BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:Europe/London X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/London BEGIN:VEVENT UID:102@historyfare.co.uk DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260411T093000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260411T133000 DTSTAMP:20260206T101415Z URL:https://historyfare.co.uk/events/blitz-walking-tour-destruction-courag e-and-coventrys-spirit/ SUMMARY:Blitz Walking Tour - Destruction\, Courage\, and Coventry’s Spiri t DESCRIPTION:Having signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Liberation Rou te Europe early last year\, it is an honour for HistoryFare to partner up with Ben Mayne fellow historian &\; tour guide and Director of Liberati on Route Europe (UK) to put on this Coventry Blitz walking tour to mark th e 85th Anniversary of the air raid on the night of the 8th/9th \;April 1941.\n\nToday\, Coventry’s damaged Cathedral remains a symbol of the i mpact of war\, and stories of local bravery from the Blitz are commemorate d by a new walking tour\, "Destruction\, Courage\, and Coventry's Spirit ”.\n\nThe Second World War left a lasting mark on Coventry\, especially due to heavy bombing between 1940 and 1941. Seventeen raids during the Bat tle of Britain dropped around 198 tons of bombs\, resulting in 176 deaths and about 680 injuries.\n\n[caption id="attachment_3616" align="aligncente r" width="300"] Bomb damage in Coventry after the Luftwaffe's devastating 'Coventry Blitz' of World War II\, 16th November 1940.[/caption]\n\nThe mo st devastating attack occurred on 14 November 1940\, when 515 German bombe rs targeted the city's industrial areas\, also causing significant damage to monuments and homes. Another major raid in April 1941 killed approximat ely 451 people and seriously injured over 700.\n\nNo 136 Bomb Disposal Com pany who were based at The Spinney in Melton Mowbray were despatched to Co ventry and other places such as Birmingham and Grimsby to clear the unexpl oded bombs left after the Luftwaffe air raids.\n\n[caption id="attachment_ 3617" align="aligncenter" width="300"] 136 Bomb Disposal Squad outside The Spinney\, Melton Mowbray[/caption]\n\nSapper Leslie Tipping from Liverpoo l was one of the Sappers with 136 BD Coy in Melton. \; He recalls “W e left Melton in the early hours of the morning after the raid and as the convoy entered Coventry\, we were all deeply shocked at the sight of the d estruction”.\n\n[caption id="attachment_3618" align="aligncenter" width= "127"] Sapper Leslie Tipping outside The Spinney\, Melton Mowbray[/caption ]\n\nTOUR OVERVIEW\n\nThe ‘Destruction\, Courage\, and Coventry’s Sp irit’ themed route brings many of these stories back to the forefront of remembrance: tales of bravery from teenagers\, and the selfless acts of doctors\, nurses\, and fire and police officers. The route follows in the footsteps of some of these people and the actions they took during those terrifying nights.\n\nAlongside the locations around the city\, visitors c an explore several museums that portray and commemorate Coventry’s exper iences during the Second World War\, including the Blitz Museum and  Police Museum.\n\nAfter walking around the city centre\, we will head down to London Road Cemetery where the impact and realities of war are powerfu lly evident in the mass graves of civilians who lost their lives during th e enemy raids.\n\nClose to the communal grave lie numerous Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones\, marking the resting places of members of the armed forces who also died during this period\, some as direct cas ualties of the Blitz.\n\nDURATION\n\n3-4 Hours\n\nLENGTH\n\nApprox 4 miles \n\nMEETING LOCATION\n\nSteps at the new Coventry Cathedral\, University S quare\, Priory Street\, CV1 5FB\n\nPARKING\n\nRecommended locations includ e:\n\nWest Orchards Shopping Centre\, West Orchards Way\, Coventry\, CV1 1 FD (10 minute walk to tour start point at the Cathedral)\n\nNCP Coventry B elgrade Plaza\, Ringway Hill Cross\, Coventry CV1 4AJ (15 minute walk to t our start point at the Cathedral)\n\nMAX GROUP SIZE\n\n30\n\nWHEEL CHAIR A CCESSIBLE\n\nSuitable for mobility scooters providing the battery will las t the duration of the tour (4 hours) but NOT suitable for wheelchairs due to the tour length.\n\nASSISTANCE DOGS\n\nAssistance dogs as well as well behaved pets are welcome on the tours. Please note that you may be asked t o leave the tour if your dog becomes a nuisance and disturbs the tour.\n\n WHAT’S INCLUDED?\n\n Professional Guides\n Walking tour through the hi storic city of Coventry\, visiting key locations associated with the devas tating Blitz Raids of the Second World War.\n\nWHAT’S NOT INCLUDED\n\n Gratuities\n Refreshments\n Admissions to museums etc\n\nWHAT TO BRING\n \n Comfortable walking shoes\n Wet weather clothing/umbrellas\n\nCANCELL ATION POLICY\n\nCancel up to 48 hours in advance to receive a full refund or a voucher for a future tour. We know that plans can sometimes change an d that’s why we offer a generous cancellation policy. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://historyfare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/202 6/01/Coventry-Blitz-2.jpg CATEGORIES:Coventry Blitz,Guided Tour,Local History,Military History,Walking Tour,WW2 LOCATION:Coventry Cathedral\, University Square\, Priory Street\, CV1 5FB\, \, X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=\, ;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TI TLE=Coventry Cathedral\, University Square\, Priory Street\, CV1 5FB:geo:0 ,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260329T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR