Railway Wagon Explosion At Bootle

A Memory of Bootle.

ON 22ND OF MARCH 1945 MY FATHER HERBERT NORMAN STUBBS WAS THE FIREMAN ON AN AMMUNITION TRAIN.  A WAGON FULL OF DEPTH CHARGES CAUGHT FIRE, SO MY FATHER UNHOOKED IT AND PUT DETONATORS ON THE LINE TO WARN A TROOP TRAIN, WHICH WAS DUE.  THE DEPTH CHARGES EXPLODED AND HE WAS THROWN THROUGH THE AIR.  UNFORTUNATELY THE DRIVER HAROLD GOODHALL WAS KILLED.  MY FATHER WAS AWARDED THE GEORGE MEDAL AND THE INDUSTRIAL V.C..  I HAVE A LETTER FROM THE RURAL DISTRICT COUNCIL OF MILLOM, APART FROM OTHER DOCUMENTS, CONVEYING THEIR GRATITUDE FOR HIS ACTIONS, WHICH SAVED A LOT OF LIVES AT BOOTLE STATION VILLAGE.

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