In our December issue, we remember the Manchester Blitz, 70 years on.
Buildings burning in Manchester after an air raid on the night of December 23rd, 1940.
(picture: Imperial War Museum North)
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The Christmas Blitz
Incendiaries and HE bombs cascaded down on the suburb of Hulme, where my parents lived. They spent the first night if the Blitz in the coal cellar and emerged the next morning to find their windows had been blown out and the electricity was off, but thankfully the house was intact.
The all-clear was sounded at 6.28am on the morning of December 23rd, and by midday every fire in the city was under control. The fire crews spent the rest of the day damping down.
My parents never forgot the destruction they witnessed when they ventured out to check on friends and family. In many streets the houses had their fronts completely ripped off. They passed the partly demolished Hulme Town Hall where 200 people had been in the shelter when it was hit. Thankfully they were able to leave unharmed through the emergency exits.
Extracted from an article by David Clarke, from the December 2010 issue of Best of British.
Fire fighting continued throughout the day after the night time air raids.
(picture: Imperial War Museum North)
To learn more about the Manchester Blitz
- Read the December 2010 issue of Best of British.
- The Imperial War Museum North will be holding a series of events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Manchester Blitz. Events include a screening of rarely seen footage depicting the effects of the attacks on the city centre. Shown on December 12th, the film features scenes of Market Street and Manchester Piccadilly in the immediate aftermath of the bombings.
- Manchester Cathedral will be holding a Holy Communion, which will include special prayers and readings, on December 22nd, the evening the cathedral was damaged.
