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Thread: Memories of the Merseyside Blitz

  1. #16
    Martin hmtmaj's Avatar
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    After seeing this thread, I decided to ask my old friend Harry Rimmer about his memories of the Barrage Balloons in Liverpool. Harry was born in 1927 and was once leader of our city. He's 82 now and still has has all his faculties.
    Here's my interpretation of his tale.

    The Barrage Balloons were positioned in one large circle around Liverpool, then, within this large circle, they created smaller circles of Barrage Balloons.
    In about 1940, he remembers all the balloons going up and next thing you know, there were German planes flying high above, dropping their cargo of bombs. Then the Thunder Storm arrived ......
    Harry thinks the Barrage Balloons went as high as 8 to 10,000 feet, held by a heavy steel wire/ cable.
    The WAF's looked after the raising and descending Balloons, on a few occassions, they got injured, trying to anchor the Balloon.
    Harry can't remember any of the Balloons, bring a plane down.

    Thunder and Lightening was all around and one was hit !
    It was anchored behind the Royal Oak on Upper Warwick St and Park Place.
    There was a bit of flat land ( bomb site ) and this is the one that got hit and destroyed by the lightening.
    It burst into flames and the worst part was, the heavy cable, dropping from so high up in the air

    He thinks it reached as far as Sefton park !
    One of the problems, whenever this happens was, when the cable was falling, obviously if it hit anyone, they would probably be dead AND it would obviously, fall across the electrified tram wires !
    So for a couple of seconds, before it was earthed, it would be live !

    On this occassion, the RAF were out in force and were cutting the cable up, into managable parts, to take away.

    I hope I've done Harry's tale justice here

    Harry is still, in mind, like he was when in his teens and remembers all sorts, from our history, in Liverpool. If you ever get the chance to talk to him, take it all in. One great man.
    Started the Old Swan Website:

    http://oldswan.piczo.com/?cr=5

  2. #17
    Senior Member wsteve55's Avatar
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    Harry Rimmer, was a proverbial breath of fresh air,on the city council,after the stink,left by mr.Hatton,and his cronies! Got the city on the road to recovery,which we should all be grateful for!!

  3. #18
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    Martin, the idea behind the barrage balloons was to keep the attacking planes higher than they wanted to be. I've heard on many occasions that they brought planes down, but I think this may have been low level aircraft that were strafing.

  4. #19
    Martin hmtmaj's Avatar
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    Started the Old Swan Website:

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  5. #20
    Pablo42 pablo42's Avatar
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    I remember being told a while ago about the Merseyside Blitz. I was told that bales of hay were set on fire around Heswall to confuse the German bombers. It was felt that if the bombers seen the river and huge fire along it, they would assume this was Liverpool and drop their bombs. When I was a kid, there was an awful lot of round ponds all over Wirral. These were allegedly the remains of German bombs dropped in the Wirral clay. I've never seen any stories about this, just heresay.


  6. #21
    Martin hmtmaj's Avatar
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    I have a video somewhere called Merseyside at war, I'll have to dig it out !
    I'm sure there were tales of the Barrage Balloons !
    Maybe this is where I saw the image of the one outside the Museum area.
    Started the Old Swan Website:

    http://oldswan.piczo.com/?cr=5

  7. #22

    Default TV Programme: Britain at War

    I am a producer working for the TV company Simply Media. I am currently making a WWII documentary series called Britain at War for the Military Channel.

    One of the episodes focuses on the Blitz and I am searching for the men, women and children who experienced the bombing over their towns and cities.

    I am hoping to film interviews in the next few weeks.

    If you would be interested in talking to me, you can contact me at aaron.hutchinson@simplymedia.tv. Please leave me a telephone number and I will call you back.

    I look forward to hearing from you,

    Aaron Hutchinson
    Producer
    Simply Media

  8. #23
    Keeping It Real !!!!!!!!! ItsaZappathing's Avatar
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    Did anyone submit a story ?
    If so, didja get paid ?

  9. #24
    Martin hmtmaj's Avatar
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    Put them in touch with Harry Rimmer.

    As his agent ...
    Started the Old Swan Website:

    http://oldswan.piczo.com/?cr=5

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