Heroic magician saves lives in Portsmouth Blitz
A major base for the Royal Navy, Portsmouth was an obvious target for bombing raids by the German Luftwaffe. Between July 1940 and May 1944, the city endured 67 air raids. The raids killed 930 people, injuring many more. Over 6,500 houses were destroyed (nearly ten percent of the total) and a further 6,500 were severely damaged.
Bomb damage on Portsmouth Road in the Southsea area of Portsmouth
(Source: Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery)
In one of the three major raids, on 10th March 1941, Ray Wickens was on duty with the city’s Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Casualty Service. Wickens was 32 years old and had served in the Casualty Service for one-and-a-half years. By day, he was an electrical salesman. By night, and at the weekends, he was normally a semi-professional magician. Wickens was a founding member of the Portsmouth & District Magic Circle, when it started in 1938.
Ray Wickens
(Source: Portsmouth Evening News)
On that night, German high-explosive and incendiary bombs landed in Frederick Street, Portsea; an area close to the naval dockyard. The bombs caused a large crater in the road and demolished houses on both sides. The crater was a few feet from the dockyard electricity station which was now a raging inferno. Several people were trapped among the burning buildings.
No ARP Rescue parties were available due to these services already engaged in other parts of the city. The only team on hand was a First Aid Party from the ARP’s Casualty Service. The team arrived on the scene at 2.30am and Ray Wickens, the team leader, immediately organised his men and commenced rescue work.
At grave risk to themselves, Wickens and colleague John Kerr, went forward to attempt to rescue a civilian from under the debris. Initially the wind changed and they were driven off by the flames. In a second attempt the two men succeeded in freeing several people who were trapped in cellar shelters. Next, they turned to rescue a man trapped in the crater next to a fiercely burning building. “The debris was very loose and every movement might have precipitated them to the bottom bringing tons of debris and rubble down on them,” read an account of the action in the London Gazette.
As they were doing the rescue, another wave of planes came over and five high explosive bombs were dropped around the fire in the electricity station. Despite this, the men continued trying to rescue the trapped man.
Eventually, John Kerr managed to move some heavy beams which pinned the casualty down, while Wickens grabbed hold of the man and dragged him out.
For their heroic efforts that night, Wickens and Kerr were later awarded the George Medal for gallantry by King George VI.
If anyone has any details about Ray Wickens' life as a magician, please comment below!
Witness statements of Ray Wickens' action
(Source: Public domain)
(Source: Creative commons licence)
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