Memories Of World War II In Waterloo

A FORMER Waterloo resident has told of his childhood experiences during World War II.
Paul Fletcher, 75, who used to live in Alexandra Road, has recalled life at that time including the Blitz.
His first thoughts of war came in 1938, after watching a sword fight in the Adventures of Robin Hood film and he told his father how he would fight the enemy.
When war broke out airfields being built in Birkdale and Southport as well as barbed wire and concrete tank traps being placed in the sand hills.
He said: "Occasionally throughout the war years we would hear an explosion and see black smoke rising from that area as a dog had strayed into the minefield and set off one of the mines."

Children played an important role, collecting salvaged paper and sacks of old books, which they took to assembly points.
Major raids were on Saturday nights and Christ Church, which was at the end of his road was hit as well as the library, where his eldest sister also worked.
Paul was among the many residents who ran to the church with buckets of water.
He said: "Bits of burnt paper were fluttering about from the library and other houses were alight.
"There was nothing the fire brigade could do about it as all the water was being used up to fight the blaze at Gladstone Dock."
Going to school and realising classmates had been killed was difficult and one of his friends, Ronnie Shaw, who was just eight, was among those who died.
Paul said: "It was sad when going into school to find some of your school pals missing and you found out that their house had been hit the night before and we would not see them again."
Windows were repaired by the council with cardboard instead of glass and there were no sweets, so children contended with Horlicks tablets and cough sweets.
He also remembers the local Home Guard, who were mainly elderly men, marching along South Road to protect the sea front.
Paul said: "They had no uniforms or weapons apart from garden forks, hoes and poles with carving knives tied to the end."