大象传媒

During the winter of 1940-41 there were frequent air raids on Liverpool especially when the convoys were in. I lived with my parents in Adlington, about 20 miles NW of Liverpool.

During an air raid (alert) in November 1940 we could hear the German bombers overhead, but their target was Liverpool. However we always went into our Anderson Shelter when the siren sounded for the duration of every raid. Many neighbours did not move, some even stayed in their beds at night.

At about 11.30pm one night we heard an aircraft overhead and then a loud click, like a gate closing. Seconds later there was the loudest explosion I have ever heard. The Hurricane Lamp in the shelter went out and all we could hear, in the darkness, was the sound of falling slates and glass. When all was quiet my father looked out of the shelter and said, 鈥淚 can see the houses but next door is al lit up.鈥� We scrambled out shouting 鈥淧ut that light out.鈥� Our neighbour was attempting to cover the window with a torn blackout.

The light went out and we learned later that they had been downstairs and his wife was undressed and trying on a new pair of corsets, standing in front of the fire. Glass had showered them from the window in the first blast and then in the reverse blast the plaster came off the walls, and the soot came down the chimney covering her and her underclothes!

As we walked to our own house through glass and slates, I noticed that there was also fresh earth sticking to our feet (from the crater). We were relieved to see the outline of the houses was complete. The loudness of the explosion made me think we must be on the edge of a crater. In fact it was 100yds away, the bomb was a 1000lb 鈥楲andmine鈥� and it completely destroyed a cotton mill.

Our small back yard was full of debris including a shiny jagged piece of metal about 3ft long. I presume it was part of the bomb since the Air Raid Warden took it away.

Our back door was leaning against the cooker in the kitchen. All the windows were out and glass and plaster everywhere, so we retrieved all the cash which was ready for next days business in our shop, and returned to the shelter. On the way back the warden said we were to stay there as there was another unexploded bomb nearby which they were searching for.

An hour later, when they had found the bomb, we were ordered out of the shelter to a church hall in a safe area about half a mile away. A third of our village was evacuated and assembled in the church hall. The WVS organised tea and biscuits. I believe the police and wardens checked every house and the area was cleared to await the bomb disposal squad.

No one was injured! When the billeting officer had the list of people evacuated he allocated families to houses which had spare rooms. One of our customers invited us to her home where she had spare bedrooms and we were very grateful to have a few hours sleep.

During the following day the area round the bomb was cordoned off, but we were allowed into our house for ten minutes to get a change of clothing and other essentials. The bomb dropped on Thursday night and the bomb disposal squad arrived on Saturday morning. At about 12 o clock midday we heard an explosion and presumed that that was the end of them. They had removed well over half the explosive when the timing mechanism began to tick. They set their own charges and detonated the bomb.

We heard that a collier came home from night shift at 6am on the morning after the maid went into his undamaged cottage and saw what he thought was a man standing at the bottom of his garden. He found a large cylinder 鈥榣ike a round letter box鈥� he said. He tried to lift it but it was too heavy, he shook it but it was firmly bedded in the ground.

Being tired after work and walking home, he went to bed. Several hours later the wardens woke him in their check that everyone had been evacuated 鈥� the bomb was in his garden.

When the alert was over we returned to move furniture to spare rooms in the council offices. Families shared storage but we were fortunate that a friend offered us her house in the village whilst she stayed with her sister. We were busy for the next two days moving furniture in our own van. Vehicles were available on application to the local council. Whilst we were moving, several policemen checked our identity and groups of men in overalls came to help with the heavier items. My mother and I were suspicious of them but Dad reassured us they were policemen from the surrounding towns, sent to help and supervise the evacuation.

We moved out and found an undamaged lock-up shop in the village to continue business. Within a few days workmen were boarding up windows to make premises secure, but the complete repairs took about 3 months. We moved back in April 1941. Our neighbour, the butcher next door (Tom Alken) never moved out. How could he continue in business without his large fridge? Food was of prime importance so his repairs received priority. We had a large hole in the roof which made it impossible to stay. Our neighbours, who had been trying on corsets, left and never came back and it was several years before the house was fully repaired.

All out fruit and vegetables in the shop were covered in glass and needed replacing but it was not expensive to restock. My father made an honest war damage claim and was very annoyed when they only allowed half his claim. Other traders made inflated claims and were paid! We made sure that from then on our tax returns were in our favour.

My wartime experiences divide in 3 phases:
1939-1942 鈥� As a schoolboy in Lancashire at Rivington Blackrod Grammar School.

1942-1944 鈥� As a student at Loughborough College, training in Handicraft Teaching

1944-1948 鈥� As a conscript miner (Bevin Boy) at Bestwood Colliery, Nottingham.

One aspect in common to all phases; I was a civilian. Personally I had no problem with his, but there was no exception to the Bevin Scheme. To the curious who enquired about my status I assured them that as I was working 鈥榰nderground鈥� there was no more I could say!

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