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When war started I was 10 ¾ years old. I attended Stockton Wood Road School in Speke. If you could run home on the start of the siren, you were allowed three minutes to do this. I was allowed to but, when the ‘all clear’ went it took longer to return to the school.
After our school day, I would take my dolls pram and dig grass sods to lay on top of the Anderson shelter in our back garden. One late afternoon while digging for grass sods we heard the engine of a plane, looking up it was a German bomber. Dierdri and I just left everything and ran, very frightened. The plane came nearer and lower, we stopped and the pilot waved at us. Shortly after he was shot down into the River Mersey, at that time there was a Polish R.A.F. stationed at the old airport.
I suspect that the bomber was looking for a factory which was just straight down Blacklock Hall Road.
The4n all new flag stones which were white along the main road were tarred black so they wouldn’t be like a white ribbon in the dark and dust. Speke was very lucky compared to the rest of Liverpool with reference to bombs and raids.

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