Walking trail marks 85 years since Coventry Blitz

The old Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital is one of the sites on the walking tour

A new walking trail has been launched to help people learn about the Coventry Blitz 85 years ago.

Visitors can join an organised walk through the city, stopping at some of the areas worst affected by the 1940 German bombing raid known as Operation Moonlight Sonata.

The route explores Coventry's industrial role in the war effort, the response of emergency services and the stories of civilians.

The walks have been organised by local historian Ben Mayne, who said it was important to ensure future generations understood the impact of the Blitz.

"The more I started to research the story, the more you really get stuck into the civilian stories, especially in all this destruction, the devastation that the city suffered," he said.

Ben Mayne organised the trail to teach younger generations about the Second World War

Mr Mayne said the impact of the bombing reached beyond Coventry.

"You have to remember that civilian workers were coming in from the likes of Nuneaton and Kenilworth," he said, as well as "firemen that were drafted in from different towns or cities around the Midlands.

"It's the wider impact of getting that story out for future generations to learn from."

The route, titled Destruction, Courage, and Coventry's Spirit during the Second World War, has been created as part of the Liberation Route Europe (LRE) Foundation network, an international project connecting historic Second World War sites across Europe.

Accredited as an official Cultural Route of the Council of Europe, the trail will also be available digitally via the LRE app.

Mr Mayne, who is the director of the LRE UK, said: "By linking the industrial heritage, the emergency services' heroic response and the civilians' lived experience all witnessed in one city, we offer a deeply human and accessible way into the history of the Second World War.

"Our hope is that younger generations will engage, reflect, and carry forward the memory of these events."

The 90-minute guided walks will take place around the city centre, including stops at the former Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital and nearby factory sites that were heavily bombed.

Free walks are running at 9:00, 12:00 and 16:00 GMT on Saturday, 15 November.