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I was 3 years old at the outbreak of WW2.I lived in the Dingle area of South Liverpool near the docks. My family, Dad Henry, Mum Roberta,Sister Josephine,(10) and Brother Peter,(7) lived in a small terraced house at 23, Kinmel St. Dad worked as an electricin on the docks.

The war did not mean anything to me as I was to young to realise what was happening. Right through the war it was just a way of life.

One event did occur during the war, which will standout forever in my life. October 1940, it was a Saturday night, (Iknow that because we had just had our bath in front of the fire). The air-raid warning siren sounded, and that ment take cover. We took cover as always under the stairs. For some reason I was wearing my sisters school panama hat As the bombs dropped and the thud could be headed louder and louder I kept pulling the hat down over my head to the great amusement of my family Suddenly there was an almlght bang. A bomb had landed on our our outside toiet,just down the back yard. It did not explode. (How else could i be writing this story). The next thing that happened was the sight of the A.R.P. men running through the house, 17 in all I was later told.

The order was given, EVACUATE IMMIDIATLY. My sister, brother and myself were still in our pyjamas and there was no time to dress. We were bundled out into the steet. The whole area was being evacuated. there were hundreds of people people not knowing what to or were to go.

There is room in the basement of St.Silas Church (There were no air- raid shelters in the area). When we arrived at St. Silas, which was just around the corner in High Park St; to be told the basement was full. But, another crises had arisen, Peter had gone missing. This was reported to the police before we moved on up the street. We found shelter, I think it was at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (were i was christened) but I'm not sure.

The all-clear siren sounded. The only place we could spend the night was at Grans' (Dads mother) she lived in Roxburgh Ave; Aigburth about a mile away. We all boarded a tram in Park Road,Jo and I still in our pyjamas, for the short journey to Aigburth. Peter was still missing and the time was now 8pm.

The next day we were contacted by relatives, the had found Peter wanderinginthe street and they had taken him in, not knowing of our whereabouts. My sister who now lives in Adelaide,Australia can
confirm this story.

We were now homeless. Mum and Dad set about looking for somewhere to live and after 2 weeks we were offered a council house in Rundle Road, Aigburth, which we greatfully accepted.

Brother David arrived in January 1941. The air raids continued and we still sheltered under the stairs. We did have an Anderson shelter in the back yard, but it was constantly flooded and was only used once when we had visitors. The bombs kept falling in this area as it was close to the docks. Liverpool being an important gateway to the west. One night during a raid there was a tremendous crash. It was a housebrick that had crashed through the roof and the ceiling on to the upstairs landing. A bomb had dropped on the playing field at nearby Sudley Road school. The next I went to the school to see the crater and to collect shrapnel. The raids continued until about 1943. By now we had air raid shelters built in the streets, which in later years became our den.

During the war everything was rationed. Food, cloths and most other items were in short supply. I was 12 before I had first banana.

At the end of the war in 1945 some items were rationed well into the 1950s. One food item I always looked forward was an egg, you got one a week and occasionally you got a second.

We had street parties to celebrate the end of the war. There were fireworks and bonfires on top of which was an effigy Hitler. There were loud cheers from the large crowd gathered at Sudley Road school when the effigy was engulfed in flames. on the same night loudspeakers were placed on top of the air raid shelters to hear the victory speech by Mr. Churchill. This was VE night May 1945.

A few months later in August we celebrated VJ night, this time it was an effigy of of Hirohito the Japanese Emperor.

Rundle road was the family home until 2000 when Mum died at the age of 91.

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