The Night the Small Town of Kenilworth Became Part of the Frontline

During World War Two, the town of Kenilworth was largely seen as a safe haven for those in the line of danger – away from the nearby industrial cities of Coventry and Birmingham which were enduring heavy bombing raids. Kenilworth’s surrounding pastures and historic past presented an ideal location to evacuate children to, and consequently, Kenilworth’s evacuee population was one of the highest in the region. Nevertheless, the early hours of the 21st of November 1940 brought the quiet town of Kenilworth to the frontlines of the Second World War, questioning that long-upheld view.

On the evening of 20 November – the day of the first mass burial of victims from the deadly raids on Coventry – more than seventy people seeking shelter from Coventry gathered at The Globe Hotel on Abbey End.

At around 2 a.m., whilst many in the hotel were dispersing for the night, seeking protection from attacks in Coventry in nearby houses, an aircraft was heard overhead, travelling northwest towards Coventry. Seconds later, a loud explosion was heard: a landmine bomb had been dropped in a field where Oaks Road and Beauchamp Road intersect. The damage of this first blast was indeed substantial, but not deadly. Windows of houses in nearby streets had been blown out, and a large crater had been left in the field, but no injuries were recorded.

Moments later, a second explosion occurred – one which would shake Kenilworth and leave a lasting crater in the town’s living memory.

The centre of a second landmine detonation happened atop number 3 and 5 Abbey End, a Draper's Shop called Smith and Millar. Nearby buildings were completely destroyed with some of The Globe Hotel damaged too, just hours after many had gathered inside and with many staying the night. Local historian Robin Leach estimates that up to thirty people stayed at The Globe Hotel, and fortunately all but three guests survived, despite the damage to the north side of the building.

With the damage to surrounding buildings being immense, it is hard to believe that it was something else which had the biggest impact on Kenilworth: the tragic loss of life. Twenty-six people were killed as a result of the blast, sixteen of whom were from Coventry. At the Smith and Millar Draper’s Shop, eight people alone died – proprietress Isabella Smith, residents Nellie and George Webb, as well as guests for the night from Coventry, Mr and Mrs Glennie, Mr & Mrs Snape and their nephew, all died from the explosion. Similar impacts could be seen in more of the surrounding buildings.

Beyond the damning number of deaths, over seventy civilians were treated in the medical centre in St John’s Church Hall, set up in the early days of the war. Many were treated by local GPs for the minor injuries they sustained and impacts to mental health also became apparent in the hours after the explosion. Furthermore, to ensure the town could cope with the large number of deaths, Kenilworth’s cemetery chapel was used as a mortuary, with victims laid on the floor in the following days, waiting for some to be identified.

In the days, weeks and months after the devastating attack, the destroyed buildings and areas were cleared with the help of local firemen, Civil Defence, other organisations and volunteers – many of whom had been working in Coventry just hours before.

Despite the devastating impacts of this single explosion, evidently not intended to be dropped over Kenilworth, the events of the 21 November 1940 and the days after reveal the town's resilience, unity, unbreakable connections with Coventry and vulnerability during wartime, leaving a profound mark on its history in the decades since.

Today, a plaque marks the sacrifice and tragedy this town endured almost 85 years ago.

Bibliography:

Blunt, Chris. 2015. ‘From the Archives: Last Night at “the Globe” - Kenilworth History & Archaeology Society’, Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society (KHAS) <https://www.khas.co.uk/from-the-archives-last-night-at-the-globe/> [accessed 29 June 2025]

Jones, Christine Marjorie. 2003. ‘BBC - WW2 People’s War - the Evacuee: Coventry to Kenilworth’, BBC.co.uk (BBC) <https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/03/a2006803.shtml> [accessed 16 June 2025]

Leach, Robin. 2025. ‘The War Comes to Kenilworth – WWII in Kenilworth’, Kenilworth-Ww2.Co.uk <https://www.kenilworth-ww2.co.uk/the-war-comes-to-kenilworth/> [accessed 27 June 2025]

Thompson, Danny. 2022. ‘The Night 16 Coventrians Died in Kenilworth Trying to Escape the Blitz’, Coventry Live <https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/history/night-16-coventrians-died-kenilworth-24344414> [accessed 29 June 2025]