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With the advent of the forthcoming VE and VJ Day celebrations I have started to reminisce about my childhood during the war years (1939-45). My most vivid memory is of the night of Sunday 22nd December 1940 when bombs fell on Blackley. At the time I was seven years old and each Saturday I used to go to the children鈥檚鈥� matinee at the Victory Cinema in Charles Street (now Capstan Street) off Moston Lane. I had been to the matinee the day before (21st December) as usual. Not realising it was to be my last visit there, because on the next evening two incendiary bombs, dropped by the German Luftwaffe, made direct hits on the roof of the cinema. Fortunately no one was inside the building, as screening of films was not allowed on Sundays in those days. What happened that evening is detailed by the following report, which appeared in the North Manchester and Middleton Guardian on the 28th December 1940:

CINEMA BURNT OUT
On Sunday evening 22nd December 1940 a certain Manchester district (Blackley) was showered by incendiary bombs. The civilian population responded magnificently, men and women rushing into the streets, despite the danger, and tackling the hundreds of small fires that occurred. So well did they augment the work of the official fire fighting services that the resulting damage was slight An exception was a large cinema (The Victory), where the roof was set alight. Before it could be got under control the roof fell in, and the flames roared skywards.
Mr Sladen, the manager showed a 鈥淕uardian鈥� reporter round the charred and blackened ruins. 鈥淭here were no casualties鈥�, said Mr Sladen, 鈥渆xcept the cat. She has not been seen since鈥�.
Water pressure was so low at the mains that hoses had to be laid to some public baths (Harpurhey Baths) nearly a quarter of a mile away.

At that time the names of places such as those in the brackets could not be published, because of wartime security and censorship.
One of the AFS firemen who was at the scene told me that they had to climb onto the roofs of the houses surrounding the cinema in order to get the water over the outer walls in order to douse the flames inside the building
The cinema was built in the 1920鈥檚 and was originally called the Victory Picture House. It was one a series of luxury cinemas built to commemorate the victory of the Allies in the 1914-18 Great War. Early programmes consisted of silent films together with live acts. Eventually with the introduction of 鈥渢alkies鈥� it became the Victory Cinema. It was considered to be the best and most popular picture house in the area, and regularly had capacity audiences.
The outer walls of the building remained intact and stood as a reminder of the war until it was finally demolished in the 1960鈥檚.Holy Trinity C of E Primary School now occupies the site.
My friends and I disappointed at losing our Saturday matinee, but not completely downhearted, switched our allegiances to the Princess Cinema in Conran Street. There was also the Palladium (later the Cintra), the Empire, the MIP, the Adelphi, and the Fourways to choose from.
A few months later in 1941 during another air raid two other bombs landed in Boggart Hole Clough. One made a crater on the far bank of the stream close to the bridge leading to the ninety-nine steps. The other one destroyed the path leading up to the top fields on the opposite side of the main path from the stream.
Earlier in the year before the 1940 Christmas Blitz I had been evacuated with Mount Carmel R C Elementary School of Blackley together with my mother and my brother and sisters. We all had name tags tied on to us bearing our details, and carried bags containing our essential clothing. Our destination was Bacup in Lancashire. I can remember getting on a double-decker bus outside the school, from there we were taken to Dean Lane Station in Newton Heath. On arrival at the station we boarded the train for Bacup. When we reached Bacup we disembarked from the train and walked to a church hall in the town. I was then allocated to a family with whom I was to stay, whilst my mother and my brothers and sisters moved into a large family house. Each of us was given a bag containing chocolate and other treats.
Whilst in Bacup we only went to school half of each day, because we shared the school facilities with the local children.
The family I stayed with looked after me well, and I had regular contact with my mother so I was quite happy during my evacuation period.
The Evacuation itself did not last very long, because people started to return home for various personal reasons. Some were worried about elderly relations they had left behind or the safety of their houses and belongings, whilst others were just simply homesick. Eventually as the number of evacuees reduced it was decided that we should all return home. Not long after of course the air raids and bombings started.
I was in Ancoats Hospital to have my tonsils removed during one air raid and I can remember being taken down in to the basement area for safety. There were about five us all placed in a large iron bed, still recovering from the after effects of our surgery. Fortunately the all clear soon sounded and we were all returned to the ward.
As for VE Day itself I was eleven years old at the time and can remember quite clearly the day when the war in Europe ended. I was travelling home from St. Gregory鈥檚 High School on the number 30 trolley bus along Great Ancoats Street. When the bus reached the top of Oldham Street I could hear the Manchester Evening News vendor outside Yate鈥檚 Wine Lodge shouting out about the ending of hostilities in Europe. I heard nothing more till much later in the evening when we all awakened by neighbours telling us that the official announcement had been made that the war in Europe was officially at an end. We all got up, dressed, and went down to Cicero Street where a large bonfire had been constructed near to the junction with Oak Street (now Sequoia Street). We all knew the war was ending so we had made preparations to celebrate. There was beer for the adults and dandelion and burdock for the children together with potatoes baked in the bonfire. Every body was singing and dancing into the early hours of the next day. Two songs that have stuck in my mind from that night are 鈥淒eep in the Heart of Texas鈥� and 鈥淪he鈥檒l be coming round the Mountain when she comes鈥�. They expressed the lively and happy feelings running through the mood of all the people present.
A few days later there was a big VE Day Party held in Edward Street. Despite all the hardship and sadness people endured in those war years their spirit was never broken. I was only a child at the time, but I will never fail to appreciate the efforts the older generation made to ensure we were able to grow up, be educated, and kept fit healthy despite the rationing and shortages of many of the essentials that we take for granted to-day.
A few weeks after VE Day I went to Lewis鈥檚 in Market Street, Manchester where I saw an exhibition of photographs of the Belsen Concentration Camp taken by British troops when they liberated the Camp. These photographs had a big effect on me, because they made me realise the full horrors of the War and of the inhumanity of man towards man that it had brought about.
On VJ Day we again had extensive celebrations with street parties and bonfires.
Soon after this all the husbands, fathers, grandfathers, and brothers who had survived the war started to return home, and everybody started to adjust to living once again in peacetime.

Bernard G Bull

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