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This story has been submitted to the People’s War website by Peter Quinn of Lancs. ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Guard, on behalf of Tony Cook and has been added to the site with his permission.

One evening, in 1942, my mum and I were trying to cross Oxford Road, Manchester, whilst coming from my Grans. I was 4 years old.
Suddenly, we heard what my mum knew was the distinctive drone of a German aircraft.
We looked up and were amazed to see, what I later identified as a Heinkel 111 slowly cruising down the line of Oxford Road, machine-gunning the crowds of people coming out of the cinemas. It was about ten o’clock, but still twilight.
My mum dragged me into the doorway of the old Regal cinema, which was directly opposite the present day ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ studios. I can distinctly remember watching the bullets spark off the pavement and the overwhelming roar of the engines.
The next day, my dad Harry Cook, Police Constable D38, brought home what he claimed was one of the German bullets, which had been fired at us.
I believed him then, but he was always a bit of a joker.

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