Ambulance hero of Blitz mourned; OBITUARY: Widow's tribute to Norman, aged 89, and men of his ilk who shone in city's darkest hour.Byline: By Stephen Hallmark AN AMBULANCE driver who helped ferry hospital patients to safety during the Coventry Blitz The Coventry blitz was a series of bombing raids (blitzes) that took place in the English city of Coventry. The city was bombed many times during World War II by the German Luftwaffe. The most devastating of these blitzes occurred on the evening of November 14, 1940. has died, aged 89 - just before the anniversary of the city's darkest hour. Father-of-two Norman Davies Norman Davies FBA (born June 8, 1939 in Bolton, Lancashire) is an English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Poland, Europe and the British Isles. Biography Davies' full name is Ivor Norman Richard Davies. A disciple of A.J.P. volunteered with the St John Ambulance and drove the distinctive black and white vehicles belonging to the Hospital Saturday Fund. During the fateful night of Thursday, November 14, 1940, Norman and the crews were called upon to do what they could to save the injured and dying as the city burned. The Blitz was something Norman didn't like to talk about, but he was later rewarded for his bravery with a Dale Medal, awarded by the Coventry Hospital Fund. His wife Barbara, of Earlsdon, Coventry, moved to the city from Halifax during the war and was drafted to the Armstrong- Whitworth factory. The 84-year-old, who has four grandchildren, said: "Norman, who was born and bred Born and Bred is a light-hearted British drama series that aired for four series on BBC One from 2002 to 2005. It was created by Chris Chibnall and Nigel McCrery. The cast was led by James Bolam and Michael French, who played a father and son who run a cottage hospital in here, dearly loved Coventry. Without men of his ilk, the city would not be the place it is today. "During the Blitz they went around the roads to do what they could. When they returned to their station near Stoney Stanton Road the hospital was bombed and an ambulance was blown onto the building's roof. "One of his friends was struck by a piece of shrapnel and died just five feet away from him." The ambulance crews then had to transfer patients from Coventry and Warwickshire to safety. Sadly, just a week later, Norman's brother Ronald Plant - a pilot in the 603 Lancaster Bomber squadron - died in a mid-air collision with a Heinkel. It was just two weeks after the family had celebrated sister Eileen's wedding. Soon after Norman, a dental technician dental technician n. A person who makes dental appliances and restorative devices, such as bridges or dentures, to the specifications of a dentist. , was called up to the army where he served in Bristol in the Royal Army Dental Corps The Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental care services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace. The Corps are a part of the British Army's Army Medical Services. . Barbara, who worked on the first ever Lancaster bomber to roll off Coventry's production lines, said: "Many soldiers broke their dentures to avoid being sent to war, so Norman was kept very busy. "He always joked that he'd lie to his children about how he spent the war because it wasn't very glamorous!" Barbara came to Coventry to be a nurse, and although she ended up working gruelling 12-hours shifts six or seven days a week in a factory, she volunteered with the St John Ambulance. She said: "That's how I met Norman. It wasn't Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. , but we had similar interests and fell in love. "We all shall miss him dearly." After the war Norman worked for Precious Metals Depositors and was a member of the Freeman's Guild, the Masons, and Probus. He died of pneumonia last Wednesday. His funeral will be held at St Barbara's Church, Rochester Road, Earlsdon, tomorrow. CAPTION(S): DIED... Norman Davies pictured during the war and (inset) more recently. |
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