Herbert Richards – Swansea Printer Killed in the Gordon Grove Shelter Bombing

Early Life and Family Background

1881 Census

Herbert Richards was born in 1879 in Swansea, the son of Evan Richards and Jane Robinson, who had married in 1858 at St Mary’s, Cardiff. By the 1881 Census, the family were living at 8½ Rutland Street, Swansea. Evan, aged 43, was working as a Master Printer, while Jane, aged 42, managed a large household. Their children at home were John, 20; Edward H., 14; Gertrude, 12; Ernest W., 9; Brently, 7; Herbert, aged 2; and the youngest, Jane R., just nine months old.

Life in Swansea

1901 Census

By 1901, the family had moved to 5 Edward Road, Swansea. Evan—recorded as Edmund—was 62 and still working as a printer, while Jane, also 62, remained at home. Only two children were still living with them: Herbert, now 22 and working as a printer, and Jane, aged 20.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census shows the family still at 5 Edward Road. Evan (again recorded as Edmund), now 73, was still employed as a Master Printer, and Jane, also 73, remained at home. Herbert, aged 32, was the only child still living with his parents and was working as a Journeyman Printer, continuing the family’s long association with the printing trade.

Marriage and Move to London

1921 Census

Herbert married Rose Hannah Williams in 1914 at Pontardawe. By the 1921 Census, Herbert and his young family had relocated to 25 Elam Street, Lambeth, Middlesex. Herbert, then 42, was employed as a Shorthand Compositor with The Times Publishing Co. Ltd., while Rose Hannah, also 42, was at home caring for their children: Herbert Gwynn, aged 3; Rufus Stanley, aged 1; and Phoebe Selina, just two months old.

1939 Register 

The 1939 Register shows Herbert, still working as a Printer, living at 25 Elam Street with his wife Rose H. and their son Herbert G., who had also entered the printing trade.

The Gordon Grove Railway Arch Bombing – 20^th October 1940

Herbert lost his life during one of the most destructive phases of the London Blitz. On 20^th October 1940, London was subjected to heavy day and night bombing, with fast‑moving fighter‑bombers attacking during the day and high‑explosive bombs falling across the capital after dark.

Many Londoners sought shelter in railway arches, which were widely used as improvised public shelters. These arches, including those at Gordon Grove between Brixton and Loughborough Junction, offered some protection from falling debris but were not designed to withstand the blast of nearby high‑explosive bombs. Their curved interiors could amplify shockwaves, and their proximity to railway lines made them especially vulnerable.

On the night of 20^th October 1940, a high‑explosive bomb fell close to the Railway Arch Shelter at Gordon Grove, causing catastrophic structural damage. The blast collapsed parts of the arch and inflicted severe casualties on those inside. Herbert Richards was among those killed in this tragic incident, one of many civilians who died in shelters that proved fatally inadequate against the force of modern aerial bombardment.

Burial

Herbert, who had been made a Freeman of the Borough of Swansea, was buried at Lambeth Cemetery and Crematorium, Wandsworth, close to the community in which he had lived and worked for many years