Tales from the Attic: Fenn Wright during WW2
As Fenn Wright celebrates its 250th anniversary, our Managing Partner has been raiding the attic for tales and artefacts surrounding the Second World War.
Fenn Wright has lived through a number of key events in British history. What’s more, its workforce played an important part in some of them. During the Second World War, one of its founders George T. Wright accepted an invitation to form an anti-aircraft battery in Colchester, with him assuming the rank of Major. His efforts were rewarded with an MBE at the end of the war.
Image of George T. Wright, found in the Fenn Wright archives at our Ipswich branch in the Buttermarket.
Alan Williams, Managing Partner of Fenn Wright, tells us more: “We found many items in our attic at the Buttermarket including notes from a former Fenn Wright employee – Noble Woodward. He said that the whole of Colchester would vibrate when the anti-aircraft battery fired a salvo at aircraft in the vicinity.
“Mr Woodward recalled working for Fenn Wright during the war and, when on duty with the Royal Observer Corps, he remembered hearing gun fire and bombs being dropped on the town. He was passing the Town Hall when he heard bombs drop on the Old Heath Laundry in Distillery Lane. He also remembered walking near North Station when hostile aircraft, following the railway line, dropped bombs near Mason’s Works in Cowdray Avenue, hitting an empty warehouse. He says that bombs hit South Street, Severalls Hospital and Mile End too. As a result, many houses needed to be demolished but the real tragedy was the large number of lives lost.
“It is a privilege to be part of a company that has not only survived extremely difficult periods of time but thrived beyond them. The documents we’ve found in our attic at our Ipswich branch offer genuine glimpses into what life was like during these well-known events in history.”