大象传媒

I was a Liverpool Civil Defense messenger in 1941, aged 14. We were recruited by Mr Tom Moore, headmaster of St Sylvester's School in Sylvester Street. We had a dark blue uniform in the form of an army battle dress and a black beret with a white cloth badge with a blue Liver Bird. We were also issued with a gas mask and a steel helmet. We were given black police bikes to ride with the letters L.C.D.C. on (Liverpool Civil Defence Corps). You can imagine what we looked like - small lads of 5' or 5'4" trying to ride huge bikes meant for 6' broad policemen - we couldn't reach the seats! Messages were given to me at Bebbington Bush Baths to deliver to police stations or hospitals - we had a black leather belt with a case to put them in. The messages could be about unexploded bombs. The noise we had to ride through was horrendous and the light from the guns made it appear almost like daylight. As soon as the sirens went, I would rush to Bebbington Road baths for instructions. I did this until I was 15 and a half and when I was 17 I volunteered to join the army as a regular soldier for 12 years.

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