Can anyone tell me what date celebrations were held? I was born in Rock Ferry in 1941 and remember being taken to Hamilton Square where crowds were dancing and there were lighted decorations. My father was a driver on Corporation buses, and I also remember standing on corner of Bedford Rd and Grove Rd to watch him drive by in an illuminated single decker. (Like the #44 that served Eastham). Later he told me that the seats were removed to accommodate the batteries to cover the bus in lights. My parents were SO excited that the blackout was over. Obviously, it needed time to prepare the celebrations, so I don’t think it was date war ended declaration.
Anyone know if there are photos on line? Would very much appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

Liverpool Echo,



BIRKENHEAD SERVICE

“... service outside the Town Hall, at which massed choirs will sing hymns of thanksgiving and victory, will be part of the VE Day celebrations scheduled by Birkenhead. If peace is announced after a.m. these functions will be held on V E-Day plus 1,” an official ...”

04 May 1945 - Liverpool Echo - Liverpool, Lancashire, England

This was an interesting article for me. I was 12 and lived in Shore Drive, New Ferry, on VE day. I always remember that when the news was announced all the ships in Bromborough dock and in the river blew their sirens creating a frightening cacophony of sound.
We had been expecting the end of the war for quite a while so the celebrations were well organised and ready to go almost immediately and we had our street party almost right away. We each had to take a chair and a spoon (for the jelly).
Our bonfire on the field for which we had been collecting wood for weeks had been sabotaged by a drunken sailor a few nights earlier on his way down to Bromborough Dock, incidentally nearly killing one of my friends Kevin Flood who was sleeping in the bonfire to guard it overnight (we had made a den in there and took it in turns to sleep in there on guard against saboteurs).
Here is a link to the Liverpool Echo, it contains pics of various local celebrations and one of the official celebration in London on 8th May 1945.
L'pool Echo

I love hearing about these times and the pics were great, thanks Phil really enjoyed looking at them. My mum was in the ATS so that one of the young girl in her uniform made me think of her and how she would have looked in uniform. We have no photos of mum at that time as they were in a fire and she died at 48 so it was good to think how happy she would have been on that day, how nice would it have been if it had been her photographed dancing with the Scottish man .
I would love to go back in time and be there in Trafalgar square or wherever and experience that happiness and joy on that day. Anymore to tell us Nesta and Phil or anyone , I'd love to hear them..

Made a mistake there , just had another look and Scottish soldier as I said was in fact Canadian, good stuff.

I've seen a photo or video with the big "V" on the Town Hall similar to this drawing by Athol Ostell, no idea where I have seen the photo/video though sorry, might have been in Wirral Archives or a newspaper.

Oh I'd love to see a film or whatever about the Birkenhead celebrations DD , maybe I'll do a little digging ( pardon the pun) try and find out, thanks DD..

Is this @Nesta's dad's bus? The Birkenhead Claughton bus.

This post brought the memories back - my Dad was called up around 1940 - my brother and I were evacuated to North Wales, so Mum was left on her own. she was then directed to go and work making shells at Fawcett and Preston's factory in Bromborough making shells for the war effort. Dunno how it happened but she later became manager of the works canteen and from there progressed to manage the British Restaurant in New ferry in the building which is now Andy's Aquatics. She must have been a very resilient person to overcome being left on her own like that and then make a success of herself despite not knowing where her husband was and being separated from her children.

I think there may be some footage in one or more of the 'Pleasures Past' series dvd/video's. They seem to have largely disappeared from local shops now, but I believe they can be borrowed from local library's and possibly the Wirral Archives, too.
Parts of some of these video's can be seen on this site and also on YouTube, so you shouldn't need to dig too deeply.

a new war memorial being unveiled in Hamilton Square

Unveiling of the BIOB War Memorial has been brought forward to 13:00 (1PM) this Sunday 4th November 2018. It will be on the corner of Hamilton Street and Duncan Street, Birkenhead, in the corner of Hamilton Square.
The memorial came about following Tranmere Rovers selling off the former BI playing field, (Ingleborough Road) for a housing estate which years ago had had trees planted around it one for each old boy killed in the war. after a long running battle it was agreed a new memorial would be made and placed in Hamilton Square..

bronze casting of a tired first ww soldier based on a poem by Wilfred Owen and a drawing by Birkenhead Institute art master Dave Jones.

Wondering who might be unveiling it as its been a bit quiet. Frank Field and Patricia Routledge had some connections with it but wondering if a minor royal might be doing the honours.. May unveiled the one for PC David Phillips..

Thanks Norton, I will have a look at all that.. I was looking on you tube last night quite a lot about them. Funny how one post can dredge up the memories and you go into remembering mode..

Remember it well as I was 13 at the time and joined the crowds in Hamilton Square. The thing I remember most were the amount of rockets and flares that were being set off and as it was not
possible to buy fireworks during the war I think they must have been taken from ships and lifeboats. God help any ship in distress.

Many thanks for all your interesting responses. I did try to post a reply but it seems I must have done something incorrectly, as it disappeared.
The bus picture is the only one I have seen. Amazed that you were able to find it. I did try the Wirral Transport site. The bus in this picture looks like a yellow Wallasey bus. I don’t remember the roof addition, and in my mind’s eye it was covered in more lights. Wonder if each depot did a similar bus? Dad drove for Birkenhead Corporation and the lighted single decker that I saw was blue. When I had difficulty finding any reference to it , I did begin to think I must have dreamt it! I was only 4 at the time.
Dad drove all through the war, blackouts made it very tense. When the air raid siren went off the drivers had to immobilize the bus by removing the steering wheel and taking it with them to a shelter.
The picture of Hamilton Square is exactly how I remember.. Great to see the pictures, along with all the street party pictures, which, I’m sure we all remember! Thank you for pinning the date down for me by the Echo dates. Somehow, I hadn’t thought about the fact that it was known the fighting was coming to the end , and therefore, preparations were already underway.
Phil, my paternal grandmother lived at 58 Shore Drive. Collected our bonfire wood from grounds of boys’ high school in Highfield Road South. To think we got away with bonfires in the street!
We lived at #1 Tennyson Ave and 3 story house back to ours in Browning Ave was totally levelled by a direct hit.
I too am overawed and thankful for the resilience and courage of civilian population. How they coped physically and mentally is beyond comprehension.

Not all buses stopped. I remember being on a bus that stopped and the conducter said if anybody wanted to get off to take cover they could but the bus was carrying on.
As regards the steering wheel, normally this would require tools are you sure you've got this right ?.

Angus Tilston produced the Pleasures Past videos/dvd's. Such a lovely gentleman from Bebington. The Pleasures Past website would appear to be no longer.
I am sure Angus would have made sure his DVD's would have remained available for the public to see. He had some incredible footage and was awarded an MBE in 2009 for his services to the Historical Film Industry.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFcw4_0jNYo

Here is a site you can apparently order through.

https://pleasurespast.yolasite.com/The-DVD-Collection.php

Granny! Thank you for the link. I have watched a few on utube. Years ago I had vhs videos bought for my parents, also Yesterday’s Wirral.

Think ive seen the videos/dvds for sale in Port Sunlight museum