BackStory Episode 13

Martyr’s Memorial, Oxford, England

I am excited to relate that before I wrote the script for Episode 13, I discovered amongst papers of my Dad’s a manuscript of an autobiography that he wrote of his time during the war years.  Needless to say, I was thrilled and amazed to see the realities of what he experienced that I had only been able to guess at and describe through the character of Maude.  And so in the final episodes of this podcast, beginning with this one, the words of  Will Hall are his own!

This episode beings in the Spring of 1941.  The German Luftwaffe blitzed the Port of Liverpool for seven straight nights in May 1941.  Liverpool was the UK’s main link to North America, from where convoys of ships, including Jackie’s the Empire Impala, brought in supplies for Britain, including raw materials for munitions.  Liverpool was a key part of Britain’s participation in the Battle of the Atlantic.  (A reminder here that Jackie was the brother of Eileen, my Dad’s future sister-in-law). 

Many people had Anderson shelters in their back gardens.  Many others went to public shelters.  Some took their chances with staying at home, taking cover under sturdy Morrison table shelters.  Eileen later related that her own mother told her this and that is why they took refuge under their table rather then go to a public shelter.  And I learned from my Dad’s story that his father made a shelter of sorts in their kitchen.

Germany abandoned its air attacks on Britain in mid-May (although the people lived in great tension not knowing when or if it might start again) and focused on Russia in ‘Operation Barbarossa’, beginning June 22, 1941.  Even though Germany and Russia had signed a non-aggression treaty in 1939 (to other nations’ surprise as they had always been natural enemies), Hitler traitorously launched Germany’s attack on Russia. What ensued was a 3-year-long battle considered by some to be the world’s largest with horrific atrocities and highest casualties, for both Soviet and Axis forces, and Soviet civilians. 

Maude describes the Halls’ dog Blitzie, found and adopted after a night of bombing.  He lived a long life with the Halls.  During the war, he was fed mostly potatoes, as most pets were. 

From my Dad’s writing, he was on ‘bomb watch duty’, as you will hear.  He did not have to deal with any of the incendiary bombs that would have rained down on Liverpool, in addition to heftier-sized and more deadly ones.  See an educational poster on how to deal with incendiary bombs in the Instagram pictures for Episode 13.  Search in Instagram for:  Fondlyyoursmarguerite 

I imagined Maude and Will talking about their plans for education and enlistment when they’d be old enough.  I do know that my dad, William F Hall, was the first in his family to go to University.  Although I never learned from him how the family managed that, I was able to find out about it in his manuscript, and have included the details in this episode. 

Will stayed at his school, St. Francis Xavier’s until age 17, but many teens left school at age 14 or 15.  His future sister-in-law, Eileen, left at 15 to become a trainee typist rather than work at the local factory (her mother saved up for her to go to a secretarial college).  Will’s brother Ron left school to apprentice as an electrical engineer like his father before joining the Merchant Navy.