Our flower show, VE
THIS fascinating collection of photos was kindly sent to us by Stand Up For Southport member and proud Sandgrounder Graham Bridge.
Graham has a remarkable memory of some of Southport’s most memorable moments, from VE Day street parties in our town at the end of World War Two, to travelling to Wembley Stadium with Churchtown County School, to enjoying days out at Southport Flower Show, to seeing the last ever steam train depart Chapel Street train station for Preston before the line was axed.
We are hoping these incredible images bring back memories for other local people. Do you remember being able to travel by train to Preston? Do you remember old railway stations such as Chapel Street, St Lukes, Churchtown, Merseyside and Hesketh Bank? What are your memories of school days at Churchtown County or other schools locally? Did you wave your flags at a VE Day street party in Southport?
Stand Up For Southport is looking for people to share your memories of Southport in years gone by. During these times of Coronavirus lockdown and self isolation measures, let’s use our memories to bring Southport people closer together. Many people are on their own, with everyone unable to see family members or friends. We want to build a sense of community through Stand Up For Southport so people can come together and reminisce about great memories of Southport, Merseyside.
One of Graham’s memories is of celebrating the end of World War Two at a very well-decorated street party on Warren Road in Southport on May 8, 1945, 75 years ago, when he was just nine years old. Several bombs fell on Southport during the war, with children carrying gas masks to and from school, and people building air raid shelters in their gardens. Can you imagine living like that today?
Graham said: “As kids we were astonished and amazed that we were having a street party with sandwiches, cakes and drinks, as this was the time that we were still in wartime rationing and everything was bought on coupons.
“Our mothers had to get together and plan these parties as our dads were still away in the Armed Forces. Some would not return.
“Tables, chairs and bedsheets plus Union Jack flags and home-made bunting appeared from every house that still had them, and we celebrated the end of the war in europe.
“Bomb shelters were still dotted every 200 yards along the roadway and afterwards these were then made into great local kids club shelters.
“Street lamps slowly began to be lit at night again and blackout curtains were torn down, hopefully never to be used again.
“We were allowed to go without our gas masks slung on our shoulders and we looked forward to the end of rationing.
“Christmas presents during the war had been very sparsely available; we were very thankful to get an orange or a banana or a passed-down toy car.
“We made go-carts using old pram wheels and pieces of wood and raced against other street gangs to become the best team in the area!
“These were the times of nobody owning a car in our street and having a telephone in the house was unheard of. But because our Dads and Mums together had beaten the Germans we were proud to be British. Churchill was our hero.’’
There are a couple of prized school photos in Graham’s collection. One shows the Mayor of Southport, Councillor R Johnson, being greeted by a happy crowd of children when he visited Churchtown County School to speak to them about National Savings in October 1949, four years after the end of the war as Britain was trying to rebuild its economy.
Another school picture shows pupils at Churchtown County School in Southport on their way by train to Wembley Stadium for the Schools Football Final, believed to be around 1948 or 1949. Graham Bridge is at the front with his gas mask case filled with his butties!
Shirts, jackets and ties, and smart dresses, were the order of the day. It seems remarkable now to think that people used to be able to travel from Southport directly to both Ormskirk and Preston by train. A campaign is ongoing to get the lines reopened.
Do you remember those days? Do you remember the old Chapel Street railway station before it was replaced by the current – less attractive-looking – station? Graham was proud to work at the Southport Visiter for many years and this newspaper always had a great affiliation with the annual Southport Flower Show at Victoria Park. Reporters and photographers were on duty each day recording the event and capturing the latest show results, while promotional staff were busy selling copies of the newspaper and giving away goody bags to visitors.
Graham said: “I joined Southport Printers around 1966 after nine years in the RAF Armed Forces and five years in car sales with Southport Engineering in King Street.
“I then went to Southport Printers as a delivery driver, part of Stevenson’s Newspapers. They were general printers of stationery, preview copies of several national mail order catalogues, Littlewoods, Freeman’s, John Lewis, Vernons etc and Vivid Colour Theatre Posters for Duncan Weldon, an impresario of Southport and West End Shows etc.
“Then I was moved into the warehouse manager’s job.
“On the demise of Southport Printers I transferred over to the Southport Visiter side as one of the distribution drivers, working nights.
“A newspaper sales representatives position became vacant and after progressing I became the sole repre