World War 2, 1939-45
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR, 1939-45
Life on the Ford Bank estate was affected by the war in many ways. The building of houses was halted, as the war effort abroad and at home became the main priority. Young men were conscripted into the armed forces, whilst older men would have assisted with ARP (Air Raid Precautions) and the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers, otherwise known as the Home Guard). Women replaced men in many occupations, with some working directly in manufacturing weapons, ammunitions and aircraft.
Civilians had been warned and educated in the late 1930s about what to do in the event of an air raid. The war was expected and preparations had been put in place. To allay civilians’ fears, a programme of precautions and protective measures had been developed and published by the government in the form of leaflets, pamphlets and posters. With the outbreak of war on 3rd September 1939, these measures were immediately implemented.
On Friday, 1st September 1939, Didsbury school children were evacuated to areas believed to be safer, with children from Beaver Road and Didsbury Church of England schools being sent to Chapel-en-le-Frith and Chinley.
All householders on the Ford Bank estate, like elsewhere throughout the country, were issued with gas masks, for there was a genuine fear at the time that the Germans would drop bombs releasing poisonous gasses on exploding. Children at local schools, such as Elm Grove – following their return from evacuation – were sent home for their gas mask if they arrived without it. From time-to-time civilians were required to have their gas masks tested for fitting and leakages; this took place in the centre of the village, on Barlow Moor Road near the library, where there was a mobile unit. Groups of three or four people at a time were tested. Wearing their gas masks, a spray of gas was released and any leaks would be noticed. Women going to shops and men going to work all had to take their gas masks with them, at least in the early part of the war. The first six months or so was the period known as the ‘Phoney War’, when there were no attacks on Britain and some civilians were tempted to ‘let their guard down’.
A gas mask
All households on the estate had the choice of air raid shelters. The most popular was the Anderson shelter, made of corrugated iron and assembled and erected outside at the back of the rear garden. There were many of these. Trenches were dug in the garden into which the shelter was erected. The sods of earth, so removed, would then be placed in position on the roof of the shelter in order to lessen the effects of a bomb blast. Some provisions and utensils were kept in the shelter in case of need. After the war many residents retained these shelters and used them for storing garden tools, lawn mowers and other items.
An Anderson shelter
These were erected in the back gardens. Note the candle in the flowerpot.
Other residents may have opted for the Morrison shelter. This was like an iron cage, the top part of which could be used as a table. It was set up inside the house and in the event of an air raid family members would crouch down under it for protection. In inner cities these were of little use when dwellings suffered a direct hit.
A Morrison shelter
It could be put in the living room and used as a table. One wire side lifted up for people to crawl underneath and get inside.
Sketch map showing the approximate position of the underground air-raid shelter in Didsbury Park
The underground shelter was located in an area near to the current fenced-off football pitch and close to the children’s play area. In spite of extensive enquiries, very little information exists about the shelter and there are no photographs to be had. However, clues to its past existence emerge from time to time during periods of prolonged drought when the grass turns brown and the outline of the former structures can clearly be seen on the ground. It is believed that trenches were dug and Nissen huts erected with corrugated roofs, perhaps several feet underground and covered with turf. Inside the huts there would have been appropriate supplies and provisions. It is possible that some residents from the estate may have taken refuge here.
Modern photograph taken during a period of prolonged drought and revealing the outline of the wartime underground air-raid shelters in Didsbury Park. Children’s play area is to the left.
Brian Johnson, Chair of Friends of Didsbury Park, has very kindly provided this photograph and, at the same time, given some details about the shelters. He writes:
“The air raid shelters were underground and the layout of the shelters can be seen marked upon the grass in the photograph.
In about 2017 a local lady was interviewed who had used the shelters as a child. She lived in Knight Street and said that there was a sloping path of about 20 to 25 yards from near the current small roundabout [see plan] in the park to the entrance. The path dropped about six to eight feet to the entrance to the air raid shelter. I do not know how deep they went – presumably not much deeper because of the water table.
One of the Manchester City Council officials has been pretty adamant that there was an entrance at the far end too. It probably made sense for there to be two entrances just in case one got hit and became blocked up. However, the lady interviewed knew nothing of a second entrance.
