[A/N. Another short chapter I know, but I've been busy, and it takes me
longer to write a chapter where I have to reread it to make sure all the
facts are right. The next chapter will be longer, as to my knowledge
bombing attacks by the Germans on Liverpool started on Sep 15, 1940. I was
also thinking, when I was writing this how old Eliza would be now and it
occurred to me she would actually be 34 now. How time flies!! LOL!!!]
Liverpool, September 8,1940.
"They hit London again last night." Edward said as he and Eliza ate their dinner. As per English tradition the children had eaten earlier and were now being readied for bed by Jessica.
"Oh! Was it bad?" Eliza asked, pausing with her spoon on the way to her mouth.
"Bad enough for the home office to issue a warning- from now on the blackout is going to extend not only to London but to other cities in the country-especially industrial cities." Edward explained.
Eliza looked shocked. "Surely they don't think we're going to be bombed here?" She asked feeling sick at the thought. The German's had been bombing London since the end of August, but only since the start of that month had their raids intensified.
Edward hesitated. He saw the look of fear on his wife's face and he wanted to tell her that there was no cause for concern, but he couldn't. After all, there WAS cause for concern. Cities such as Liverpool, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester had all been put on alert by the home office and she should know what was happening. "They do." He said gently. "And we must be prepared in case it happens Eliza."
Eliza took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course we must-after all we've got the children to think about. Do you...do you think we should send them to the country with many of the other children from London?" Ben was almost six now, and Margaret had just turned five. Despite the war they were fairly happy children who never wanted for anything too badly.
"I don't think so yet, but it's always a possibility." Edward said.
Eliza nodded again. "I'd hate to be away from them, but I'd hate for them to be in danger." She said, and then she swallowed. "So what are the conditions for the blackout then?"
Edward unfolded the paper he'd been carrying, glad that his wife was being such a great sport about the whole thing. It must have been hard for her to learn that they were in possible danger from the Germans, but she took it bravely. "Well at night we must extinguish all lights, and can only have the minimum candles or lamps. We have to take down the curtains we've got now, and change them with a darker material, a light proof material which must hang six inches past the sides of the windows, and cross each other so not even a speck of light can be seen. We're not meant to go out at night, but if there is an emergency and we must and we need a torch we have to point it down and it has to only light up the area immediately in front of us. Motor vehicles are not to be used during the hours of the blackout unless in cases of emergencies. Car owners have to place round cardboard discs in their headlights that have a slit in them that goes from side to side, and this slit must be no more than half an inch wide. The rear lamps on motor vehicles are just as important. Owners have to stuff transparent paper or tissue paper into the lamps so that the red of the lamp is reduced, but still bright enough to be seen from the rear." He read out.
Eliza slowly ate a bit more as he read. When he'd finished she nodded. "Well that all seems reasonable to me. A little too logical and cold, but reasonable. And what about shelters? Shall we be having air raid shelters like in London? And aircraft spotters like in London?"
Edward shrugged. "To be honest I don't really know yet. They're only just changing the laws so that other cities have blackouts, but I imagine that they would end up doing the same things here as in London. Nonetheless tomorrow I am going to see about getting us an Anderson shelter. We'll need something stable in case we have to spend many nights in it."
Eliza nodded. "And I'll have to talk to the children. It's only fair that they know what is going on." She said thoughtfully. Surely many other mothers in Liverpool who were being told this news by their husbands at this very time, were considering the same thing. While older children who knew more about the war would likely have already feared that the city would be bombed like London, the younger children wouldn't think like this.
"Yes," Edward agreed. "They'll need to know what's going to happen. I'll also get some new material for the windows tomorrow and we can hang it when I get home."
Eliza nodded, but her mind was already thinking about the conversation she was going to have with her children the next day: they'd have many questions about why they were going to be bombed and what would happen that was for sure. But Eliza was determined to tell them the complete truth about it all, and hold nothing back. They would need to realise the gravity of the situation that the city was in.
Liverpool, September 8,1940.
"They hit London again last night." Edward said as he and Eliza ate their dinner. As per English tradition the children had eaten earlier and were now being readied for bed by Jessica.
"Oh! Was it bad?" Eliza asked, pausing with her spoon on the way to her mouth.
"Bad enough for the home office to issue a warning- from now on the blackout is going to extend not only to London but to other cities in the country-especially industrial cities." Edward explained.
Eliza looked shocked. "Surely they don't think we're going to be bombed here?" She asked feeling sick at the thought. The German's had been bombing London since the end of August, but only since the start of that month had their raids intensified.
Edward hesitated. He saw the look of fear on his wife's face and he wanted to tell her that there was no cause for concern, but he couldn't. After all, there WAS cause for concern. Cities such as Liverpool, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff and Manchester had all been put on alert by the home office and she should know what was happening. "They do." He said gently. "And we must be prepared in case it happens Eliza."
Eliza took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course we must-after all we've got the children to think about. Do you...do you think we should send them to the country with many of the other children from London?" Ben was almost six now, and Margaret had just turned five. Despite the war they were fairly happy children who never wanted for anything too badly.
"I don't think so yet, but it's always a possibility." Edward said.
Eliza nodded again. "I'd hate to be away from them, but I'd hate for them to be in danger." She said, and then she swallowed. "So what are the conditions for the blackout then?"
Edward unfolded the paper he'd been carrying, glad that his wife was being such a great sport about the whole thing. It must have been hard for her to learn that they were in possible danger from the Germans, but she took it bravely. "Well at night we must extinguish all lights, and can only have the minimum candles or lamps. We have to take down the curtains we've got now, and change them with a darker material, a light proof material which must hang six inches past the sides of the windows, and cross each other so not even a speck of light can be seen. We're not meant to go out at night, but if there is an emergency and we must and we need a torch we have to point it down and it has to only light up the area immediately in front of us. Motor vehicles are not to be used during the hours of the blackout unless in cases of emergencies. Car owners have to place round cardboard discs in their headlights that have a slit in them that goes from side to side, and this slit must be no more than half an inch wide. The rear lamps on motor vehicles are just as important. Owners have to stuff transparent paper or tissue paper into the lamps so that the red of the lamp is reduced, but still bright enough to be seen from the rear." He read out.
Eliza slowly ate a bit more as he read. When he'd finished she nodded. "Well that all seems reasonable to me. A little too logical and cold, but reasonable. And what about shelters? Shall we be having air raid shelters like in London? And aircraft spotters like in London?"
Edward shrugged. "To be honest I don't really know yet. They're only just changing the laws so that other cities have blackouts, but I imagine that they would end up doing the same things here as in London. Nonetheless tomorrow I am going to see about getting us an Anderson shelter. We'll need something stable in case we have to spend many nights in it."
Eliza nodded. "And I'll have to talk to the children. It's only fair that they know what is going on." She said thoughtfully. Surely many other mothers in Liverpool who were being told this news by their husbands at this very time, were considering the same thing. While older children who knew more about the war would likely have already feared that the city would be bombed like London, the younger children wouldn't think like this.
"Yes," Edward agreed. "They'll need to know what's going to happen. I'll also get some new material for the windows tomorrow and we can hang it when I get home."
Eliza nodded, but her mind was already thinking about the conversation she was going to have with her children the next day: they'd have many questions about why they were going to be bombed and what would happen that was for sure. But Eliza was determined to tell them the complete truth about it all, and hold nothing back. They would need to realise the gravity of the situation that the city was in.