A Story of War

Follow one man's war day by day, 70 years on, from Waziristan and the North West Frontier, Habbaniya, the Burma campaign, India & the Rhine.

April 26th 1944 – Liverpool


We dock on the 24th and are met by a band. Off on the 25th at 5.15am on a train to London, Naafi giving us tea, buns and chocolates on Lime Street Station. Arrive at Addison Square, we are met and taken to the Air Ministry after some lunch and beer at Ensleigh Hotel, RAF P.D.C. A/M gives me a ration card, one month’s leave, and “P” staff say I shall be a Flight Lieutenant again and go to an O.T.U. and some more Ops, but can stay in the Army Co-operation trade!!

I then get a bed in the Nuffield Club in Halkin Street. A drink in the evening and a cinema and I meet Humphries, that Australian photo type, in a pub for one drink. His companion borrows two cigarettes off me to “see him home”. Today I collect clothing coupons and do some shopping, and tomorrow hope to catch the Cornish Riviera to St Ives and see Ma. As it’s a restricted area and I have no identity card, this may be a little difficult.

 

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CDC Dunford Wood

4 responses to “April 26th 1944 – Liverpool”

  1. a gray Avatar
    a gray

    “…hope to catch the Cornish Riviera to St Ives and see Ma. As it’s a restricted area and I have no identity card, this may be a little difficult.” Can you expand on a couple of items, please. First, what is the “Cornish Riviera”? Second, I don’t understand “restricted area”. Were there areas in Great Britain during WW II in which travel was limited or not permitted?

    Reply
    1. James Dunford Wood Avatar
      James Dunford Wood

      Thanks for your comment. The ‘Cornish Riviera’ refers to the ‘Cornish Riviera Express’ which was the London-Penzance steam train – so called because it ran along beside the sea in Cornwall. And yes, much of the south coast, including parts of Cornwall, were ‘restricted areas’ – so only residents were allowed in and out. In 1940 this was because of the fear of German invasion, and much of the coastline had been taken over for defence. But in 1944 it was because these coastal areas were where the D-Day troops were being marshalled.

      Reply
      1. a gray Avatar
        a gray

        That’s very interesting to me. My father was stationed with the 8th Air Force, 390th Bomb Group at Parham near Framlingham in 1944/45. Would that area also have been a restricted area?

      2. James Dunford Wood Avatar
        James Dunford Wood

        I can’t be sure – but looking at the map it’s unlikely that would have been restricted, as it’s not on the coast nor part of the country where the build up for D-Day was going on. Though I could be wrong!

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