Family heirloom with dramatic wartime past returns to Sheffield

Known as ‘Teddy Dodgson’, he was originally bought on December 12, 1940, by Cyril Dodgson, who rushed into Atkinsons department store as staff were closing the store. That last-minute dash made the bear the final item ever sold before the entire store was destroyed just hours later in the first night of the Sheffield Blitz.

Cyril’s young daughter, Brenda, kept the bear throughout her life and he has now travelled almost 200 miles from Somerset to return to the city where his remarkable story began.

Brenda, now living with dementia, treasured the bear for more than eight decades and her family have loaned him to the National Emergency Services Museum so he can take centre-stage in the brand new permanent Sheffield Blitz exhibition.

Alongside him stands a fully restored 1932 Leyland fire engine that fought the fires of the blitz. Together they capture the human story of those nights — the ordinary family moments suddenly cut short, and the extraordinary bravery of the firefighters who battled the devastation.

The wider exhibition brings together rare artefacts, original documents, first-hand testimonies, immersive displays and new AI reconstructions. It offers Sheffield its most comprehensive and personal interpretation of the Blitz ever staged with many objects either loaned or given to the museum by people of the city.

Neil Anderson of the Sheffield Blitz Memorial Trust said: ““It’s astonishing that a simple bear bought on a whim outlived the destruction that followed only hours later. Teddy brings us face-to-face with the ordinary lives swept up in those terrifying nights. Set alongside the restored fire engine, he helps show the reality of what Sheffield lived through and why these stories still matter.”

The new exhibition forms part of the wider Sheffield Blitz 85th project, supported by a £91,280 award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Over the past two years the project has been recording the memories of the last surviving generation that experienced the blitz, the people that were kids in World War Two.

Matt Wakefield, chief executive of the National Emergency Services Museum, said: “Our original Sheffield Blitz exhibition was one of the most popular displays we’ve ever mounted, and the support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has allowed us to double its size and tell the story in far greater depth. What makes this exhibition truly special is the generosity of the people of Sheffield, who have loaned and donated extraordinary artefacts that carry real family history. ‘Teddy Dodgson’ is one of those objects. His arrival, alongside the restored fire engine, helps us share a story that belongs to the whole city.”

The 85th anniversary weekend also includes film screenings at Sheffield Cathedral, the unveiling of a memorial to the eight firefighters who died in the attacks and the launch of a new Blitz book and walking app.

The new Sheffield Blitz exhibition opens to the public at the National Emergency Services Museum this Saturday, December 13, as part of the venue’s 1940s weekend celebrations.

National Emergency Services Museum (open from 10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday, December 13 and 14). Tickets can be booked via: visitnesm.org.uk

Information on the new exhibition: https://www.visitnesm.org.uk/blitz

1940s Weekend: https://www.visitnesm.org.uk/wartimechristmas