It is now known exactly where the entrance near the roundabout was because from time to time the earth in that area sinks a bit – presumably as more earth slides into the entrance. It is then just refilled and re-grassed.”
Some children from the estate are known to have been evacuated shortly after the outbreak of war, especially to Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire. One can imagine the mixed emotional feelings of both evacuees and their parents at this time. Other children on the estate were earmarked for evacuation but remained at home.
Women helped to save and salvage all sorts of items for the war effort. Some went from door to door to collect scrap metal that could be melted and reused. Children were encouraged to take old milk-bottle tops to school. Clothes were mended and stitched, then passed down to younger siblings. Eventually, when no longer fit for wear, clothes were cut up and used as rags for cleaning purposes. Women, especially mothers with mouths to feed, quickly learned how to ‘make a little go a long way’. Meat and chicken bones, for instance, were used for making soup. Baking at home became popular once more. Nothing was wasted or squandered if it could be put to further use.
All households were required to comply with government regulations concerning the blackout. Curtains had to be black and fully closed at night, so as not to expose light that may be of help to enemy pilots flying overhead on bombing missions. Street lights were switched off and car headlights were specially adjusted so that they were dipped and dimmed.
Sirens were sounded prior to an air raid. These went off, it is believed, from the rooftop of the police station in the centre of the village, where spotters were also in position looking out for enemy aircraft. At ground level, members of the Home Guard would have looked out for enemy gliders landing in nearby open fields.
An air-raid siren on a rooftop
Several men on the estate assisted with ARP work. They assembled usually near the police station and each was given an area to ‘marshal’. They would knock on doors and remind residents if the blackout regulations were being flouted. In addition, they assisted in locating and extinguishing fires caused by incendiary bombs, some of which fell on the estate. They would also have helped people to retreat to their Anderson shelters in the event of sirens sounding off.
As the war progressed the effects of German U-boats in sinking British and allied merchant ships on their way to Britain became apparent. Shipping losses led to shortages of food and raw materials at home. This led to rationing and queues. The government introduced rationing to make sure everyone had a fair share of what was available. Every man, woman and child on the estate was given a ration book for food and had to register with a grocery store, most probably one in the village. The grocery store was given enough food for the people on their list. When someone bought a rationed food, the grocer stuck a sticker in their ration book to show that the week’s ration had been purchased.
At first only butter, sugar and bacon were rationed. By the middle of 1940 all meat, eggs, cheese, jam, tea and milk were also rationed. Clothes were rationed from June 1941 due to the shortage of raw materials and also to allow factories and workers to concentrate on producing weapons, aircraft and ammunition for the war. Petrol was rationed, although very few local residents would have owned cars at that time. Walking and cycling were encouraged.
The shortage of food, and the fear of starvation, also led to the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign being intensified. Householders were encouraged by the government to grow vegetables instead of flowers and lawns. Some residents on the Ford Bank estate answered this call by growing potatoes, carrots, cabbages, sprouts, lettuces and other crops. Some people also kept poultry, perhaps half a dozen hens, which provided fresh eggs as well as meat. When the coops were repositioned, they left behind a fertile area of the garden. The main problem with hens was finding food for them. Neighbours were asked to save scraps. The hens’ owners would give eggs in return.
Posters to encourage the growing and eating of vegetables
These two posters contained an element of humour, designed especially to appeal to children.
Potato Pete
He was full of goodness. He gave energy.
Dr Carrot
He had sweetness and goodness. He helped you to see in the dark. It was very important to see in the dark. So, people were keen to eat carrots since they contained vitamin A.
Digging for victory
The Ford Bank estate may have had scenes similar to this one – but without the caravan.
Bombs did fall on the estate but little damage appears to have been done. A plethora of bombs were dropped on Didsbury and other south Manchester suburbs in the ‘blitz’ (short for ‘blitzkrieg’, or ‘lightning war’) of 1940. Some incendiary bombs exploded on landing in local gardens, but fires were quickly extinguished. An incendiary bomb landed in Woodford Gardens but failed to explode and was subsequently removed. School children at the time have recalled how the shrapnel (twisted metal) was to be seen almost everywhere and was collected on their way home from school. German bombers may have jettisoned some of the bombs dropped on Didsbury as they headed for home after attacking Manchester or other parts of the region.
