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APPENDIX 2 .
THE RAIDS ON MERSEYSIDE - MAY 2 - 6

ALS.

The following is a summary of the reports received from the Regional Information Officer, North Western Region.

1. BOOTLE

There was a severe concentration of raids on Bootle where the big docks are situated. From the beginning the Town Clerk, who is A.R.P. Controller and Emergency Information Officer, kept a grip on the situation; he asked each morning early for the exact number of loud-speaker vans required. The largest number of vans used here was five. Half way through the period, the Town Hall was put out of action through an unexploded bomb, and the large Ministry of Information van was used as a mobile Information Centre. Appropriate Municipal Officers went out with it, and issued V.O.W.I. forms and travel vouchers, and also allotted people to billets. Queues of people wishing to make enquiries gathered quickly. The Mayor of Bootle went out with one of the vans and broadcast his thanks to the population for their steadiness, and generally gave out reassuring statements.

2. LIVERPOOL .

In Liverpool conditions were more difficult. On Saturday (May 3) the chief problem was to get people home from the city in the middle of the day and the Transport Manager used vans for this purpose. On Saturday night the city was much more seriously damaged and the Regional Commissioner set up advance headquarters and held a Conference, but the Local Authority representatives appeared to resent what they regarded as intrusion by Government Departments.

Our Emergency Information Officer and his Deputy did not appear, and owing to the breakdown of telephone communication it was very difficult to make any enquiries.

On Monday (May 5), when the city returned to work, the transport problem was acute. Only a very small number of buses could run and there were no trams. Several important railway routes were knocked out. Large numbers of private motorists parked their cars on both sides of main streets.

The Regional Commissioner held another conference and the Ministry of Transport urged strongly that private motors should be stopped a mile from the centre of the city. The Chief Constable showed reluctance to take this step and because of the congestion the Transport Department had difficulty in routing the services and could not get wrecked tram cars out of the centre of the city.

It was found possible, however, to use our vans for transport announcements and for notices from the Ministry of Labour. Our Emergency Information Officer and his Deputy turned up and said that the Town Clerk had not put into effect the emergency arrangements. He had not sent them either warning that the emergency had arisen or transport to bring the Emergency Information Officer into the city as promised. They said the Town Clerk had stated that the emergency provided for had not arisen and that there was no need for loud-speaker vans to operate. Reports from our vans showed that wherever they went with the meagre notices supplied, they were mobbed by members of the public wanting information. They gave what help they could but had not nearly time or knowledge enough to deal with the situation properly.

A Staff Speaker was put in charge of the vans and he made all possible contacts. On Tuesday (May 6) the Ministry of Pensions asked for notices to be put out. Again, vans were besieged by people wanting information. To make any progress at all, it was necessary to use the loudspeakers to tell people that they had had all the information available from the van; that there were people in the next street who had not heard the announcements; and that the van would come back if there was any further information to give them.

Attempts were made to contact the Town Clerk and eventually the Emergency Information Officer's Deputy found him and persuaded him of the importance of having information and notices emanating to the public from the Municipal Authority. The Town Clerk said that if six vans were available on Wednesday he would have notices and announcements ready for them. Six vans were supplied and two local vans were held in reserve.

Van drivers reported a big trek of people out of Liverpool, particularly after the second night's raid. They were hailed by people wanting lifts and not going to any special destination, but just anxious to get out of the city for the night.

Van drivers also did useful work by bringing out of the city messages from people who wanted to let relatives in other towns know that they were all right. Owing to the breakdown of telephone communication this would have been difficult by any other means. Our own messages to and from Liverpool and Bootle were transmitted by police wireless through the good offices of the Regional Commissioner.

3. USE OF WOMEN WORKERS TO ASSIST VANS .

In Liverpool, the Emergency Information Officer had made an arrangement with the Personal Service League to lend him staff, and it was therefore possible to send out C.A.B workers with most of the vans. They had a very busy time, and adequately answered the many questions put to them in the course of the tours. The Officer in charge of the vans says: “The questions we received were so many and varied that I could not possibly have dealt with a tithe of them had not the ladies been with us”.

