大象传媒

In 1940 my grandfather was suffering terminal bowel cancer and was confined to bed. I had been evacuated to Lancaster and shortly before Christmas I was sent to a hospital for evacuees in Poulton-le-Fylde.

A few days before Christmas there was a dreadful blitz on the Manchester and Salford area. In the Woodbine Street area of Salford the Air Raid Warden told everyone that they must go to the public shelters, my grandfather could not be moved so my mother was allowed to stay in the house with him providing my grandmother went to the public shelter.

The bombing got worse and those in the public shelters were shepherded along Liverpool Street towards Manchester city centre. My grandmother was not well and eventually she collapsed and was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, she arrived in the hospital shortly before the bomb fell that killed a number of nurses.

Meanwhile the Air Raid Warden helped get my grandfather downstairs. Grandfather had not been out of bed for more than 6 months and was umable to walk at all. Mother and the Warden helped carry my grandfather along Liverpool Street, the Warden had been told that there was an ambulance waiting for grandfather as near to where they were that the ambulance could get. They walked along Liverpool Street past the blazing gas works. The gas works had a large number of incendiary bombs dropped on it, I understand that some wardens received medals for the work they did that night in trying to get the incendiaries off the gasometers.
Eventually they reached the ambulance and grandfather was taken to Hope Hospital.

My mother then had to try to find my grandmother.

On Christmas Day 1940 I was in one hospital, my grandmother in another and my grandfather in another and when my mother visited her parent's house she discovered a hole in the wall and damage to much of their property.

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