York's Baedeker Memorials

One week after the raid there was a memorial service held in the undamaged Minster attended by over three thousand people.

The Dean stated that, "One day we will raise a memorial over our dead, for God forbid that they be forgotten."

It was never built and there are only a few memorials and visible signs to remind us of the events of that night. Unfortunately, many of their graves have become overgrown and are now impossible to locate without assistance.



The grave of one of York's Baedeker dead lies somewhere under this thick vegetation.

In York's Memorial Gardens is a memorial to all citizens of York who died in both world wars.



The inscription on the memorial simply reads..........

To the Citizens of York
1914 - 1918
1939 - 1945



The location of the memorial.

In York Station there is a plaque remembering William Milner who was posthumously awarded the King's Commendation for Gallantry.



The plaque reads:
On 29 April 1942, York Railway Station was attacked during a German air-raid. Station Foreman William Milner, a keen first-aider, went to the assistance of others trapped in damaged buildings. The following morning he was found dead nearby. He was still clutching his first-aid bag.



The map shows the position of the memorial within York Station.

St Martin le Grand on Coney Street has been partially rebuilt leaving a walled and gated garden area open to the sky. Inside the restored part of the church (above the altar) is an impressive stained glass window depicting the church ablaze in 1942.



Click this link for more details of the church (opens in a new window)

This website also contains a lot of additional details concerning the church (opens in a new window)



The location of St Martin le Grand Church in Coney Street, York.

Inside the National Railway Museum there is a plaque showing where the "Sir Ralph Wedgwood" was destroyed.



The plaque is on the floor of the Great Hall at the Museum.



The location of the National Railway Museum.



The recently erected memorial to Yves Mahé (May 2nd 2014).
(At the time of the incident Yves Mahé was actually a Warrant Officer. Promotion may have come later but there is no record of this in the London Gazette....military appointments and promotions)



A picture of Yves Mahé (date unknown)
(Photo credit: unknown)



The location of the memorial to Yves Mahé