During the Second World War, several houses in Tupton were bombed by fleeing German aircraft. Some of these houses were on Ward Street and others in now demolished areas where the Community Garden is now located.

 In the early hours of 15 March 1941, German aircraft bombed several houses in Tupton, killing 11 people. Though Tupton's heritage lies in the now defunct coal mining and iron industries, our small village has another more sombre claim to fame.; it is a sad fact that Tupton suffered more civilian deaths as a direct result of enemy action during the second World War than did any other rural community in Derbyshire.

The Civilian dead are remembered at the area's senior church St. Lawrence, North Wingfield, and at the site of Tupton's war memorial on Queen Victoria Road outside the Church of St. John. After all these years, historical fact is difficult to establish and a number of questions may never be answered. Was the bombing a direct attack on the village, was the real target the London/Sheffield railway line which runs by Tupton's eastern parish boundary; were the bombs simply jettisoned by an aircraft making the return journey to Germany after a raid on Sheffield, or did the glowing firebox on a moving train attract unwanted enemy attention? All have been suggested as possibilities.

In 2005, and before local memory of the tragedy was lost forever, members of Tupton Youth Centre together with a number of Tupton people who were children at the time of the incident created a video documentary with the help of Third piper Community Arts. The project was jointly funded by Tupton Parish, North East Derbyshire and Derbyshire County Councils. Youth Centre members wrote the script and learned technical video recording skills.

Another person died as a result of the bombing a few weeks later. The area known as 'the Rec' once held a lido, or open-air swimming pool, the remains of which can still be seen in the stream.

One lasting impression of the bombers left was in the area in the woods surrounding Tupton Hall School, called 'Monkey Hollow'. The deep crater in the woods was the result of one of the bombs.

 

News Reports:     &   

Very good article in the December 2020 - January 2021 on the bombing of Tupton: