大象传媒

I was nine years of age, when war was declared; we lived in a corporation house in Fazakerley. I remember how sunny the day was, a neighbour stuck his head over our hedge and announced the news, and whilst it didn鈥檛 mean much to me, being a child, it worried my family; my father was in the first world war and my mother's family had also served in the forces.
I remember Aintree Racecourse, summer 1940; it had been turned into a camp for French sailors in their stripped shirts, and blue hats with red pom-poms on them. They鈥檇 escaped from France at Dunkirk when Germany had invaded France. I tried to talk French at the time!
The 1940/41 spring blitz saw Liverpool take a hell o a bashing through German bombing. My sister was born on May 4th 1941; officially the worst day of the bombing, all children had to be born at home during the war. We had a Morrison shelter in the living room, which was like a big table made of steel, you had to crawl under it when bombing occurred, my mum did, being pregnant. As kids, we had to go into the Anderson shelter in the garden.
The war caused terrible disruption, schools closed so we had to attend half a day a week in other people鈥檚 homes, home life was seriously disrupted and I must have lost a years schooling altogether.
London children were evacuated first then Merseyside, I was sent to Llandudno. It was a fun holiday for me. I remember coming back to the city, Paradise Street, Lord Street and Church Street were devastated, like Japan after Hiroshima. All the streets were flattened, buildings burning; I wandered around the streets.
Rationing meant that there were no sweets, which was good for the waistline, though there were clothes rationing too. People pooled their ration coupons for a new dress and so on, as the war continued.
1944 saw huge waves of American soldiers in the main port receiving equipment for D Day. Again Aintree was used as a camp for them whilst tanks were built. They sought entertainment and often attended the Aintree Institute, Long Moor Lane where there was weekly dances. I remember watching people jitterbugging through the glass windows, whilst we used to cadge chewing gum off the soldiers; something we鈥檇 never seen before.
When the war finishes and the troops came home, Liverpool hospitals were full of injured soldiers. It was sad to see those missing, arms and legs, and lots didn鈥檛 come back at all, neighbours lost children and didn鈥檛 know where they went.
VE Day saw massive street parties, with trestle tables, union jacks and dancing, kids got plenty of food and there was the relief of no more bombing and killing.

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