大象传媒

As a young boy, 4 years of age I was living with my mother and aunt in Hall Street near to Church Lane. In the same street but farther up, near to Moston Lane, lived my grandad and grandma William and Bella Atkins.
My Uncle Bill, a R.S.M. who was stationed with the grenadier guards at Buckingham Palace, had travelled up to Manchester from London to visit his parents who were my grandparents.
He had called to "our house" to see his sisters, my mother and auntie and it was agreed that we walk up to my grandma's. We walked out into the street late at night and although all lights were out you could see fairly clearly due to the bright, full moon.
We were crossing the street when we heard very loud, heavy engine noises. My uncle Bill ordered us all to lie down flat on the road. As the noise grew louder I glanced up and could see a large black aeroplane shape pass over the top of us and could hear the gunfire from the anti aircraft guns sited in Boggart Hole Clough.
The planes dropped some bombs, which gutted the local picture house ironically called "The Victory" and it was rumoured the planes had been trying to find A.V. Roes aircraft factory in New Moston.
That moment of lying on the floor watching the plane in the night sky has stayed with me all my life nearly 65 years ago.
Around this time a stray black cat, which favoured us with it's prescence until after the war ended, wandered in one night and immediately christened "Blackout."
At wars end my uncle Bill was awarded the M.B.E.

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