I often wonder about that single shoe

The Brickmaker’s Arms stands on the corner of what was School Brow on Hopwood Street. I was brought up on this street, next door but one to the pub.

The event that stands out in my mind happened one evening during the 1939-1945 war.

The Blitz was at its worst. One night high explosive bombs fell on either side of Rylands Wire Works, as it was a target for bombing.

One bomb demolished a house on the corner of Church Street and Howley Lane.

The other bomb fell on the roadway, only a few yards from the Brickmaker Arms.

In spite of the nearness to the explosion the only damage to the pub was one broken window.

Like most boys at the time I collected shrapnel, so I hurried to the crater in the hope of finding some.

However, I was quickly moved on by an air raid warden who insisted that I go to a shelter at once.

I didn’t get any shrapnel but I did see a man’s shoe by the edge of the crater.

During the next few days I heard that a man and a woman had been killed at the scene.

This could have been a rumour or it could have been true. During the war there were events that were not allowed to be published or reported over the radio.

I often wonder about that single shoe I saw that night, many years ago.

GEORGE WARBURTON

Penketh