I was There Part Three...

As I see it the problem with writing this short account of the first years of my life in the town I was born in is what to include and what to leave out.  Part three has to be it so I will press on.  The early years of my life were not easy ones for any one I suppose.  England was recovering from the Second World War.  Poverty and the struggle for the working class was all around. I remember "Ration Books".. and the sound of Air Raid Sirens being tested and Black Out Curtains being hung in the Windows

My mother would trade coupons of food items she did not use with others for items she wanted more of.

 Orange Juice and Cod Liver Oil for children to keep them healthy. A taste I dreaded!

The Blackout

When did The Blackout begin? Britain was blacked out on 1st September 1939, two days before the outbreak of war. What was The Blackout? During the war, everyone had to cover their windows and doors at night (before sunset) with heavy blackout curtains, cardboard or paint. Why did people have to cover their windows and doors? They needed to prevent any glimmer of light from escaping and aiding enemy aircraft during their bombing raids. What about other sources of light during the blackout. Were they covered too? Street lights were switched off or dimmed and shielded to deflect their light downward. Traffic lights and vehicle headlights were fitted with slotted covers to deflect their beam down to the floor. What effect did the Blackout have on people's lives ? Thousands of people died in road accidents. The number of road accidents increased because of the lack of street lighting and the dimmed traffic lights. To help prevent accidents white stripes were painted on the roads and on lamp-posts. People were encouraged to walk facing the traffic and men were advised to leave their shirt-tails hanging out so that they could be seen by cars with dimmed headlights. Other people were injured during the Blackout because they could not see in the darkness. Many people were injured tripping up, falling down steps, or bumping into things.

Miller Arcade

A good place to meet your friends out of the rain. A beautiful old building still stands today.

Main shopping center as it looked in the early days.

Meadow Street

This is a couple of streets away from where my house was and the closest place to shop for basic daily food items like bread and the butcher and the green grocer and fishmonger.

The Railway Station

Avenham Park

Avenham Park

Preston in color looks so much better, I walked this path by the River Ribble many times.

Harris Library
I loved this place where I borrowed my first books and browsed the Art Gallery and the Museum.

Harris Library
Looking down from the second floor.

Harris Art Gallery
I spent many hours looking at the Art in the Gallery

Pedder Doll house

Another favorite was this doll House now 180 years old.

Preston Docks
 I never saw the docks as a child only when I visited a few years ago. A very nice improved area now.

Sometime in a future post I will detail my reasons for moving away from Preston.