-aircraft artillery likewise proved ineffectual. The centre ofthe city lies on a slight eminence which rises to itshighest point just south of Holy Trinity Church. Since 1541 Coventry had been a county on its own. Here, historian Frederick Taylor explains what happened and why Coventry was targeted – and whether Churchill was forewarned of the attack…. ), 16.