Some residents, children at the time, have recalled their experience of the V1s, the Flying Bombs otherwise known as ‘doodlebugs’, which flew over the area on Christmas Eve 1944. Out of interest, some facts about this attack are included here for the benefit of readers who may not be aware of what happened:
45 doodlebugs were launched off the Yorkshire coast from Heinkel He 111 bombers flying over the North Sea. The bombers released the V1s aimed at Manchester, then turned back to base. Many of the missiles landed harmlessly.
The V1s were launched between 0500 and 0600 hours on the morning of Christmas Eve 1944.
It took about 30 minutes from launch to the missiles falling to earth.
31 V1s crossed the Yorkshire coast, while 14 fell into the North Sea. Only seven fell within the built-up area of what is now Greater Manchester, and only one (out of 45) fell within the Civil Defence Area for Manchester (that was in a field in Didsbury).
42 people were killed in the attack
106 people were injured, of whom 51 were seriously injured.
The worst casualties were at Abbey Hills Road in Oldham where 32 people were killed.
The doodlebug, or ‘buzz bomb’, was given this comic nickname by the British because as it flew through the sky it made a characteristic ‘bbrrrrrr’ sound.
The bomb part weighed 2,000 kilograms. There was no pilot.
It carried some fuel. When its fuel ran out, the V1’s engine cut out and it went silent. This was when civilians feared it most. It then plummeted to earth and blew up. It was frightening. You sat and listened to the engine. Then it stopped. Your heart stopped too. The doodlebug was coming down.
Typically, buildings were damaged up to a mile away.
The missiles could not be guided with accuracy; hence those aimed at Manchester came down in fields, on the moors, as well as in areas far away.
The V1 that landed in Manchester was originally believed to have come down in what today is the Old Bedians’ Sports Ground to the south of Didsbury Village, the impact creating a crater nine feet deep and 18 feet across.
But recent research has revealed that the bomb actually came down in a field of Brussel sprouts by the banks of the River Mersey adjacent to Didsbury golf course. Looking upstream, the actual spot was to the right of where the river now runs – not to the left, as previously thought.
When the M63 (now M60) went through the area in the 1970s, the river was diverted and eventually Loonts Lake, by the side of the current fifth and seventh fairways, was created.
With the help of modern technology, researchers have been able to find the exact spot where the bomb landed, which is now near to the east bank of the lake which is now part of Didsbury golf course.
This bomb caused some structural damage as far away as Burnage but no serious casualties.
Residents on the Ford Bank estate would have responded to the air raid sirens and would have heard the doodlebugs overhead as they took shelter on that cold, dark Christmas Eve morning.
The military
The military and emergency services were active in the Ford Bank area. The undeveloped land bordered by Spath Road, Dene Road and Lancaster Road was occupied by the services. The AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) was based there and used a Nissen hut that had been erected. A searchlight base is said to have also been there with an anti-aircraft battery in place. The Royal Engineers are believed to have carried out exercises in the Bradley Fold area, comprising the present-day allotments and part of Withington golf course. Rope bridges were set up over the pond. Exercises and training were practised with regard to locating and disarming bombs which had been buried in pits and trenches dug in the vicinity of the back of the present Harefield Drive. A small rectangular brick building, measuring approximately 16 feet by 7 feet and currently standing near the corner of Bradley Fold allotments - behind the sixth tee on Withington golf course – is a relic from the war. Some say it was an air raid shelter, but this is unlikely since there were very few dwellings nearby and, in any case, there was a shelter in Didsbury Park. Others have claimed it was an observation post or a base used by the ARP. More probably it was used as a wartime store for ammunition, materials and equipment being used by the military.
Part of Withington golf course was requisitioned by the War Department and closed to members. It was used by the military for drills, training and exercises. This was the land to the right of the public footpath that extends across the course from near the river to past the current clubhouse at Palatine Road.
The residents of the Fordbank estate, in the true British spirit of the time, would have answered the call to ‘do their bit’ for the war effort at home. Locals would have shared, mended and repaired, ‘made do’, economised and generally got on with everyday living. In spite of worry, hardship and privations people carried on until, in May 1945, Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) was celebrated as it was officially announced that the war in Europe was over. This was followed later in the summer with VJ Day (Victory over Japan). Servicemen were eventually demobilised and life returned to ‘normality’, although rationing continued for some time.
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