THE sister of a man who survived an aerial assault by a German bomber which flew underneath the Newport Transporter Bridge and open fire has spoken of the terrifying ordeal.

Arthur Gould, who lived in Newport, originally served in the merchant navy, until he took up a position in Newport Docks in 1940.

Sister Gladys Singleton, of Fosse Road, Newport, said that her late brother was working on a ship - some time between June 1940 and 1941 - when he came under fire from a rain of bullets.

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Newport Transporter Bridge

"It happened some time between June 1940 and 1941," said the Newport resident.

"My brother was working on a ship when a German plane was spotted flying underneath the bridge.

"All of a sudden the plane started to fire at him and the workers."

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Arthur Gould in Newport Docks during his latter years

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Fortunately Mr Gould and the other workers dashed for cover quick enough to survive.

His sister has recalled her late brother saying he was "shocked" at the aircraft flighting underneath the Grade I listed building.

"It was a very scary moment for him," said Mrs Singleton.

"He was lucky not to have been killed.

"I remember him saying it was unbelievable for the plane to go underneath the bridge. It was unexpected.

"He spoke about it a lot. During the war a lot of people in Newport were killed by German bombs."

There were a number of bombings in Newport during the Second World War, most notably on October 9, 1940, when bombs were dropped in the Newport Docks area and hit Alexandra Dock Hotel.

This story forms part of both our and Newport City Council's Transporter Bridge Memories project, where we are appealing for you to find stories and memorabilia connected to the Newport Transporter Bridge which will then be highlighted in a series of features.

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