大象传媒

It was the 22nd December 1940 - the night Manchester sustained its worst night of Blitz bombing. I was 15 years of age at the time, living in Burnage. At ten o'clock we all went to bed but after an hour the air raid sirens sounded. So we got dressed and went down to the Anderson Shelter in the garden. Then we heard the drone of the aircrafts coming over and then the thud of bombs - telling us they were getting nearer. The search lights came on and the anti-aircraft guns fired. The bombing continued all night and then at about five in the morning the 'all clear' sounded and we made our way back into the house.

But I didn't go back to bed as at 6.30am it was time for me to go to work. I had a job as a clerk at Fred Fishwick Ltd on Peter Street in Manchester - which was exactly opposite the Free Trade Hall. I got on my bike and began the journey cycling into Manchester. But when I got onto Upper Brook Street I had to pick up my bike and carry it because there was so much broken glass and rubble on the road. Row upon row of terrace houses where gone. I saw three or four bodies laid out at the side of the road - and a lot of dead dogs.

As I got closer to Manchester city centre the air became heavy with smoke and the smell of burning. I cycled down Oxford Road past the palace and through St Peter's Square to Peter Street - where I saw that the Free Trade Hall was a mass of flames - only the outer walls remained. I put my bike in work and then went back out to the burning building. Two firemen were aiming hoses at the fire - they'd been there all night but the fire was so hot the water seemed to do nothing to calm the flames. I took over and held the hose for one of the firemen while he stretched and stamped his feet to get his blood circulation going again. Then I did the same for the other fireman! I was totally soaked! Then one of the firemen asked if I could get them a handkerchief each. He gave me half a crown (12陆p) so I ran down Peter Street to Deansgate, along Deansgate to Woolworths. It was closed as it was still very early but I knocked on the door and a face appeared through a crack in the door.

I explained that I needed to buy 2 handkerchiefs for 2 firemen and he let me in. He selected 2, put them in a bag and clocked the money on the till. He then let me out of the door. I ran back to the firemen - 'I've got your handkerchief' I said to the fireman. He took it off me and had a good blow - a great deal of black soot came out! He then rinsed the handkerchief in the hose and put it on the pump to dry! The other fireman did the same. They then decided to move the pump to another side of the Free Trade Hall and set it up again. I helped them to move the pump to the next opening and connect it back to the water. I stayed with the firemen until 8.45am when I had to go and start work - but before I did I made the firemen a nice cup of tea!

On the night of 23 December Woolworths received a direct hit and disappeared.

The worst nights of the blitz were 22/23 December 1940 when over 700 people were killed and 2,500 injured. Over 100,000 homes in the area were damaged, as well as the Cathedral, the Royal Exchange and the Free Trade Hall. At one point the fire, fanned by the wind, was so fierce that buildings were demolished to stop it spreading.

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