4. FATIGUE AND REST .

The bulk of the enquiries dealt with were on one point only - how to get out of Merseyside for at least one night's rest. There was very little interest in how to get repairs done to houses or money to pay for replacement of furniture and belongings. Already Merseyside has had experience of the machinery for billeting, rehousing, etc., and so it may be that the public generally has a fair knowledge of the appropriate action to take.

The fact remains that the enquiries made and the general behavious of enquirers showed loss of sleep to be the important factor. Again and again people in responsible positions in the town asked, “Do you think we shall get a rest tonight?”

There was a general disinclination on the part of enquirers to listen to explanations. People wanted a straightforward statement of what help they could get. Fatigue seemed to affect them in one of two ways. Either they had become apathetic and listened to instructions without really observing the information or their tempers were short and they showed an inclination to argue and grumble about trivialities.

Particularly in Bootle it was noticed that a high percentage of those making enquiries at the vans were of Irish extraction, but there was no evidence of bad morale in the sense that no one was ever heard to suggest that the war should be stopped. In fact many people remarked to the effect that if only the town could have about a fortnight's respite it would be quickly straightened out again, and able to carry on.

Vans become more and more important during the week in the efforts to care for the homeless, and at one time there were nine operating in Liverpool and six in Bootle.

5. REST CENTRES

In Bootle general information among the public about Rest Centres was very small; it was with difficulty learned that as a result of the inability to use nine of the twelve Rest Centres in the town, an emergency centre had been opened for feeding purposes only at the Junior Technical College. Conversations with the staff, who were most helpful showed that the only food available up to May 4 had been soup, bread and tea. This, it was said, was due to the breakdown in supplies. It appeared that the opening of this emergency centre had not been properly publicised, as the number of people using the centre for lunch on that day had been small. On the other hand, many people in and around were complaining of the lack of proper feeding facilities for themselves and those who had suffered in the blitz on the previous night.

Visits to the other Rest Centres on May 4 suggested that the feeding arrangements were equally inadequate. A good deal of time was spent in particular at the St. Matthew's Rest Centre, where in the evening people were being supplied with tea and bread and butter. Enquiry as to whether a proper meal would be served elicited the information that no such meal was available or was likely to be available, but they intended to continue to serve tea and bread and butter at intervals. The Rest Centre was filled, and a fair number of people were also resting in the church. No attempt was being made to interest the people, the only activity being on the part of the billeting officers, who were interviewing in an attempt to find billets for as many people as possible before darkness fell.

The sufferers in the blitz were being left almost entirely to their own devices. It is suggested that an attempt should be made to build up an organisation which can help, advise and encourage the people who use Rest Centres, who are obviously dispirited as a result of their experiences.

6. THE NIGHTLY TREK

On Stanley Road, on May 4, it was apparent that large numbers of people were attempting to evacuate themselves from the city. Beside the Stanley Hospital there were some hundreds of people with children and bundles of clothing, moving about, and in addition there were numbers of people passing out of Liverpool on lorries and other vehicles.

These movements were uncontrolled, and during the whole of the evening there was no obvious person attempting to advise the people concerned or to control their movements in any way. A good number of them had been to Daisy Street School, where they said people were being evacuated to Walton village, but they had been turned back from there because of the congestion of the school and because they had been told that evacuation was impossible. Some, therefore, were making their way to their homes and others were attempting to board outgoing vehicles.

At the Daisy Street School, the playground was filled with people waiting for buses to take them to Walton village. The official in charge said that he was satisfied they would be evacuated before dark.

Later in the evening, on the Huyton Road, there was evidence of the same uncontrolled evacuation. People were passing out both on foot and on any vehicles available. Again there was no evidence of persons to advise or control.

7. RUMOURS

A story, about Bootle which was entirely without foundation, was circulating in some parts of the Region, though not in the town itself. People here were said to be parading through the streets demanding peace.

There were also reports equally without any Truth, that there had been serious riots in Liverpool, as a result of which martial law had been declared.

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REFERENCES .