Rodney Charles Ash Jarrett was born on 4 June 1936. He was the son of Lewis Charles Ash Jarrett and Sybil Lilian Beck Jarrett, of 4 Cobland Road, Grove Park, London.
On 20 January 1943, Sandhurst Road School in Catford, south‑east London, was hit by a 500kg bomb dropped by a German Focke‑Wulf fighter‑bomber during a midday air raid. The blast destroyed part of the school building while children were having lunch, killing 38 pupils and six staff and injuring around 60 others.
The raid was part of a wider German raid involving nearly 30 aircraft. Due to delayed warnings, the sirens did not sound before the raid. Rescue teams and local volunteers responded quickly, but many victims were trapped under rubble.
Rodney died at Sandhurst Road School. He was six years old.
A mass burial for 31 of the children and one teacher was held at Hither Green Cemetery on Wednesday 27 January. An estimated 7,000 people attended the burial. Rodney was buried in the Civilian War Dead Plot at Hither Green Cemetery and is commemorated on the Civilian Roll of Honour at Westminster Abbey.
Discover the rest of the stories by searching for Sandhurst Road School Remembered. These stories were researched by the CWGC Education Team.
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