大象传媒

My story starts when the Air Raid Shelters in Chestergate were being constructed. The tunnels ran under some houses, namely High Bank Side, Etchells St., Tatton St., and Fletcher St. I attended St. Peter's school, also built on rock. During our dinner time we played in the tunnels much to the annoyance of the workmen who chased us around the tunnels.When the shelters were completed families from all over Manchester arrived nightly to get their favourite seat. People made friends with people using the same tunnel each night. Some of the tunnels had bunk beds in,but it was too cold to sleep.Air raid wardens would let us make a cup of tea but as the hot water supply was near the entrance we had to return to our seat. We made friends with a family from Salford and would meet them in the shelter. In the 1940s I was living in Etchells St. and one afternoon I arrived home from school to find workmen digging a large hole at the end of the street and being a nosey schoolboy, I asked what the hole was for and they told me it was an "Emergency Exit" for the shelter below.

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