Air raid shelters - St. Anne's

Although St. Annes wasn't deliberately bombed in WWII, some did fall and  a number of air raid shelters were built. The shelters tended not to be marked on maps and for some no pictures exist. They tended to still exist in the post war years and those of us who were youngsters then probably played around them.

• Next to the police station in St Andrews was a piece of land we called the common ,the police and local people always organised bonfires and fireworks on it every November ,and we as children played on it ,underneath this land was an air aid shelter the entrance in the alley behind, it had a sort of tunnel and brick bunks and no smoking signs, intriguing for children.
• There was a huge one behind St Annes College for girls. It was used as a gym and for Assembly. It was demolished in the early fifties and was replaced by a new building again used as a gym and for Assembly!

Part of air raid precautions was to have fire watchers stationed in various places.

"Way back in 1940 at the tender age of 15, as a North Shore resident, I was directed to my first full-time job with the Ministry of Pensions (War Service Grants) at Moorland Road, St Annes.

My remuneration was 15 shillings a week (75p) less stoppages. The bus fare from Talbot Road to the office was six shillings and three pence (31p), so I soon started to cycle the 12-mile return journey in all weathers.

The site consisted of five sprawling office blocks (built as an emergency wartime hospital) and today known as “temporary office buildings”. Later it became the home of Premium Bonds, down Heyhouses Lane.

During the Second World War, Block A was occupied by the RAF together with the anti-air-craft gunners. Block C held “Ag. and Fish” amongst others. Block E building was unfinished and the remainder housed War Service Grants. They soon acquired E block too. There stood a canteen.

The work was the assessment of awards in the form of weekly assistance to the dependants of those serving in the armed forces.

As the bombing of our cities occurred nightly, it became necessary to afford observation in the form of “fire watchers”. This involved having to sleep on the premises after nightly patrolling the grounds and inspection of the rooftops. There would be about a dozen staff on duty every night. All had training in the use of hoses and the ubiquitous stirrup pump.

They were needed one night at a time when raids were active over Liverpool and an enemy jettisoned a load of incendiary bombs overhead. One of them actually went straight through E block roof and tumbled straight into a wastepaper basket in the room below. Some bomb aimer!

As teenagers awaiting our military service it was all a bit of a game at our ages until eventually we all became members of the forces.

We enjoyed the fire watching because we got two shillings and sixpence a night (13p) plus a hearty breakfast in the canteen, started work an hour late and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fire watchers were men of all ages of course.

Thinking back all those years to recall so few names of those volunteers who risked it for the remittance but “half a dollar” was well worth earning in those days.

Tom Stringer"

The map below shows where they were located and there are no doubt some still to be recorded here. So if there are some missing, do let us know and let us have any pictures you may have.