Commemorating a Six-Month-Old Bombing Victim

Maisie, an 11-year-old girl, has expressed her sorrow upon learning that her great-great aunt, Eleanor Necy, was the youngest casualty of a World War One bombardment. Eleanor Necy was only six months old when she died during the German bombing of Hartlepool on December 16, 1914. Her elder sister, Annie Necy, survived the attack, and her account has been transmitted through subsequent generations to Maisie, who is currently investigating her family’s past. Maisie stated, “I feel honoured to be part of the family, but I feel sad for people like Eleanor and my great grandma.” Maisie’s research into her family tree was prompted by a visit to the Heugh Battery Museum in Hartlepool. She remarked, “When I looked up the town, I imagined if I was there and bombs started dropping I would be really scared.” In the past 12 months, Maisie has successfully traced her family lineage back to the 1500s, and her objective is to publicize the story of Annie and Eleanor. The bombardment saw over 1,100 shells strike Hartlepool within a mere 40 minutes, resulting in the deaths of 130 individuals. Seven-year-old Annie, Eleanor, and their mother, Agnes, evacuated their residence on Pilot Street, which was situated directly in the path of German battleships’ fire. Maisie learned that a shopkeeper had offered to shelter baby Eleanor, stating it would be “safer.” Nevertheless, less than a minute afterward, a bomb struck the shop, killing both the infant and the shopkeeper. Annie, who became separated from her mother, suffered partial deafness due to the intense noise of the shelling. Upon reuniting with her mother, they realized the baby had not survived. “I feel really sad for all of the people that were there,” Maisie commented. Peter Necy, the father of the girls, was at sea with the Royal Navy on the day of the bombardment, having enlisted despite his inability to swim. He returned home following World War One and later passed away during World War Two. Maisie found out that Annie passed away in 1991 and seldom discussed the bombardment. Annie had four children, one of whom was Maisie’s grandmother, Anne. Maisie and her father, Mark, intend to participate in the upcoming annual ceremony at the Heugh Battery Museum, which commemorates 110 years since the bombing. Maisie, who resides in Wrose, Bradford, West Yorkshire, expressed her desire to honor and “remember people who lived through that time.” She further stated, “They deserve to be acknowledged and recognised for what they went through.”