Died August 2nd 1942
William was not a resident of Bridport but, w
ith his wife and family, was visiting relations in the town when the August bombings took place.
William was baptised in Barnstable, Devon in 1899 and lived with his parents, Frederick and Lucy and three older siblings in Coombe Martin.
His father Frederick, was an Ironmonger, running his own ironmongery/china shop in the village and William worked in the same business throughout his life. He met his future wife, Margaret Stiby, when he was working in an Ironmongers in Bridport, and they married in Bradpole in 1923.
At some point after the marriage, William and Margaret moved back to Devon and by the time the 1939 Register was taken, the family, now including three daughters, Margaret, Pamela and Mary, was living at 87 Broadway, Exeter and Frederick was employed at ‘Ottons’ a large Ironmongery wholesale outlet in the city.
The Creek family went to Bridport for a holiday in August 1942 – Margaret was a local girl and had many relations living there.
William, Margaret and their two younger daughters were staying with Margaret’s sister, and brother-in-law in a flat above the menswear shop next to the Star Hotel. Their eldest daughter, (Margaret), was staying with an aunt in Victoria Grove.
Margaret continues the story:
On Sunday August 2nd, my two aunts, uncles and I had gone for a day’s picnic to a field at Bradpole where they had a small caravan.
In the afternoon we heard a loud explosion and saw thick smoke rising over the centre of Bridport and we were seriously alarmed. My young aunt and I set off across the fields at once to discover what had happened. On the way we noticed paper bags with the name of the outfitters on them, blowing about and our worse fears were realised.
We hurried on to Victoria Grove.
The police were at the house, and we were told that my father had been killed and the rest of the household, although bruised shaken and shocked, were not seriously injured, apart from Mary, my youngest sister aged six, whose thigh was broken. She had been taken to Bridport Hospital.
My Aunt, Uncle and their daughter were brought to the house (Victoria Grove), shocked, bruised and covered with dust. As their flat had been completely demolished, my aunt, uncle and cousin had to live at Victoria Grove until they got a new home of their own.
My Mother was terribly shocked by the sudden death of my father.
The funeral was at Bridport Cemetery and a few days after the funeral my mother, sister and I went back to our house in Exeter and my youngest sister was transferred to the Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter where we could visit her easily.
My Mother was thus left alone with three daughters aged sixteen, thirteen and six.