Supporting Lowestoft 'A Living History'

What will you be doing on 11th July?

Wallers’ Raid Remembered at Historical Event on 11th July 2009

It is still within living memory when the Germans launched their most devastating attack on Lowestoft. It happened on the 13th January 1942 in the middle of the day when shops were open and people were out and about.

A huge chunk of London Road North was simply demolished by bombs. Walk passed the shops today and you can see where the older Victorian frontages vanish and are replaced by more modern shops, the result of being rebuilt after that terrible day in January.

What made the attack so frightening was that the Germans struck in broad daylight with little warning and the main victims of the raid were young girls and boys, some as young as 14 who were working in the shops at the time of the raid.

The German fighters flew in low over the town, so low people could look out their upstairs windows and see the pilots and the anti-aircraft gun were unable to shoot at them. The Germans flew down London Road North dropping bombs and machine gunning the street and anyone in it.

After the raid large chunks of the town were smoking heaps of stone, the only evidence of shops that once stood there were piles of rubble. Perhaps the biggest site for causalities was the Wallers Restaurant which had been busy with civilian customers and servicemen before the raid. Afterwards it was almost flattened, and many of its customers and staff were dead.

The rescue crews took days to find all the victims, in the meantime families had to wait to hear what had happened to their loved ones.

It is hard to imagine the devastation that one raid caused but on the 11th July, World War II is remembered in Lowestoft with a Historical Pageant. Come to London Road North and you could just meet the Homeguard drilling and preparing for the time Hitler might actually invade Britain. Stand outside Chadds and witness a fashion show from the 1940s, brought to life by children from the Denes High School.

Wander further up and you could stumble across the NAAFI canteen where you can get a corn beef sandwich and cup of tea. And then carry on to meet more people from the past. Witness Oliver Cromwell taking control of the town after a half-hearted defence by the royalists. Watch the Dockside Dandies wander by in their fabulous suits. Meet the fisher girls, once a vital part of the Lowestoft fishing industry and hear them singing while herring is gutted ready to be transported across the country.

Be swept into the darker side of Lowestoft as the Lateral Artistes perform their own version of the Lowestoft Witch Trials and then visit the various music acts bringing alive the past of our historic town. And watch your step, as there will even be a dinosaur roaming around!

Lowestoft ‘A Living History’ will be happening on 11th July 2009, between 10am and 5pm, with acts performing throughout the day and various re-enactors bringing to life Lowestoft’s past. For more detail contact Emma Jones, LTMP Town Centre Manager on 01502 502205 or 07876715772 or email Emma at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it