大象传媒

Liverpool suffered from major attacks from enemy bombers during World War Two 鈥� reducing homes and buildings to rubble.

In Toxteth, South Liverpool; these buildings became a playground for a young Ray Mitcham: 鈥淭o us, the bombed out buildings 鈥� they weren鈥檛 really bombed out buildings 鈥� but to us they were forts, and they were play things. We didn鈥檛 have any trees in the south end, we used bombed out floors as the way to climb.鈥�

He does however have memories of the darker times of war as well: 鈥淚 do remember being woken up and taken down to the bomb shelter, pitch black, absolutely stunk in the shelter, but we certainly felt safe in there.鈥�

On 8 May 1945, the shelters would provide a platform for seven year old Ray and his friends to watch the celebrations: 鈥淲e sat on the top of the shelter, while the grown-ups and the youngsters - the younger kids were all sat around the bonfire.鈥�

鈥淚t was a wonderful street party; there wasn鈥檛 much food because at the time we were still on rations. We still had to go for meat, bread, sugar, sweets, everything was on coupons.鈥�

There was however, as was the theme across Britain, a lot of singing: 鈥淭hey were singing some great songs, people remember the Liverpool cup final where they used to sing 鈥榚e-i-adio, we won the cup鈥�, we heard that the other way, it was 鈥榚e-i-adio, we won the war.

鈥淲e went to bed around 2 o鈥� clock that morning, it was absolutely stupendous, I鈥檒l never forget it.鈥�

Image: Ray in his childhood

Show less