AN air raid siren will sound at the docks at 1430 hours on Saturday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a bombing raid on the docks by the Luftwaffe on July 10, 1940. Six dockyard workers lost their lives in the attack along with four engineers onboard the British tanker British Chancellor.

Silley Cox employees killed in the raid were George Bastian, of Mabe, Sam Prowse, Walter Knott, Charles Palin and Henry Pellow, all from Falmouth, and Leonard Tallack, of Mylor.

On that fateful day, just after 1500 hours a lone German Heinkel bomber snaking its way down the Penryn River towards Falmouth Docks turned the warm summer’s day into a nightmare scenario that would go down in the history of the port. Bombs from the aircraft hit the tankers British Chancellor, and Tascalusa and the Greek cargo vessel Marie Chandris. The Dutch salvage tug Zwarte Zee was damaged by splinters from the blast and later sank. Many men jumped overboard from the ships as it was their only chance of escaping injury.

Captain Charles Jackson, a Falmouth Trinity House pilot, was one of the heroes of the day. Despite being on a day off Charles cycled to the docks and, after obtaining permission, proceeded to the wharf where he cut adrift the Marie Chandris.

The following is a transcription of Charles’s own account of the incident: “At about 3:30pm, a stick of bombs fell across the docks. The British Chancellor was hit by two bombs and went on fire fore and aft but didn’t sink. Tascalusa was hit (in the fuel tank) and immediately sank notwithstanding she became a raging furnace. The wharf was immediately involved and almost instantly became quite impassable. The Greek cargo vessel Marie Chandris, loaded with cotton, caught fire and burned fiercely fore and aft.

“About ten men were killed and many hurt in the British Chancellor, but strangely enough none in the Tascalusa. Those aboard the Greek vessel jumped overboard and were picked up. Others, mostly workmen, jumped ashore and ran to the end of the wharf which was of stone and were cut off by the fire. One tug took 240 off the wharf.

“Pilot D Eggins, who was on the Luminetta at the time, shifted the undamaged tanker which had tugs fast. I cut adrift and boarded the Marie Chandris making fast the towropes from the tugs alone then from the tug piloted the vessel from the docks and beached her near St Mawes.”

Returning, Charles did the same for the British Chancellor aided by Commander Austin RNR and two young Royal Navy ratings. After towing her out to the North Bank the ship was anchored clear of all shipping.

The Admiralty recommended Charles Jackson for an MBE for his valiant actions.

Marine artist Charles Pears’ painting of the bombing raid was presented to the Falmouth Art Gallery by A&P Falmouth some years ago.

Pears, who was born in Yorkshire, lived at St Mawes for a time and died in 1958 in Truro. During World War I the Admiralty appointed him an official war artist.

He worked as a war artist again during World War II. His painting of the Jervis Bay Action hangs in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.