World War II in Plymouth: Then and Now
Iconic images from the 1940s have been recreated by a Royal Navy trainee
A new project shows how areas in Plymouth have changed since World War II.
Royal Navy trainee, Able Seaman Gareth Smith, has recreated a series of images from the 1940s, to show what is there today.
He carried out the project as part of his Defence Photography Course at RAF Cosford in the Midlands.
Gareth was encouraged by the history surrounding HNMB Devonport and the barrack area of HMS Drake. He spent time researching where the original images were taken during the war.
The photographer said it was 'amazing to get the right location, after all these years':
"I took the inspiration from working day to day around the Base and the City. I found I could identify some of the places and with a bit of leg work, research and looking around, certain landmarks in the background pointed me to the right place."
Firefighting, HMNB Devonport
The Plymouth Blitz was a series of bombing raids launched during World War II by the German Luftwaffe. The Royal Dockyard at Devonport was the main target and in early 1941, five raids in particular reduced much of Plymouth to rubble.
Nearly every civic building was destroyed. More than two dozen schools suffered the same fate, as did 40 places of worship. Most were rebuilt but Charles Church was left in ruins as a memorial.
Despite this, and the high level of civilian casualties, the Dockyard continued in operation.
"This personal project really brought a sense of perspective to the catastrophic damage caused to Plymouth during the Blitz. I sought to revise important historical moments captured during World War II in Plymouth and Devonport, comparing them to the peaceful present day.
"For a relatively small city and with the extent of the damage Plymouth took it's truly remarkable how the city rebuilt itself after the war. 1,174 people were killed and 4,448 were injured in Plymouth over the course of the war and around 30,000 people were left homeless."