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WAR YEARS IN WALTON VILLAGE In the early years of my life, like many others,
we accepted life for what it was and we tried to get through all the hard times.
My father Frederick James George was just 16yrs old when he became the manager
of the local butchers shop called 'Dewhursts' off Nimrod Street,County Road,
Walton,Liverpool. It is understodd, the shop was re-named the Argentine Meatshop
in later years. Dad's father, was also named Frederick George, a seafarer
and a very tall man. My mother Elizabeth (maiden name Baker) from Penzance
in Cornwall, told us, father was liked in and around Walton, but he was not
a well person and suffered from arthritis. She said, "He wore leg braces
and didn't find this out until their wedding night." Father died of ill
health at the young age of 33yrs, prior to my 4th birthday. I had
two brothers and five sisters. The mortality rate was very high in
those days with two of my sisters Olive and Daisy both dying very
young, through ill health.
The family, were going through very hard times when it was announced the first
World War was about to begin. As mother had little money, to look after us,
the children were fostered out to a family who lived near the Lake Districts,
until the end of World War 1. Although, the family were very nice to us,
it felt as though we were in service. I remember, the lady of the house
liked sandwiches with a thin slice of cake in the centre. We thought that
was very posh and it made us laugh.
After the first World War had ended, we were sent back home to mother in Liverpool,
who was really pleased and cried when she saw us. The older children had to find
jobs almost immediately, to help mother and the family. We were all still so very
young. We moved from the shop at Nimrod Street, to a rented terraced house at 27
Elm Road,Walton Village. The house had two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs,
with an outside toilet. There was not much room for mother and six children.
I started a job in the Metal Box Factory, with remarks from some saying, I was
too young and I shouldn't be taking a man's job away from him. My mother told me
I should let a married man have the job. I was given a trial by the factory supervisor,
who was pleased and impressed with what I could do for one so young. He gave me the
job and I was trained up and qualified as a tin machinist.
The years just seemed to go by and all my brothers and sisters who were still living
at home thought it was their duty to bring their pay home to help mum keep the family.
we had very little time for recreation, yet when their was a moment, I used to love
going dancing at Swansons dance rooms in the village. Mum bought a wooden caravan
bungalow on a site in Chester and she took us their on weekends to get away from
the city.
On the outbreak of World War II, my older brother Frederick joined the Royal
Navy and served on the 'HMS Defactable'. He was returned home from Malta with
serious shrapnel wounds to neck. Mother also heard, that her brother Ernie Baker
(RAF) a Dam Buster was misssing in action.
As the war got more intense, our factory became a munitions factory to help the
war effort. I joined the St.John's Ambulance and Auxillary Reserve, as a volunter
Air Raid Warden. I passed the examination for Air Raid Precautions and was
delegated to help look after the people in my street. With our khaki bag and
gas mask, we had to make patrols and check all the doors and windows to
each house to make sure people had blacked them out. In the event of an
air raid we also had to get people out of their houses and into the air
raid shelters when an alert was made.
At the bottom of Elm Road,
a railway track ran straight across a bridge and down to the Liverpool Docklands.
The track was used to transport munitions from Napiers factory and down to
the docks to be sent with our troops to Europe. The Germans 'Gerry' tried to
bomb the train many times, but seemed to miss it each time. The bombs that
were dropped in the area caused major damage to the older brick terraced
homes, with slate roofs. On one particular night we had got a warning there
was going to be an air raid. I had just got the last person evacuated
and was making my way to the shelter. I could see the whole area was
lit up with incendiary bombs dropped by 'Gerry'. The next moment there
was a loud piercing screaming noise, them everything went very quiet for
what seemed like ages. There was a whoosh! sound and it felt as though,
I had been lifted and thrown to the entrance of the air raid shelter.
I was totally winded and shocked and could not get my breath for
several moments. I can count myself lucky, I was not seriously injured.
After the all clear was sounded, it was discovered, one of the homes
at the top of the road had half of its upstairs bedroom and downstairs
front room missing.
Florence George. Air Raid Precautions Auxiliary Reserve No. 4
District Lancashire (Taken from Florence George memoirs)
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