Vicarage St John & St James

A Memory of Litherland.

My sisters, Anne and Mary, and I lived at the Vicarage, 175 Linacre Lane on the corner of Monfa Road. The church was along Monfa Road. We had a Cable Works opposite and during the war there was no canteen but workers were invited to the vicarage garden back lawn for a cuppa at lunch time, served from our summer house for one penny (old penny!) Ladies of the church served it. For our Saturday pennies there was a sweet shop up the road and a library where we could borrow books. I think there was a dairy nearby and a grocery shop. A woodworking place just down the road had plenty of sawdust for us to collect as bedding for pet rabbits. Windows were blown in more than once and I helped sweep up the glass off our stairs. I was also on the rota at church to deal with any incendiary bombs which might fall on it. Various industrial sites were hit and went up in flames; Bryant & Mays, the gas works and others. Emergency water pipes were placed along the pavement of Linacre Lane. The road was lit by gas lights and turned on or off by a gas lighter.
From the tower of the church we occasionally spotted the QE2 on the Mersey which was used as a troop carrier. I cycled to Merchant Taylor's School, Crosby and could get near the Seaforth dock and saw the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal there after German propaganda claimed it was sunk!
During raids, anti-aircraft guns would be in action with quite a lot of shrapnel in the road afterwards, which I collected. Special trips on the overhead railway along the docks into Liverpool gave a birds eye view of activity.


Added 12 October 2013

#306185

Comments & Feedback

I also recall that when war broke out in September 1939 the schools we went to were evacuated with all the pupils in the designated evacuation area. We were not evacuated so were stranded without a school! On holiday in the Lake District we stayed in the village school for a term while a school was found.
I was at Alsop High School and moved to Merchant Taylor's Crosby.

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