Submarine shells Whitehaven Cumberland (West Cumbria) 1915

The Latest in Germ-Hun frightfulness”

Newspaper reports:
“A German submarine fired several shells at Parton Harrington and Whitehaven on 16th August 1915 but no material damage was caused. A few shells hit the railway embankment north of Parton, but the train service was only slightly delayed. Fires were caused at Whitehaven and at Harrington, which were soon extinguished. No casualties have been reported.” from a newspaper of the day.

“German and Austrian newspapers stated that the bombardment of the coast of Cumberland took place because “Whitehaven is a fortified port and possesses a lighthouse” ! From a newspaper at that time.

“Were the mysterious lights flashed out into the Solway Firth in August 1915, signals to a German submarine. The mystery was never solved but a month later a German U-boat surfaced of Parton newar Whitehaven and for 50 minutes bombarded the villages of Parton, Lowca and Low Moresby” Evening News & Star Thursday Oct 3 1968

Lady remembers when seven year old in 1915.

This oral history was recorded for the Voices of Cumbria Millennium Project in 2000 commissioned by Cumbria Archives and was illustrated by Peter Nicholson using various images from various collections in Cumbria, permitted for educational use.