We are very grateful to Danny Murphy and all other members of the Merseyside Fire Service Museum who gave up their time to bring their 1940s Fire Engines into Liverpool City Centre as part of the 70th Anniversary Blitz Commemorations…
All photographs courtesy of Victoria Phipps Photography
The organisers of the Liverpool Blitz 70! event invited all Liverpool’s veterans of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces to walk alongside veterans of the Blitz on Merseyside on the morning of Saturday 30th April to mark the 70th anniversary of the May Blitz. Our objective was to bring the old and the young together in memory of those who lost their lives on the Home Front in 1940 and 1941.
“A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” – Robert Heinlein
All photographs courtesy of Victoria Phipps Photography
The City of Liverpool Pipe and Drums Band led the contingent through Liverpool City Centre.
Crowds gathered to watch as veterans and dignitaries prepared to lay wreaths in memory of those lost during the Blitz on Merseyside.
A minutes silence was observed at 11am and broken by the sound of the air raid siren ‘all clear‘; a sound which will have brought back memories for so many.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, the Mayor of Wirral, Chindit veteran George Main and Normandy veteran Albert Dillow all laid wreaths to honour those who lost their lives 70 years ago. George Main lost friends and was injured during a bomb raid on Liverpool and was taken to Clatterbridge for treatment.
Liverpool veteran, Craig Lumberg, lost his sight during the Iraq conflict. He was proud to lay a wreath in memory of the Blitz casualties of his hometown.
WWII veteran Larry Taylor laid a wreath on behalf of the Royal Air Force Association Northwest.
Comedian Stan Boardman laid a wreath in particular memory of his older brother, Tommy, who was killed whilst the family were sheltering during an air raid on the Wirral.
Mary and James McCartney met in Liverpool during an air raid in 1940… she was a nurse & midwife and he worked as an inspector at an engineering works which manufactured shell cases. He also volunteered as a fireman by night. They married in April 1941 and had two sons shortly after: Paul and Michael. If it hadn’t been for the Blitz they might never have met and the course of music history might have been dramatically different. So on the 70th anniversary of the May Blitz, Mike McCartney laid a wreath on behalf of both McCartney boys.
Derek Herbert concluded the opening ceremony by addressing the veterans and reciting an extract from Winston Churchill’s famous VE Day speech…
A date for your diaries…
A service to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the May Blitz will be held at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on Wednesday 18 May 2011. All members of the public are welcome.
Arrival: 7:00 pm Service: 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
This service recalls the events of 70 years ago when Liverpool and Bootle suffered sustained damage during the May Blitz. It will include an act of remembrance, reflects on the years of reconstruction and reconciliation since the War years, and looks forward with hope to the future.
The preacher will be the Dean of Liverpool and others taking part include the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and the Mayor of Sefton.
Admission to the Cathedral, Car Park, and Service is FREE
For further details please contact Canon Myles Davies by telephone on 0151 702 7203 or email myles.davies@liverpoolcathedral.org.uk
During the Blitz on Merseyside the Anglican Cathedral was still under construction, but became the tallest building in the City by its completion in 1978.
Liverpool’s favourite newspapers, the Liverpool Echo and the Daily Post, both featured an article about our opening ceremony on Saturday 30th April…
Thanks to both papers for their support!
The organiser’s of the Liverpool Blitz 70! event, D-Day Revisited, would like to thank everyone who donated or purchased an event souvenir programme last weekend. We’ve had a busy few days of counting, but we are pleased to tell you that you helped us to raise a fantastic £8562 from street collections during our three days in Liverpool City Centre!
Our fantastic event host, Steve Walls, with Danny Murphy of the Merseyside Fire Service Museum.
Don’t forget there is still time to donate by purchasing an event souvenir online now (click here). These booklets are packed full of history, photographs, anecdotes and personal memories from those who lived through the Blitz on Merseyside during the Second World War and 100% of funds raised goes directly to these local veterans charities!
Stay tuned for more photographs of the Liverpool Blitz 70! event…
The first day of the Liverpool Blitz 70! event was for the most part a roaring success and we’d like to thank all those involved! Sadly, the major disappointment was the Spitfire flypast being cancelled due to dangerous wind conditions. We apologise to all those who were disappointed by this, as indeed we were, but it was always dependent on the weather and as there are only a handful of original WWII Spitfire fighter planes remaining we had to respect the owner’s decision.
Thanks to all those who took part in the veterans’ parade. It was a fantastic sight to see those who survived the terror of the Blitz marching alongside military veterans young and old from the region. We have had lots of lovely feedback from people who watched the remembrance ceremony and were very moved indeed.
All photographs courtesy of Victoria Phipps Photography
Many thanks also go to the City of Liverpool Pipe Band for their wonderful music.
Derek Herbert addresses the veterans and the crowd as former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
A group of volunteer cadets pose for a photograph with Stan Boardman. Stan was pleased to be asked to lay a wreath in memory of those who lost their lives during the Blitz on Merseyside, as his elder brother Tommy was killed when the Air Raid Shelter in which Stan and his family was spending the night took a direct hit.
Blitz and Peaces entertain the people of Liverpool with a wartime sing-along in front of the Spitfire on Williamson Square.
The Merseyside Fire Service Museum have two fire appliances on display on Church Street, both of which were used to put out the blazes in Liverpool during the Blitz of World War II.
Local girls from St. Julie’s Catholic High School perform various blitz-themed dance routines.
The 6th generation of the Codman family perform a very entertaining Punch and Judy show. The Codman family’s original 180 year old stage was well remembered by many Liverpudlians as it has been used to perform this much loved show since the Victorian era.
More photographs to come soon but don’t forget tomorrow is the last day of the Liverpool Blitz 70! event and we like to go out with a bang! Please come down, enjoy the entertainment and show your support for these wonderful veterans’ charities… we hope to see you there tomorrow!
The organisers are very excited to be able to include the Welsh Dragon Spitfire in this weekend’s programme of displays and celebratory entertainment. At 14:30 on Saturday 30th April this original 1940s fighter plane will perform a dramatic display above the famous River Mersey!
Privately owned by Anthony Hodgson, Spitfire PT462 was built at the Vickers Supermarine Castle Bromwich factory. This Mark IX aircraft is judged by many to be the best of all. PT462 was delivered to RAF Colerne in Wiltshire in July 1944, serving in action with 253 Squadron. After war service in France, Yugoslavia and Italy, PT462 was sold in 1952 to the Israeli Air Force. Converted into a two-seater during rebuild, this Spitfire took to the air once again in 1987 and was purchased by Anthony ten years later.
Anthony learned to fly at Liverpool Airport in the 1970s and operates from a sloping grass airstrip at Bryn Gwyn Bach near Denbigh.
Such historic flights are rare, with few remaining Spitfires in airworthy condition. Event Organisers express gratitude on behalf of the people of Liverpool for helpful assistance from the CAA and Liverpool John Lennon Airport for regulatory approval.
Quite a crowd is expected along the Liverpool waterfront. Weather permitting, the Liver Birds will hear the roar of that Merlin engine as the 67 year old Spitfire pays its own tribute to the May Blitz and the Spirit of Liverpool.
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