'Wirral on the Home Front' was the title of the latest lecture given to the prep as a part of the Boumphrey Lecture Series. The lecture was delivered by Ian Boumphrey, the inaugural speaker of the series, and is a part of the wider 'Inspiring Talks Series.' Click here to read Head of Prep, Harry FitzHerbert's account:
'Wirral on the Home Front – a fascinating lecture by Ian Boumphrey for Years 5 and 6' by Mr Fitzherbert, Head of Prep
Ian Boumphrey and John Williams pictured with pupils
In January 2018, Ian Boumphrey gave the inaugural lecture of our Boumphrey Lecture Series. We were delighted to welcome him back on Friday 10th May to give his second lecture, the eighth in the series. Last time, Ian spoke on the History of Prep and this time his topic was Wirral on the Home Front.
Ian is a font of historical knowledge and his enthusiasm is infectious. He began the talk by letting off an air raid siren and this certainly grabbed the children’s attention. He then explained that Birkenhead School had classrooms set up in the cellars so that the boys could still carry on their lessons even with the threat of an air raid. Merseyside was a high risk area for bombing and Ian showed us pictures of children from Liverpool, Birkenhead and Wallasey being evacuated on 1st September 1939, setting off from Lime Street Station, each with a label, a gas mask and a change of clothes. West Wirral wasn’t evacuated and in fact families here actually took in evacuees. Ian’s family lived in Irby and they had a girl evacuated from Guernsey staying with them.
Thirty boys from Prep were evacuated to Whitchurch. They returned in January 1940 because there had been no bombing – this period was of course known as the “Phoney War”. Ian went on to explain that Prep was used as a centre for the National Fire Service and so Prep was temporarily relocated to Overdale.
Next, Ian introduced us to fellow Old Birkonian, John Williams, who was dressed up as an ARP Warden. He had all the gear: gas mask, whistle, white steel helmet with ‘W’ painted on it and his ARP rattle. John demonstrated the continuous whistle to warn of an air raid and the intermittent whistle for the all clear. He also walked up and down the aisle waving his ARP rattle, which was used to warn of a gas attack. We found out that School was the venue for ARP meetings.
Ian showed us pictures of the Mickey Mouse gas masks that were used for children and also the stirrup pump that was used for putting out the fires caused by incendiary bombs. It took three people to operate these – one to pump, one to spray and one to fetch buckets of water.
We also saw pictures of sandbags up against the basement windows of Big School and at Woodchurch Road Hospital. We found out that King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Wallasey and we saw a photo of them walking through crowds of people and children on top of the air raid shelters trying to catch a glimpse! We were shown pictures of Anderson Shelters and Morrison Shelters and Ian told us about the amazing 1.25 mile Tranmere Tunnels, built to accommodate 6,000 people; these were never used as, by the time they were ready in 1942, there were no more bombing raids on Merseyside.
Ian had brought in some shrapnel and he told us how the children used to collect it the morning after an air raid and then play swaps on the playground. He also brought in a piece of material from a barrage balloon. He told us that anti-aircraft guns were positioned at Wallasey and Thurstaston and, when a V2 rocket landed in Upton-by-Chester (16 miles away), a boarder at Birkenhead School described how his bed shook. School suffered very little damage during the war, but when a land mine was parachuted in on 12th/13th March 1941, it landed at the site of the Caernarvon Pub, causing the cross on the Chapel roof to break off and the stained glass windows on one side to shatter.
We saw the flight path taken by German bombers, the bombed out Slatey Road police station (next to the unscathed Williamson Art Gallery) and we also learned about Women in the War and rationing. What an excellent lecture – we all learned so much and I’m very grateful to Ian, for all his preparation and enthusiasm, and to John Williams, our very own Warden Hodges from Dad’s Army!