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Evacuation from Salford by Derek McKelvey

My two older sisters and I were assembled with a large group of other children at Mount Carmel school, Salford in September 1939 ready to be transported to Lancaster via Manchester Exchange railway station. Six years of age, labelled with name and address, gas mak over my shoulder and a small parcel of belongings awaiting evacuation from the expected German raids.
The train duly arrived at its destination but as no one was able to take three of us, my eldest sister went one way and we two youngest were billeted on a farm some way out of the village of Scorton. This was a very interesting interlude for two 鈥榯ownies鈥� with hams hanging in the kitchen, gathering eggs laid outside the hen cotes, the outside privy and discovering a litter of kittens in the hay barn. My father, on leave, cycling from Lancaster Station encountered our extremely large pig wandering some distance from the farm, a not unusual occurrence. Our farm idyll did not last, we were too far from the school so were moved into the village, staying with a mother and son; his hobby was shooting red squirrels with his air rifle and stuffing them.
My father, having enrolled in the RNVR at HMS Irwell (dubbed locally for obvious reasons, HMS Neverbudge) for social and sporting opportunities rather than military ambition, was called up and encamped at Blackpool, not in the royal Navy but in the Royal Artillery. My mother took us to Blackpool for a short holiday where we witnessed the reservists parading, some with wooden rifles, marching to Woolworths鈥� cafeteria for their mid-day meal.
For months the skies over Salford were occupied by many barrage balloons but no Luftwaffe. Mother, who without my father鈥檚 wages was on nightly war work in Trafford Park Industrial estate chromium plating aero engine parts, brought us home. Unfortunately the false war ended with some very big bangs with the arrival of the 鈥楤litz鈥�. Our flats were only a few hundred yards from the docks, bordering the main Manchester to Liverpool railway line. The air raids resulted in many nights in the shelters and days collecting shrapnel and burnt out incendiary bombs. We were subsequently very disappointed by having to hand them in, together with any pans we thought our parents wouldn鈥檛 miss, to help the war effort. One memorable air raid resulted in a huge conflagration at the near-by fire-lighter manufacturer which spread to other factories including the Somnus bedding factory. Some time later we were able to dig in the rubble and rekindle the fires! Incendiary bombs were the most common weapon but the most disruptive were the land mines which frequently had time delay fuses causing streets to be cordoned off and guarded night and day.
The heart of Salford at that time was Cross Lane/Regent Road (now obliterated by motorway) with its many pubs, cinemas and ships chandlers, frequented by Lascars, merchant seamen and dockers who could be identified by their docker鈥檚 hook in their broad leather belts. Manchester docks were almost all in Salford and centred on the North American trade. There being very little mechanisation, loading was mostly by hand with hooks used to secure the sacks or baleswhen carrying them down the gangplanks on their backs.
The heavy bombing meant evacuation once more. This time to a Catterall small holding (near Garstang) where I was introduced by an older boy to bird nesting, poaching rabbits and the lady of the house despatching hens by hanging them upside down. When the man of the house died we were moved once again to a council estate in Garstang. There we were kindly treated, the only eccentricity being that I had to eat standing up as they thought I was not tall enough and this would help me to grow.
When the air-raids finished we duly returned home and I remember the collection of waste-paper, metal and books, not to mention pig swill, being of a very high priority in our part of Germany鈥檚 downfall. Queues were often joined irrespective of the product in the hope of obtaining something off-ration. By this time the American Forces were over here in great numbers and mostly at the Burtonwood base. They were well paid, very smartly uniformed and were usually followed by the local youngsters asking 鈥済ot any gum chum?鈥�.

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