HISTORY does repeat itself. Certainly Echo Memories - which from this Thursday will be transformed from a two-page also-ran into a 12-page supplement - does.

In 1998, we looked at when bombs had fallen in Darlington during the Second World War. With the help of readers, we came up with what we hoped was a definitive list:

1940

August 27: High-explosive bombs at Little Burdon and Bishopton.

September 5: Incendiary bombs on the north of Darlington - Longfield and Whessoe roads area - and high-explosive bombs on fields near Nunnery Lane.

September 6: High-explosive bombs on Sadberge and Low Newton.

1941

January 5: The only occasion bombs fell without a warning. Incendiaries at Haughton, John Street gasworks, Rise Carr Rolling Mills, Stephenson and Hawthorn; High-explosives at Whessoe, Stooperdale and Faverdale. On January 6, the Germans announced Darlington had been raided - the only time the town was mentioned in an official comunique, although Lord Haw Haw did try to put the wind up Darlingtonians several times.

March 13: Incendiaries fell on the West End: Woodlands Terrace and Pierremont Crescent.

April 15: High-explosive bombs on Sadberge and Great Stainton.

May 12: High-explosive bombs at Whessoe.

1942

May 1: High-explosive bombs fell on Blackwell, severely damaging High Linhams.

Only it is not definitive. Alan Goodrick has just written telling of his wartime memories which tell of an area that was bombed but which does not appear on the definitive list. Can anyone put a date to Alan's memories?

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In 1940 as a 12-year-old schoolboy, I resided at 109 North Road, Darlington, which at that time was the local section police office covering North Road, Albert Hill, Hopetown, Rise Carr, Harrowgate Hill and Haughton. My father, Sgt Goodrick, was the officer in charge from 1938-44.

I can recall the names of the police constables responsible for the above areas - PCs Pearson, Newton, Crowther, Coxen, Waters and Sicling, as I became friendly with all of them due to their frequent visits to our house, all in the call of duty as the front room of the house was used as a police office.

There were also two female constables, WPCs Armin and Proud, and a retired PC who worked nights, as the telephone had to be manned 24 hours in case of invasion and air raids - a very real threat at the time.

The front bay window was fortified by heavy steel shutters which were put in place at dusk, or in case of emergency.

The police used a colour coded air raid warning system, Orange - stand by, Red - attack imminent, Green - all clear.

I vividly remember the night Darlington was attacked with incendiary bombs. The office had received an Orange warning on a number of occasions and it was usually followed after a while by the Green - all clear.

On this particular night I recall the PC on duty bursting into our living quarters at the rear of the house shouting: "Red warning Sarge."

I don't know what contingencies my father had in place, but within a short space of time the police office became a hive of activity with policemen, special constables and air-raid wardens all armed with either a stirrup pump or a bucket of sand. There were also a number of our neighbours in the house - this may be due to the fact that we were the only house with a fortified bay window.

We heard the plane overhead but no explosions as it transpired that it was dropping incendiary bombs. The nearest hit to the police office was on the Co-op stores (now Roy Smith's Auto spares) at the junction of Askrigg Street and North Road. I am not sure how much damage the raid caused that night but I do know that a number of bombs failed to ignite, as a few unexploded ones were found by PC Sicling near the Five Arch railway bridge and brought into the office in a sack.

It was assumed at the time that the main target was Stephenson locomotive works at Springfield (now a housing estate at the end of Wylam Avenue).

The incendiary bombs were silver, about the size of a large thermos flask with metal fins at the top. The ones carried into the police office were placed in a large tub of water in the back yard.

I understand it was possible to unscrew the detonator, remove the powder and make the case into a lamp. I wonder if any survive in the area?