The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
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Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
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Many of the larger one family houses were abandoned by their wealthy owners who moved to the Wirral or wherever during the war to escape the bombings. Many still retained ownership of the buildings. The dire shortage of homes after the war meant these large home were bought up and converted to ramshackle bedsist or whatever. The war accelerated the decline of the a very elegant district around Upper Parliament St. In the late 1940/early 50s then the West Indian immigration added to the housing problems and further decline.
It is true that many homes destined for demolition pre-war had to be kept until way after.
The new Amsterdam at Liverpool?
Save Liverpool Docks and Waterways - Click
Deprived of its unique dockland waters Liverpool
becomes a Venice without canals, just another city, no
longer of special interest to anyone, least of all the
tourist. Would we visit a modernised Venice of filled in
canals to view its modern museum describing
how it once was?
Giving Liverpool a full Metro - CLICK
Rapid-transit rail: Everton, Liverpool & Arena - CLICK
Save Royal Iris - Sign Petition
I just spoke to my mother, and she provided a few more details on my grandmother's house.
It was in Tuebrook (not West Derby), so this probably would be the raid -
19 October 1940: RE. Tuebrook district and southern portion of city. Dwelling-houses and shops, High Park Street, demolished. St. Silas' Church, St. Silas Street, severely damaged. G.2 Report and Control Centre, Seamen's Orphanage, Orphan Drive, hit by RE. which failed to explode, causing damage.
Her house was not directly hit, but was badly enough damaged they had to move out, so I guess a lot of family stuff was not lost.
When I asked about insurance earlier I wasn't thinking in the era of the 40's....
The house was rented, which apparently was the most common type of living accommodation then. But she did buy the house I remember in Allangate Rd, Grassendale - I think with a life insurance settlement from her grandfather's death in 1938 and a disability pension for my grandfather who died in 1944.
This was the first house actually owned by any of our Liverpool family members, the rest happened in the 50's and 60's, with some aunties not buying houses until the 80's.
So, I guess if your rented house was bombed, in general you just looked for another rental house, or moved out of the city.
A few aunties who were under 18 when the war started were sent to a school in N. Wales, and later signed up when they became 18 - one auntie was a weather girl for the RAF in the Isle of Man (a training base) and later at Speke. I always remember her saying she joined the RAF to "meet pilots"....
Speak to your older family members about this era of Liverpool history, it is interesting what they had to go through - I don't think it would even be possible now.
Thank for that, found this site while looking for info about my grandad, he was one of the 8 auxiliary firemen killed in Green Lane on 17th Sept 1940. his name is Alfred Louis Kirkby Baker. He lived in Green Lane, 245 I think, would love to hear from any relatives of his colleagues.
Hi Paul,
a bit late I know but ...
Do you have the book, "Liverpool's Finest", it mentions in a little more detail that night your Grandfather was killed.
Mart
Hmmm, its my understanding the liverpool blitz didn't start till late 1940 ie the christamas blitz was the first wave of the bombing?19 October 1940: RE. Tuebrook district and southern portion of city. Dwelling-houses and shops, High Park Street, demolished. St. Silas' Church, St. Silas Street, severely damaged. G.2 Report and Control Centre, Seamen's Orphanage, Orphan Drive, hit by RE. which failed to explode, causing damage.
---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------
They just don't grow marrows like this anymore.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgur...26tbs%3Disch:1
My mother was in 4 Glamis rd at the bottom of Marlborough rd Tuebrook when the Clubmoor ammunition train went up.
my brother was a babe in arms and I was cooking in her womb at the time. They had all gone under the the stairs when
the air raid started, when the train went up all the windows and doors blew in and the house filled with soot. Nobody in
the house was hurt but they came out looking like the old black and white minstrels. The only fatality on the railway line
was a guard flagging the train down. It was a land mine with parachute that caused it
Urchin, my family still mention this sometimes. Our family lived nearby and a train wheel from this explosion crashed through the bedroom window of the house and landed on the bed !
Thank you for that information!!! My grandmother's parents divorced so she did not know her father, Reginald Hitchcox, and we've been trying to track him down to find out what happened to him. We found that he had remarried to a Phyllis Jackson in 1936 but he also died in 1940 in Liverpool North and there was speculation that it was during a blitz. I found somewhere that it was Oct. 1 that he died.. so it was interesting reading how there was a bombing on Sept. 30 in the area that he was last known to live.
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