Statistics

Map of the Greater Manchester Area, showing the Constituent Boroughs formed in 1974

Table 1. Civilians killed in each of the old (pre-1974) Greater Manchester Boroughs

Greater Manchester Districts
Civilians killed during WW2
Altrincham (Trafford MBC) 34
Ashton under Lyne (Tameside MBC) 5
Atherton (Wigan MBC) 1
Bolton (Bolton MBC) [1] 25
Bredbury & Romily (Stockport MBC) 1
Bucklow (Trafford, Manchester, Macclesfield) [2] 4
Bury (Bury MBC) 11
Cheadle & Gatley (Stockport MBC) 5
Denton (Tameside MBC) 15
Eccles (Salford MBC) 44
Failsworth (Oldham MBC) 14
Farnworth (Bolton MBC) 1
Hollingworth (Tameside MBC) 4
Hyde (Tameside MBC) 14
Knutsford (Cheshire East) 2
Leigh (Wigan MBC) 7
Lymm (Warrington MBC) [3] 1
Macclesfield & Knutsford (Cheshire East BC) [4] 7
Manchester (City of Manchester) 629
- Manchester - Unidentified 14
Oldham (Oldham MBC) 59
Rochdale (Rochdale MBC) 12
Sale (Trafford MBC) 1
Salford (City of Salford) 286
- Salford - Unidentified 13
Stockport (Stockport MBC) 24
Stretford (Trafford MBC) 162
- Stretford - Unidentified 17
Swinton & Pendlebury (City of Salford) 34
Tottington (Bury MBC) 7
Turton (Bolton MBC) 1
Urmston (Trafford MBC) 12
Wigan (Wigan MBC) 8
Warrington BC 1
Worsley (City of Salford) 5
Unknown Districts 2
Total Civilian & Military Deaths from Bombing 1,482
[1] Includes one civilian POW who died at Sarawak.
[2] Administratively not part of Greater Manchester, but resided just over the boundary, when they were killed in the Christmas 1940 Blitz.
[3] Administratively not part of Greater Manchester, but resided just over the boundary and was buried in Altricham, which is.
[4] Again not part of Greater Manchester, but resided just over the boundary, when they were killed in the Christmas 1940 Blitz.

Table 2. Breakdown of age and gender

The above geographical list of known casualties is next broken down to show the numbers of children (aged under five, and between six and thirteen years), plus adult male & adult female categories. The reason I have chosen the age of thirteen, rather than say - sixteen, to progress from being classed as a child to being an adult, is that some fourteen year olds listed in this document died whilst employed as ARP Messengers.

I took the view that as they were undertaking such dangerous adult tasks, often with high explosive bombs falling down around them, it seemed only right that they should be classed as adults?

Infants (0 - 23 months) 32
Children (2 - 5) 58
Children (6 - 13) 95
Males (14 - 17) 39
Males (18 +) 642
Females (14 - 17) 33
Females (18 +) 529
Unidentified 44
Age Unknown 10
Total Civilian Deaths 1,482

Table 3. Breakdown of civilians and those serving in civilian services

Civilians (not serving) 1,115
Air Raid Wardens 46
Firemen (A.F.S. & N.F.S. & Works) [5] 77
Policemen 25
Fire Watchers/Fire Guards 39
A.R.P. Messengers 7
A.R.P. Rescue 7
A.R.P. Ambulance 4
First Aid Parties 15
Home Guards 19
Nurses [6] 23
Women's Voluntary Services 4
Servicemen as Blitz Victims 46
Others or not known 10
Unidentified 44
Total Civilian Deaths 1,482
[5] The Auxiliary Fire Service became the National Fire Service on the 18th August 1941
[6] Includes the 14 Probationary Nurses killed at Salford Royal Hospital on the 2nd June 1941

Table 4. Chronological list of the main G.M. air raids

Date Numbers killed Districts Mainly Affected Also Affected
29/08/1940 6 Hulme
01/10/1940 22 Withington, Moss Side Fallowfield, Rusholme
02/10/1940 9 Stockport
07/10/1940 9 Collyhurst Whalley Range, Stretford
11/10/1940 14 Hulme Greenheys, Old Trafford
28/11/1940 13 Failsworth
16/12/1940 8 Ancoats
22/12/1940 23/12/1940 24/12/1940 842 Manchester Blitz Nights - Figures for the whole of the G.M. Area.
It's impossible to determine how many people were killed each night, due to some being killed before and some after midnight.
01/01/1941 12 Gorton, Withington
09/01/1941 14 Longsight, Gorton Lymm
04/02/1941 5 Cheadle
11/03/1941 67 Stretford, Hulme, Ardwick Salford, Urmston
01/05/1941 7 Chorlton-cum-Hardy
08/05/1941 63 Moss Side, Withington, Eccles Ashton under Lyne, Stretford, Pendlebury
02/06/1941 87 Cheetham, Higher Broughton, Salford Royal Hospital Stretford, Pendleton
12/10/1941 38 Hollinwood, Denton, Bolton
13/10/1941 18 Oldham Newton Heath
25/10/1941 8 Broadheath
27/06/1942 4 Hollingworth
27/07/1942 4 Beswick
24/12/1944 41 Oldham, Tottington V.1 Raid

Table 5. Table Showing Numbers Killed During the Two Christmas 1940 Blitz & those Killed at Other Times

Christmas Blitz 22nd/23rd - 23rd/24th December 1940 843 Other Times between 1939 and 1945 639

Table 6. First World War Zeppelin Raids

Date Numbers Killed Place
25th/26th Sept 1916 13 Bolton
12th/13th April 1918 8 Wigan
31st March / 1st April 31 Cleethorpes
31 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Manchester Rgt were killed when a bomb dropped from Zeppelin L.21 landed on their Billet in a Baptist Chapel at Cleethorpes