On the 1st of September 1939 two days before the start of Britain's involvement in WW2 an order previously declared by the government that Britain would observe a Blackout. In short all lights before sunset should be extinguished or Blacked out as not to aid the Germans on their bombing missions.
Households had to cover there windows and doors etc with Blackout curtains or blinds, cardboard, paint, anything that would block light completely. It was even frowned upon to smoke outside for fear the glow from the cigarette could be seen from thousands of feet by bomber crews.
ARP and Police patrols kept a constant vigil for anyone not observing the Blackout, heavy fines and sometimes a prison sentence for persistent offenders would follow.
Public places such as pubs and cinemas had to devise methods of allowing the public to leave the premises without showing any light. Cars and street lights were fitted with deflectors to deflect the light down, even then they could only be very dimly lit.
Inevitably what was meant to save life cost many due to road accidents and mainly the elderly trying to get around in the dark. Thousands lost their lives due to the Blackout but many more lives were saved because of it.
Owing to the large loss of life through accidents, especially road and pedestrian related, the Pedestrian Association lobbied the government to have white lines painted at the sides of roads and white stripes painted on lampposts, this was done and accidents reduced. It was also recommended that pedestrians walk facing the traffic, it was also suggested that men walk with their shirt tail hanging outside their trousers, anything to be seen.

Is that where 'walk into oncoming traffic' originated then?... very interesting Mr Bert

Most likely did Phil.
Another thing worth mentioning, it was recommend, if paint was being used for blacking out of windows, black paint alone wasn't good enough, a coat of white paint first then followed by black.
Also blast protection from flying glass, a lot of people simply stuck tape across their windows and some had nets, even though the blast could be far enough away not to damage the building, glass was the weak point and would often get blown in.

Wow Bert... you blow my mind

Into the late '50's/early 60's you could still see the white bands they painted on the TREES in Singleton Avenue !!

The Mersey Railway trains had shoeguards fitted, so that the flash from the positive shoes on the live rail couldn't been seen from above. Never really been convinced on how efficient THAT sketch was.

we were talking to a lady a few years ago who lived in the house next to ours & she said the windows got blown out she said a girl round the corner died but as far as I know there was only bomb damage on mount road.

Have you had your carrots

If that's Mount Road, Wallasey then the only people to die was on Pleasant Street, off Mount Pleasant Road.

sorry it was mount road in tranmere

When were the blackout regulations lifted?

I ask because I am sure I can (just) remember the blackout. I must have been very, very, young. However, I clearly remember a lot of banging on the front door and shouting etc - because I had been shining a torch through the blackout curtains. I remember mum coming into the room and taking it off me.

Snod

Naughty Snod, that would be a policeman or ARP warden coming to get you.
Late 1944 it went from Blackout to Dim out on the understanding in the event of air raid warnings it went to complete blackout. In April 1945 the lights returned.

Then it is perfectly possible that I really do remember the event. By April '45 I would be 3 years old. I recally the "worry" that mum had was that the torch concerned was fairly large and that (and the scarce wartime batteries) were almost certainly "ex-army" - if you know what I mean

Snod

I can remember that even in the 60's and 70's people still had white painted rear mudgards on their bikes !,

I remember in the mid/late 80's pulling a bike out of the cellar in a Halfords I was working at which had the white paint at the end of the muguards (old Raleigh bike, black with rod brakes) I just thought it was the colour scheme, makes sense now (only took 25 years)

LOL on the Halfords bike !,

One thing that i often wonderd about but never asked about at the time was why there was a faded painted rectangle behind the "Neston" in the company name on my grandfathers asbestos clad works shed, then about twenty years ago the penny finaly dropped...the name must have been painted out during the war!.
Even though the building had passed to someone else it could still be seen until the 80's when the shed was reclad.

Due to the number of accidents, the government eased up a little and allowed pedestrians to have a torch whilst walking in the dark, only to be shone downwards and for the beam to dimmed by covering the lens with paper or the like, the only problem was, there was a shortage of batteries, so people scuttled around in the dark anyway.
To help motorists, white lines were painted down the center of roads, which we still have today.

I think white lines in the road's started out in the 1920's, but i'm sure i read somewhere they where made of a reflective material but before the war it was little more than a thick white paint.

Absolutely right Historybook, the first lines were used about 1918/20 ish, mainly on major roads, to help in the blackout, lines were painted on minor roads that normally wouldn't have had them, also lines in the gutter to help pedestrians.

I remember that. I was 8 at the time and I remember going out into the road and seeing all the street lamps on. It was magical; still one of my strongest memories.

Think they have now repainted the gutter ones in a yellow colour now - even doing an extra line in some cases for benefit of those whose eyesight are poor

Yes, Derek; problem is, they aren't as visible as the white ones (well, that's my excuse).

[youtube]vzlFaY0s_QI[/youtube]
Dedicated to one of Chris's happy memories

Hi regarding the comment about a ladys memories of the bombings- I met a lovely old lady, who was sharp as a pin an full of memories, i used to help care for her as i worked for care in the community.
She lived in a side street ,in wallasey off the cherry tree centre, and had lived there all her life,originally with her mum ,dad,an family. the back living room was like goin back in time to the 40's!- she d kept all the old hearth, furniture, radio, old photies, an rugs just the way it was when her mum an dad where there -it was lovely! any way sorry I digress- she told me about the bombings an how her mother wouldnt let them go to the airaid shelters, she didnt like or trust them, so mum used to get under the kitchen table, and the girls had to stand under the stairs.
She said this one particular night, the bombs were heavy an her an her sister an the dog were under the stairs,-"just there" she said pointing to it! an there were loud bangs an thuds, an the girls were scared, an she looked at her dog who was sittin with them an said " Are we goin to die?" an she said the dog looked at her an then gave one nod of his head..!
Then there was an extremely loud bag an the house shook.. Turns out the houses opposite hers had been hit.
There are now newer houses in their place, hers an her side of the road still stand.

Thanks for sharing that story Betty.

.

Should mention the unsavory side of living in the Blackout, the increase in crime, though house burglaries never really increased due to the burglar couldn't tell whether the lights were on or not within a property, sheds and garages, cars etc were prime targets. People who grew vegetables in their gardens and allotment holders had their produce taken in hours of darkness, street muggings also increased.

You re welcome!

I live in Stoneby Drive off mount road in Wallasey and there was an unexpolded bomb found in our back garden in the 70's I think! Also we have a new build house in the street where apparentley a house was blown up!