The Sheffield Blitz

Discover how people lived, worked and played in wartime Sheffield & how today’s city centre has been shaped by the nights of December 1940
About this Event

The Sheffield Blitz changed the face of Sheffield city centre for ever. Over two nights in December 1940 the bombs rained down, thousands of people were left homeless and hundreds killed. The landscape of Sheffield city centre was changed for ever, it would never be the same again.

This illustrated talk for Heritage Open Days by historian Janet Ridler looks at how people lived, worked and played in wartime Sheffield, telling the story of the Sheffield Blitz through the people, places and events which form such an important part of Sheffield's story, and looking at how today's city centre has been shaped by those fateful nights over 85 years ago, if you know where to look.

The talk will take place in Sheffield Town Hall which stood at the heart of the bombing during December 1940, and where Winston Churchill gave his famous V for Victory sign to crowds of Sheffielders after the Blitz from the Town Hall Balcony.