Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request WW2. Parkgate bombed.

Was chatting to my Grandad today about the War.

He told us that the first bomb to land on our peninsula was at Parkgate- the Germans had obviously mistaken the Dee for the Mersey.

This was a 'big deal' and he travelled from Wallasey Village to Parkgate to go and view the damage- I assume lots of people went to view the damage.

Does anybody have any further information- dates etc (Drawing a blank on Google). Thanks.

Something here about Burton Marshes.
https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/279417.html

if true, that's the whole notion of German efficiency gone straight out the window there.

Thanks Granny that may have cleared things up... At 93,he is 'all there up top'but he has had a mild stroke which has slightly affected his speech and coupled with the fact that he is in hospital with other older folk,it can be hard to hear him sometimes (above other peoples visitors speaking loudly to their loved ones, obviously with hearing defects....)


From Burton Marshes thread : 'The area is literally covered in the small inert practise bombs. The area was also a Luftwaffe bombing decoy, and was laid out with overhead electric lights that reflected on water filled ponds, that were laid out in the shape of Garston Docks on the Mersey, to act as a decoy. It was very succesful, and there are local reports of "hundreds" of bombs being dropped overnight, over a period of a month'.

I think this is possibly what he is referring to. Thanks again.

Hope it is Rude, but who knows? Sometimes their memory from so far back, is almost perfect. So he may tell you differently
Not sure if there is a date relating to that, but he will probably tell you if it's not quite right!
I hope he can relate more, because they get so much pleasure from remembering and sharing such times, which overall was a huge chunk on their lives.
I wish him well.

The first wave of bombings was on the 9 August 1940, resulting in the first death, Johanna Dominica Mandale, 14 Prenton Lane.
I wouldn't dismiss the recollections of the very elderly, if the first bombs could fall on Prenton which had no significant targets, some strays could have made there way to Parkgate.

Slightly off topic but my elderly neighbour remembered seeing a German plane over her head following along Pasture Rd, Moreton, obviously heading towards Liverpool. He was flying so low that she could clearly see the pilot. I can't imagine how eerie that sight must have been.

There was a large network of decoy sites set up near major targets, code named Starfish. Here's a link to the Burton marshes one.
http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.asp...mp;p=0&move=p&nor=73&recfc=0

I was told a long time ago now that they used to light hay bales all along the Wirral coast along the Dee. The hope was to get the Germans to think it was Liverpool and Bootle docks on fire. I think this was why we had so many round ponds in Wirral. They were where bombs had fallen

There's a good book that's just been re-published on the subject of the decoy sites during WWII. It's 'Fields of Deception: Britain's Bombing Decoys of WWII' by Colin Dobinson.
Fake aircraft, fake airfields, Starfish decoys and more.
Little, if any, other material published on the subject.

Welcome back, pablo42; long time since your last post.

Thanks everyone. Interesting comments.:)

Thats quite a possibility. I know a lot of ponds, especially at Thustaston are the remains from lime digging.

I think the remains of one the starfish is still on Hilbre Island.