大象传媒

My story begins in September 1939. I was six years old and went to my grandparents
from Birkenhead to Craven Arms, Shropshire.
The train was stopped and the Guard, who was looking after me, was informed that war had been declared. He told all the other passengers, who were in the services (both men and women).
My parents went on a tandem and my older brother was on his bicycle to go to my
Grandparents.
In 1940 in Baytree Road, Higher Tranmere, Birkenhead where we lived they took all
the iron railings off the front walls of the houses and also they took them from Mersey
and Victoria Parks.
We had concrete blocks at the top of the road in case of invasion. Air raid shelters were
built in the streets and in all the back yards. On our air raid shelter my father put a wire
net fence around the top. We had chickens and ducks, so at least we had eggs and when they stopped laying we could use their meat. We also had an allotment for vegetables.
My Aunt Elsie was a housekeeper for the Bibby鈥檚 of Tilston Lodge,Tarporley and when
in season Mister Bibby, who worked in Liverpool, would bring fruit, vegetables and eggs
to my mother. She would meet him at Rock Ferry Railway Station or he would bring them to our house.
In Mersey Park was a barrage balloon station. In the first years of the war we had two
Petty Officers living with us, when their ship was being fitted out at Cammell Lairds.
Their names were Mister Botteral and Mister Martin.
In the winter Blitz the houses in Tranmere had the windows blown out and roofs were
badly damaged. This time the army came to repair the property. We had some soldiers
billeted with us.
My father worked as a bus driver with the Birkenhead Corporation, but when the war
started he went into the N.F.S (National Fire Service) and as the men were recruited into the forces my father
was taken back on the buses.
He organised the street fire fighters. So, my brother and I would keep the board, with
the rota, up to date. We would take sand, water buckets, hose-pipes and long handle
shovels to the men to go on duty.
One night my dad could see a parachute landing. He thought he could take a German
Airman prisoner. When he got to a road near Victoria Park a land-mine went off and
my dad fell to the ground. A lot of people were killed in Well Lane, Tranmere that
night.
We often heard an AKK AKK gun going up, down the back entries, firing at the German
Planes. A bomb hit a house in Grasville Road, but the people in the house survived.
Eventually, in May 1945 war in Europe was over. On V.E Night my friend David
Montgomery and I went to Hamilton Square to enjoy the celebrations. All over Birkenhead there were parties in the streets.
In August 1945 on V.J night, when World War ll. was officially over, we had another
very big party with bonfires. We also had a bus trip to Belle Vue Park in Manchester.

'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 John Tomkinson and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.'

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