This week allows us to share some of the human stories behind the graves we care for. Thanks to our fantastic volunteers, we discovered nearly 80 graves of civilians who fell victim to the bombing of Birmingham during World War II in our 2025 Grave Recording session. These had previously not appeared on our records or had been obscured from view by shrubbery.

If you would like to volunteer, or if you have any information about the people we have identified, please get in touch! Our e mail is  friendsofbec@gmail.com

The Coombes Family

On December 11^th 1940, Birmingham endured a 13 hour bombing raid which resulted in widespread destruction and the deaths of over 200 hundred civilians. Four of those are laid to rest in our cemetery. Albert William Coombes, 59 and his wife Alice, 41 lived at 14 Pine Walk, Chesterton Road, Balsall Heath. With them were their 3 youngest children – Robert, Barbara 10 and Alan aged just 5.

On the night of the raid, 15 year old Robert was working as an ARP Messenger. This was a vital, often teenage volunteer, responsible for delivering messages on foot or by bicycle when telephone lines were cut by bombing. As part of the UK’s Civil Defence services, they ensured communication between wardens at local posts and control centres, allowing for a coordinated response to enemy air raids. Their work in reporting bombing locations allowed for rapid dispatch of rescue parties, ambulances, and first aid teams to affected areas.

By the time his shift was ended, Robert returned to find his parents and siblings had all been killed while taking shelter at 3/114 Brunswick Road. With an older brother serving abroad (later taken prisoner by the Japanese), Robert had only his two married sisters left.

Their story was uncovered when our volunteer gardeners cleared years of shrubbery to reveal their grave.

The Scrivener Family

The Scrivener family were no strangers to loss and the terrible price of war. Their father Samuel had died on active service in 1918 aged 49 and never returned home, being interred in France. He served with 1st Btn Suffolk 2nd Service Co and died on 21 Aug 1918. He is commemorated at Mazargues war cemetery, Marseilles.

Five children lived with their widowed mother at 104 Grace Road, Sparkbrook. Albert, the eldest,  was married with 2 children but continued to live at home with his mother and his 4 siblings – 10 people in a 5 room house. Emily, his mother, and his younger brother James were described as ‘incapacitated’ in the 1939 census and it is likely that Albert was the family breadwinner for both himself and his mother following his father’s death.

On Tuesday evening, the 19^th November 1940, the air raid sirens sounded and Birmingham endured another night of bombing – 18 Parachute mines (4 unexploded), 677 High Explosive, including about 42 Delayed Action type, 243 Incendiary Bomb incidents have been reported. 17 of the incendiary bombs were of the oil type. The first report of a bomb being dropped was at 7.25 p.m. Extensive damage to property was caused by exploding parachute mines, High Explosive bombs and fires.

James Henry aged 33 and his older brother Albert George, 49 (ironically exactly the same age as his father was when he died in France) were both killed at home during the raid. It is likely the rest of the family had been out of the house in a shelter.

Spare a thought for Emily who had lost both her husband and two sons to the world wars of the twentieth century.

Evans /Rea Family

Also discovered by our Grave Recorders is the final resting place of the Evans and Rea families who were buried under brambles in B16 for many decades.

Harry was a member of the Home Guard. Originally from Long Street, Balsall Heath, Harry had served with Army Service Corps (Mechanical Transport) in the First World War joining up in 1917 and married Annie Sorrill in 1925

Annie and Harry Evans, aged 39 and 42, their 11 year old daughter Patricia Ann died alongside 53 year old Norman Rea and his wife May on 3^rd December 1940 at 12 Vimy Road, Billesley. That night the air raid hit the police station at Billesley and the AA Gun-sight at Swanshurst Park.

May was Annie’s sister and she and Norman lived at 334 Green Lane, Small Heath. Sadly her decision to stop with her sister and niece cost her and her husband their lives.

This remains an unmarked grave.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/73LuEKjuwGizDZPw6

This time we welcomed 7 staff from NIQ who have visited us before so were raring to go. The mood was helped by glorious sunshine so plenty of progress was made. Every group of volunteers that come to help us really do work hard in an effort to clear long lost graves and todays group were no different. Its amazing what can be done in a day, as you will see below.

The photo below is what it looked like at 10am today..

….and this is the result after 4 hours work. A great improvement !

In our 20th year we aimed to clear all the shrubbery from Section 16 and photograph all the headstones for our data base. This year we continue to extend that project to another section, B12.

Ten members of staff spent all day clearing ground level Brambles and Holly and managed to uncover several rows of previously obscured graves that hadn’t been accessible for many years. if you want to see some before and after shots then follow this link to our album.

As warmer weather approaches we sent out a message on our facebook site to ask for Tree Guardians who would take on the watering of all of the trees for the remainder of this year and as long as they need it. Once again our supporters didnt let us down and very soon we formed a team of 8 who willingly adopted a couple of trees each to car for. Our thanks to them for offering their time to give these trees the best start in life.

10.30am Thursday 16th April,

St Dunstans Church Conference room

Kingsfield Rd. Kings Heath

If arriving by car you need to use the car park in Institute Rd B14 7EG that leads up to the church (On the right as you travel from the High Street) Do not pay as you can enter your car reg in the conference centre for free parking.

Do come along and hear what we have been doing in 2025/26 and what we hope to have in our events programme for 2026/27. Everyone with an interest is welcome.

Lots of areas cleared today and lots of photographs via this link.

See you all again in June.