Dozens of streets still standing today were ravaged by bombings during the Second World War, as readers and photos vividly recall.

The dramatic moments when bombs fell on the County Town are still engrained in people’s memories who lived through the time, as a photograph published in The Way We Were, in the Kent Messenger in July, revealed.

The picture of the then Mayor of Maidstone, Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, and fellow dignitaries processing through Mill Street in 1940 amid war damage prompted a flurry of interest from those who remembered the day.

Frank Baker, of Rochester Road, Burham, said: “At that time I drove a large furniture lorry for the Len Cabinet Works which is on the site of the Chequers Centre. The loading department was at the end of the Granada car park.

“I lived in Queens Road, Maidstone, and walked down the lane to London Road up the High Street, turning into Mill Street then turning left along College Road to the Granada. On arriving at my lorry there was a terrible explosion; we realised it was close.

“We didn’t see the site because leaving the Granada we used to drive up Gabriel’s Hill. When I later learned where the bomb fell I felt sick to think I had just walked along Mill Street five minutes before.”

Robert Cole, of Cedar Gardens, Stockbury, recalled a story he was told by his grandfather, the late Robert Hughes, who was a trolley bus driver at the time.

He told his grandson that as he was driving down Tonbridge Road and reached St Michael’s Church, he heard a buzzer sounding and coasted down to the West Station to find the power station had been blown out.

“I’m told that the bus in front wasn’t so fortunate and the windows were broken by the blast. Number 14 was repaired and became one of three decorated buses for VE Day in 1945,” he said.

The bombardment the town suffered was documented by Anthony Webb from Allington, Maidstone, in his book Out of the Blue - Maidstone’s blitz during the Battle of Britain.

He wrote: “The last bombs to fall in the Battle of Britain period fell shortly before 9am in Mill Street on October 31. The result was loss of life and heavy damage to shops and offices and disruption to the town’s trolley bus system.”

According to Mr Webb, a lone Dornier 17 broke low cloud to drop bombs in Mill Street , intended for Rootes Motors’ repair workshops, which was producing various types of military vehicles and hardware.

The resulting damage required a temporary re-routing of the trolley buses.

• Do you remember the bombing? Write to The Way We Were, 6 & 7 Middle Row, Maidstone, ME14 1TG, or email messengernews@thekmgroup.co.uk