Blog No. 298 – A WW2 Story: Cliff’s 1940 Christmas Leave – 7 July 2025

My purpose is to give hope to those who have lost hope. Without hope, we remain lost in the Shadow Lands.

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Open source map of the Liverpool suburb of Seaforth.  This map shows the route Cliff took during his few days of leave at Christmas in 1940, shortly after he joined the RAF.

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Just before Christmas 1940, Cliff was granted leave so he could spend Christmas with his family. He was given a ride in an RAF plane to Liverpool’s Speke Airport from his base at 8, RAF School of Technical Training at Weeton.  When he arrived at Speke Airport, Cliff got a train into the Liverpool city centre.  

Once in Liverpool city centre, Cliff got another train.  The local nickname of the Liverpool Overhead Railway was “the Dockers’ Umbrella”.  Cliff got the Dockers’ Umbrella to Seaforth and Litherland Railway Station.  Neither the Dockers’ Umbrella nor the Dockers’ Umbrella Seaforth and Litherland Railway Station exist any longer.  The Dockers’ Umbrella used to run parallel to the extensive Liverpool Docks.  The heavy pink area on the map is Crosby Road South.  The smaller pink road running to the right from Crosby Road south is Knowsley Road.  The very next street on the map that runs off Crosby Road south is Seaforth Road.  The Seaforth and Litherland Station was located approximately where Seaforth Road leaves Crosby Road South.

Once Cliff got off the train at Seaforth and Litherland Station, he started walking up Seaforth Road, away from the station.

Liverpool was subjected to very heavy bombing by the Nazis in December 10940.  This information is from the Imperial War Museum

From 20-23 December, Merseyside was attacked on three consecutive nights. On the first night of raids the docks were hit and timber valued at approximately £4 million was destroyed in the resulting fires. The headquarters of the Cunard shipping line and the iconic Adelphi hotel were also damaged. On 21-22 December the docks were targeted again and the neighbouring residential areas in Bootle were badly affected too. The historic St George's Hall was hit by incendiary bombs but Civil Defence workers and firefighters saved the building from any serious damage. The following night the bombers returned. While the city's docks were the main target, the surrounding streets of terraced houses, which housed the dock workers and their families, were also devastated.

The first night of the Liverpool Christmas Blitz was Friday the 20th of December.  The second night was Saturday the 21st of December and the third night was Sunday 22nd of December.  Cliff’s Christmas leave started after he had finished his normal work duties on Saturday 21st of December 1940.  

While he was walking up Seaforth Road towards his home in Date Street, the Nazis began bombing Liverpool yet again.  If you look closely at the map above, you will see that Muspratt Road meets Seaforth Road in two separate places.  On that evening on 21st of December 1940, Cliff was near the first of the two places where Muspratt Road meets Seaforth Road.  There was an air raid shelter near the junction of Muspratt road and Seaforth Road and Cliff took shelter in the air raid shelter.

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Muspratt Road and Seaforth Road looking towards Crosby Road South.

John Hankin photo taken Tuesday 20th of August 2019

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Muspratt Road and Seaforth Road looking away from Crosby Road South.

John Hankin photo taken Tuesday 20th of August 2019

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Cliff left the first Muspratt Road air raid shelter and resumed walking up Seaforth Road when the “All Clear” signal was given.

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Cliff had not walked very far when another air raid warning sounded.  This time he was further away from the Seaforth and Litherland Station; his nearest air raid shelter was at the second junction between Muspratt Road and Seaforth Road.  Cliff took shelter again in the air raid shelter and finished walking home when the All Clear signal finally sounded.

This is the approximate location of the second air raid shelter used by cliff on the night of Saturday 21st of December 1940.  It was close to Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church Seaforth.

John Hankin photo taken Tuesday 20th of August 2019.

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Other Nazi bombing raids took place that night after Cliff had safely arrived home.

Cliff’s home was not damaged by the German air raids, but he found out to his horror that BOTH of the shelters where he had taken refuge on his way home, had taken direct hits and all of them had been killed.  If Cliff had not left the shelters, he would have become yet another statistic, one more among the far too many killed by German bombing.

I looked in vain at both locations for even a small plaque to remember the many who had been killed by the Nazis that night.  I found nothing.  The two boys on the bicycles in the photo above, had no idea that yet another tragedy had happened very close to where they were cycling.

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By helping others to heal We help ourselves heal Remember those who preceded us. Give abundant Love Always

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Find the courage that Cliff found that Christmas 1940.  His courage helped defeat monstrous evil.  We have the power to make this Earth into a much better place.

Banish the hatred from your heart. 

Bravery multiplies with use.  

No matter how poor we are, we can always find courage.  Courage is free but its value can never be calculated.