The back garden of a house with extensive bomb damage, addressed as number 110 Fairfield Crescent. There is an Anderson shelter in front of a wooden fence. The garden is full of rubble and the back wall of the house has been destroyed. In the background is part of Station Mount and two blocks of back-to-back terraced homes in Nansen Place on the right. Pictured in placeholder image
The back garden of a house with extensive bomb damage, addressed as number 110 Fairfield Crescent. There is an Anderson shelter in front of a wooden fence. The garden is full of rubble and the back wall of the house has been destroyed. In the background is part of Station Mount and two blocks of back-to-back terraced homes in Nansen Place on the right. Pictured in | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

West Leeds: Thought-provoking photos take you back to Bramley in the 1940s

Andrew Hutchinson
By Andrew Hutchinson

Specialist Reporter

Published 11th Sep 2024, 04:45 GMT

It was the decade the horrors of the Second World War arrived on the doorsteps of households in Bramley.

The suburb was among a number of communities targeted in bombing raids by the German Luftwaffe during the 1940s. These thought provoking photos showcase how Bramley was the focus of some of the darkest hours in the city’s history. The gallery also features how the community bounced back. The images are published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. They also run heritage blog The Secret Library Leeds, which provides a behind the scenes look at the Central Library and highlights from its special collections, including rare books hidden away in the stacks. READ MORE: The Second World War bombing raids which brought death and terror to Leeds LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook YEP RETRO NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our free monthly email digest of Leeds nostalgia

The south side of Aston Place in September 1946. Two rows of brick terrace houses surrounded by brick walls. One house has a wooden shed and a shrubbery in the garden. The right foreground has a disused gas streetlamp standing in unkempt ground.

7. Bramley in the 1940s

The south side of Aston Place in September 1946. Two rows of brick terrace houses surrounded by brick walls. One house has a wooden shed and a shrubbery in the garden. The right foreground has a disused gas streetlamp standing in unkempt ground. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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Ashby Place in October 1941. Pile of rubble in foreground, with measuring pole sticking out. Workman sitting to the right of picture. Row of terraced houses with bay windows to the left.

8. Bramley in the 1940s

Ashby Place in October 1941. Pile of rubble in foreground, with measuring pole sticking out. Workman sitting to the right of picture. Row of terraced houses with bay windows to the left. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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Premises of Thomas I. Bennett, motor engineers of Stanningley Road near Henconner Lane. There are signs for Sunbeam, Talbot and Commer vehicles. Pictured in September 1947.

9. Bramley in the 1940s

Premises of Thomas I. Bennett, motor engineers of Stanningley Road near Henconner Lane. There are signs for Sunbeam, Talbot and Commer vehicles. Pictured in September 1947. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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Number 48 Lower Town Street with a damaged roof in August 1945.

10. Bramley in the 1940s

Number 48 Lower Town Street with a damaged roof in August 1945. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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Damage to a public air-raid shelter on Ashby Place in October 1941.

11. Bramley in the 1940s

Damage to a public air-raid shelter on Ashby Place in October 1941. | Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net Photo: Leeds Libraries, www.leodis.net

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