Home / War and Conflict / Blitz Survivor: "Luck" Saved Me From Bomb's Fury
Blitz Survivor: "Luck" Saved Me From Bomb's Fury
7 Jun
Summary
- Ted Bush, 92, survived Cardiff's worst Blitz night in 1941.
- His family home was destroyed, but they escaped due to a car ride.
- He credits "luck" and "discipline" for his survival.
Ted Bush, now 92, recounts the terrifying night of January 2, 1941, when Cardiff endured its single worst Blitz raid. An air raid siren interrupted a cinema visit, prompting Ted's father to drive the family out of the city. This decision, Ted believes, was pure luck that saved his life.
Upon returning the next day, Ted, then eight, found his family home completely destroyed. He vividly recalls the red glow in the sky over Cardiff, a stark contrast to the usual blackout conditions. The aerial bombardment by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe that night killed 165 people in Cardiff and destroyed nearly 350 homes.
Ted's story is featured in the BBC documentary 'Children of the Blitz,' focusing on the two million British children who remained in at-risk cities. He emphasizes that without his father's decision to leave, he might not have survived. He now lives in Splott and often revisits the street where his childhood home once stood.
