Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
St Peter's School
The raid on Leeds had an impact on all children in the city, not just those who were killed or injured during the bombing.
The physical impact of the bombs can be seen in the case of St Peter’s School, which was damaged during the raid. St Peter’s was one of the oldest schools in Leeds, starting life as the parish school for the town in 1812.
The layout of Leeds from the 1920s. The school once stood slightly South-East of St. Peter's Church, along the Calls (digimap.edina.ac.uk)
A headmaster's notes
The school’s headmaster was ‘absent from duties’ following the raid due to an injury sustained to his knee. However, he drew on the assistant master’s notes to produce a record of the event which is now held in the West Yorkshire Archive.
“The School buildings were damaged by a bomb which exploded within a few feet of the south wall” (Logbook, 1941)
The notes explain that a high explosive bomb fell outside the school, shattering windows, causing classroom ceilings to collapse and destroying the school’s gas and electricity apparatus. Luckily, the structure of the building and its heating system were undamaged.
St Peter’s was one of eight schools to be damaged during the raid. It re-opened after the war but was demolished later in the century. The site now houses Chantrell House and Chantrell Court, a mixed-use office and residential development.
The damage to the infant’s classroom. As the headmaster explains, the damage to this room is similar to that of damage across the different classrooms. (Logbook, 1941)
Death of a dog
The bomb caused serious damage to the caretaker’s accommodation as well as the main school building. According to the headmaster, the property was ‘shattered’, meaning that the caretaker and his wife had be moved into emergency accommodation in one of the undamaged classrooms.
Sadly, the caretaker’s dog was also reported to have been killed in the incident.
