West Riding ARP Bomb Map: 14-15 March 1941

New information

One of the highlights of this project was that it led people with personal or family connections to the air raid on Leeds to share their stories.

Other stories

The raid on Leeds began when air raid sirens were sounded at 9pm, as enemy bombers were detected crossing the East Coast. The middle of March had an intensification of night warfare as clear skies and a gibbous moon made aerial navigation much easier.

A handful of bombs were dropped around 11pm, with firefighters called to tackle incendiary bombs in and around the city centre. However, the main raid occurred in two waves around midnight and 2am. At both times, aircraft dropped a mixture of incendiary, high explosive (HE) and delayed action (UXB) bombs.

The location of these bombs can be plotted using records compiled by the fire service, local Civil Defence services and the national government. The West Yorkshire Archive Service created a map to visualise this data in 2020 and we have added new locations from our research.

Interactive map

West Riding ARP Bomb Map, 14/15 March 1941