大象传媒

When the May Blitz occurred in Liverpool and Merseyside, we lived on Well Lane, Rock Ferry. This night my dad was on fire watch and he came in to see if we were all ok. We were all in the cellar sleeping, Dad had it re enforced and we all slept down there every night - Mum, Dad, Elsie, Peggy, Lilly, Joyce and Jacky.

Dad said that there was a parachute coming down right on top of us. They sent Dad into us to make sure we were all 'ok' he said. All the fire watchers were making their way towards us as they thought it was a German parachute. But it was not, it was a land mine, not a parachute. But by the time they knew this, it was too late. The land mine dropped half way up Well Lane. It demolished two roads each side of us. The family lost two aunties and uncles and three children, as they all lived in the same road. We were in bed in the cellar and I was against the wall of the cellar, and we never heard any bang, but the wall just came over towards me and went flat.

I was very afraid as we were trapped in the cellar, as the door was blocked. So we had to stay where we were until someone came to get us. Anyway, we heard a lot of movement going on, and finally they got us out through a coal hole which was just in front of the house. So the coal would end up in the cellar. We all got out that way expecting just to see our house demolished, but the next two roads were all demolished. it was terrible, it meant all of the family were buried underneath all that. They pushed us all together and put us in the police station which was not far away. They gave us all a drink and the we had to all go to the hospital to be treated for shock. There were no rooms anywhere for us in all of the hospitals. There were stretchers all the way up to the main doors waiting for treatment, so we had to go back to the Police Station. We stayed there until the morning, and then they took us to the local school, which they had made into accommodation for the homeless. We stayed there for about a week.

Dad went around to see if any of his family could put us up. We had one auntie who gave us a key to her terrace house. She said we could use it until they sorted something out for us. But after walking to Bebbington from Rock Ferry with all our clothes and belongings, we found it was bombed flat, so that was that. We did have a one room flat with my auntie. We ended up living in the small room, which was very uncomfortable for seven of us. So it meant walking up to Victoria Park every night, I was 13 years old at the time, and enjoyed the excitement of the other children we met. All sleeping in the air raid shelters in the park, with all this happening. Mum and Dad, on the other hand, were trying to find out about the family. Uncle Benny, Auntie Jane, Auntie Annie, Uncle and Auntie Jane (?) were all dug out of the ruins but did not survive. Auntie Annie was missing with another young nephew, we were very upset because the ruins were flattened down after a few days. Anyway, on the sixth day a man walked into the Police Station at the top of Well Lane and told them that he could hear someone shouting among the ruins. They looked into it, only to find Auntie Annie, who was trapped on the stairs, looking down to the cellar. She said she had had our nephew on her knee with her hand over his head, trying to stop anything falling on his head, and the baby who was two years old then. But she ended up stuck like that. She had been down there for five long days and nights, when they first got her out she asked if they could get her a drink of water for the baby, saying he had been crying. She did not know he had died.

She was in hospital for twelve months afterwards and the Queen went to see her in hospital, and gave her a lovely blanket for her bravery.

She ended up working in Littlewoods Liverpool Football Pools. They gave her a good job and she ended up being a supervisor.

'This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by 大象传媒 Radio Merseyside鈥檚 People鈥檚 War team on behalf of Mrs F. Vieuting and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.