The Cwmparc Blitz was a devastating German Luftwaffe bombing raid on the small Welsh mining village of Cwmparc in the Rhondda Valley on the night of April 29, 1941.

The Attack

• Date and Time: Night of April 29, 1941, during World War II.
• The Target: 25 German bombers dropped high-explosive and incendiary bombs. Historians believe the planes may have missed or turned away from primary targets like Swansea or Port Talbot and offloaded their deadly cargo here before returning home.
• Casualties: 28 people were killed, making it the single largest loss of life from wartime bombing in the Rhondda.
• Impacted Areas: Streets like Treharne Street and Park Road bore the worst of the destruction, with several houses completely obliterated. Over 700 people were forced from their homes.

Human Cost

• Evacuees: Cwmparc was considered a safe haven, and many children had been evacuated there from major cities like London to escape the Blitz. Tragically, several young London evacuees—including three siblings from the Jameson family—were among those killed when a house on Treharne Street was hit.
• Local Victims: The dead included local residents, members of the Home Guard, a police war reserve officer, and an 18-month-old toddler.

Memorials and Remembrance

• Park Road Site: The location on Park Road where the row of destroyed houses once stood is known locally as the "bombed houses".
• The Memorial: A permanent memorial stands on Park Road to honour the victims and local servicemen from other conflicts. An information board was also unveiled near the site to preserve the history of that tragic night.

Cwmpark Blitz