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Things had got worse in Stockport and Manchester with the bombing so my mother decided to lock up our house and move down and live with her parents in Leicester. I left Heaton Moor Council School and ‘Jimmy’ Moult the headmaster. Why do I remember him all those years ago? When you’ve been stood outside his office so many times as I have you’ll remember it! I then went to Alderman Richard Hallams School, Anstey Lane, Leicester.

It was later when the bombing had lessened we moved back to our house in Heaton Moor. I noticed that the real guns on the rugby field had been replaced by dummy guns made out of wood and canvas. It was later on after the war that my pal and I, Barry Wright, who later moved to live in Blackpool, used to play ‘soldiers’ on the ‘guns’. Mr Wright his father who was an engineer and unfit for military service, told my mother he had inspected a shot down German bomber in Manchester and it wasn’t ‘Jerry Built’ as people thought, but a well engineered plane.

One Saturday morning my mother was awakened by lots of voices coming from the Heaton Mersey Cricket Club ground adjoining our back garden, when mother opened the curtains we saw that the cricket field was covered with troops, hundreds of them. My mother shrieked ‘German Paratroopers!’ The shape of their helmets were similar to the German ones. ‘No Mum’ I cried ‘They’re Yanks! They might give me some chewing gum and sweets.’ (which we needed coupons for). I was over the back fence in a flash!

They had docked at Liverpool during the night and been put on the cricket field before being billeted elsewhere. This was probably in readiness for D-Day. My mother and neighbours gave them hot cups of tea and when she showed them our rations for the week, they couldn’t believe how we existed on such meagre provisions. They said they had thrown overboard tons of butter, meat and food as it was going bad, much to our mum’s and neighbours horror!

I later made friends with a Captain Nuremburg who was billeted at a house in Napier Rd nearby. He used to give me chewing gum, ‘Lifesaver’ sweets and also ‘Herschey’ chocolate bars for my mother.

During this time I seem to remember my mother, sister and I went to visit or stay with my father’s sister and her husband, Jim and Molly Smith and my cousin Jean at 29 Wembley Rd, Thornton Le Fylde, near Blackpool. We also saw my grandfather, Peter Tattersall, My uncle Jim was a locomotive engine driver at the ICI factory nearby and my grandfather was a printer, just like me before I retired.

On the train journey we pulled in at Preston station where a sailor in our coach performed a crafty trick. He left our coach with a length of cord or string and tied one end to the legs of a chicken or turkey which was one of a pile on the platform truck. He then returned to our coach with the other end of the string or cord. When the train moved off he pulled the bird inside the train and away the train went!

Finally I remember the end of the war and VE day. We were in Leicester again at my grandparent’s house. We put on fancy dress and had a street party with streamers across the road and tables loaded with what folks could muster up. I seem to remember we later went into Leicester centre and Humberstone Gate where there was a fair of some sort. The pubs were doing a roaring trade. Troops, American and British were dancing in the streets with girls. The air-raid siren on top of Lewis’ Department store tower, looking down on it all was silent at last!

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