Liverpool & The Blitz

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The 1941 blitz the peak of the bombing occurred from May 1 to May 7, 1941. It involved 681 Luftwaffe bombers. Half of the docks were put out of action, as well as 1,741 people being killed, and 1,154 people injured, with many more being made homeless. 2,315 high explosive bombs and 119 other explosives such as incendiaries were dropped.

One particularly large incident occurred on May 3 when the SS Malakand exploded in the Huskisson Dock. The Malakand was loaded with over 1,000 tons of bombs and explosives and caused a large amount of damage to the surrounding docks.

Today one of the most vivid reminders of the Liverpool Blitz in the city is the burnt out shell of St Luke's Church which was destroyed by an incendiary bomb on May 5, 1941.

1942 the last German air-raid on Liverpool took place on January 10, 1942, destroying houses on Upper Stanhope Street. By an incredible quirk of fate, Number 102 Upper Stanhope Street was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler's nephew, William Patrick Hitler. The site has remained a bomb site ever since.

What was evacuation?

At the start of the Second World War, many children living in big cities such as London and Liverpool were moved temporarily from their homes to places considered safer, usually out in the countryside. There were two main periods of evacuation in Liverpool, firstly at the start of the War in September 1939, then at the start of the German bombing campaign known as the ‘Christmas Raids’ in December 1940.

Some parents, of course, did not want their children to leave and would not allow their child to be evacuated. A lot of parents did not find out where their children were going until after they had arrived at their new temporary homes!

For most children themselves, evacuation was initially a frightening experience. Some evacuees were sent to stay with relatives outside the city, but some children were sent to live with complete strangers in the nearby countryside of north Wales and Cheshire. Brothers and sisters could be split up from each other, and children did not know when they would see their families again.

SS Malakand

On May 3, SS Malakand, loaded with a thousand tons of munitions, caught fire, blew up and destroyed Huskisson Dock. Pieces of the ship were blasted miles away, and caused more damage to the Overhead Railway.  Massive damage was caused to the entire area – half of the docks were put out of action and it took thousands of people and troops to clear up the city streets. As a memorial to lives lost in the May Blitz, only the outer walls and tower of St Luke’s, Hardman Street, still stand.

Recommended Further Reading

If you want to find out more about the fastenating history of Liverpool during the war years, here's a couple of highly recommended books, or search through our other titles.