大象传媒

My mother: Mrs. Edith Aspinall, worked as a bus conductress during the second world war. She recalled this episode after an article and a letter in the local paper: The Bolton Evening News. It was about the blitz and the raid on January 9th 1941. On that same night she was working on number one route and had stopped for the meal break at the bus station. She stated:-
"When it came to our supper break my driver went to Jimmy's Cafe, as it was then known, and I went to the Station Cafe. The sirens had gone and we had total blackout.
I came back from supper and went across to Jimmy's for my driver. We were to take over again at 9.25 p.m. In the cafe were two other people and Frank and his wife, who were looking after the place while Jimmy was in the forces.
A couple of minutes later we all came out and walked back to Trinity St. Church School. We stood in the doorway listening to the drone of a plane overhead. Then there was a horrible whine as a bomb came down. A few seconds later there was an almighty crash. When we dared to look we saw that Jimmy's Cafe had gone and the cottages as well. There were some young children in one, screaming, but Frank was dead.
What sticks in my mind was the sight of some miners coming towards the cottages. In a flash they had put their white helmets on and tried to get under rubble to reach the children"
Mrs. E. Aspinall
Ash Grove
Bolton

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