大象传媒

My Dad John Sweeney, was in the LDV Liverpool Defence volunteers, he had lost his leg in the 1st world war. He was on guard at the LDV rifle stores in Kikby, he would hand out small arms if the Germans invaded. He worked nights.
One night I went with him to Kirkby, I was about eight years old. We went by tram to Kirkby from the city centre(London Road). We went to a fortified hut and I played with the guns, the ammunition was locked up I might add. Then he went on his rounds and I fell asleep, other guards would call, to see if we were allright.
During the night it snowed heavily, we had to walk all the way back to Liverpool because the trams were not running. We walked from Kirkby to Queens drive and crossed to Walton Lane as we started to pass Anfield Cemetary, my Dad covered my face with his overcoat and said "I don't want you to see this lad" But I looked anyway, and there on the road were coffins, bodies, skeletons and bones. The cemetary had been bombed during the night.
The houses opposite had all their windows blown in, and curtains were blowing in the wind, it was very quiet and eerie, because it was so early in the morning, no birds just the crunching of our feet on the snow.
Finally a wagon passed and offered us a lift, I remember my dad having problems climbing into the wagon because of his artificial leg. We never talked about this again. I have only recently told my own family my daughter and my son, who were both very shocked.

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