大象传媒

I was born on the 26th June 1936 at the Police station on Liverpool Road, Eccles. My father Ronald Naylor was the sergeant and the station had two houses, one on either side of it. We lived in one and the MacMillan family lived in the other house.

I remember the air raid sirens going off and being taken to the Police cells (if unoccupied), until we heard that wonderful sound of the all-clear. Once, on returning to my bedroom after an air raid, my bedroom window had been blown out by a bomb dropped across the road which killed several friends.

I spent time with my grandmother (Elizabeth), in Litherland, Liverpool, whilst my mother was expecting my brother (David Alan), and well remember the docks being bombed constantly and the sky always appearing red to me. The local air raid shelter was built on to the side of my grandmothers house in Sefton Avenue.

My uncle (Tom Holme), was the local blacksmith and a master welder who during the war worked down at the docks repairing damaged vessels and in his time off was the local A.R.P. warden.

When possible, grandmother took me to visit friends in Southport which seemed relatively normal at that time. Once, on a shopping trip into Manchester with my mother Dorothy, we were caught up in an air raid and taken down some steps by the bus station under the cathedral with hundreds of other people. After a few hours I heard my father shouting our name, he had travelled from Eccles to find us and take us home.

The food at this time was very limited but no one starved and everyone shared their coupons for special occasions. I remember once being asked to take an empty jam jar to school and we were given a portion of chocolate powder, which was a gift from the American people. A great treat at the time. I also tasted my first banana!

If friends had a bit of a garden then you might get fresh eggs and vegetables to supplement the diet of powdered eggs given in rations.

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