BENTINCK STREET SHELTER

The people who lived in Bentinck street, Vauxhall and the surrounding areas were using the railway arches at the top of Bentinck street as a shelter from the bombing raids. It was an unofficial shelter that the locals believed would offer them protection as the arches below the railway line were built strong.

On the night of 20th December 1940 the alarms went up and people crowded into the arches. The area was hit hard this night and sadly the shelter took a direct hit resulting in the collapse of the arches. Many people were trapped beneath the rubble and concrete blocks and the rescue workers had a difficult task in helping the survivors. A newspaper report recorded 42 people as losing their lives in the shelter bombing. Two families the Fitzpatrick's and The Kavanagh's were hit hard in the tragedy.

             Bentinck Street Sign And Looking Down The Road Towards The Railway Arches

It is believed that a man survived the Bentinck Sreet bombing when his wife realised she'd forgotten the babies bottle and he went back for it. Another story tells of a young boy who left the shelter to go and make a pot of tea at his house, he survived but most of his family were killed in the blast.

Adam Morris contacted the website to tell his family story, it concerns the young boy mentioned above who was called James Fitzpatrick ( Jimmy ). Adam's Grandmother was Catherine Fitzpatrick, sister of Jimmy, and on the night of the bombing she was working, she was 17 at the time. When the sirens went the family made their way to the shelter, their father Phillip was at work at the nearby docks. 

Young Jimmy left the shelter and returned home to make a pot of tea and fetch a loaf of bread, while he was there the bomb hit the shelter, Jimmy survived. Philip and Catherine returned from their jobs to discover the tragedy, Phillip, his daughter Catherine and son Jimmy were the only members of the family left alive. Phillips wife Ellen had been killed in the blast aged 39, she died alongside her children John 11, Phillip 9, Bernard 7, Edward 5, Ellen 3 and Ann aged 1.

The family grave at Ford Cemetery, photographed by Jenny Quibell, Catherine's Grandaughter. It list all the family members who died in the bombing, and also the 3 who survived. Phillip and Catherine's names can be seen on the headstone, Jimmy is listed on a stone plague at the base ( not seen in photo ) The family are all now together.

Phillip Fitzpatrick passed away in 1967 aged 68, Catherine married and had 4 children of her own, she died in 1981 aged 58, Jimmy lived until 1998, he never had any children of his own.

Ellen Fitzpatrick pictured with a number of her children. The photograph is courtesy of Adam's cousin Rachael Morris.

A firm located within the arches in the 1960s had a worker claiming to hear scratching coming from inside. Rats were ruled out when the room turned out to be empty when they investigated. Also, loud singing, like a party was heard, only for when the room was entered, it was in darkness and empty. A chap in the company  said  "of course, they used to sing in the air raid shelters ".

                  The Warehouses Would Have Been Here At The Time Of The Bombing

Looking along Bentinck Street with the warehouses to the right. The buildings On the left hand side are where the houses stood and of course where many of the victims lived.

From the book " Bombers over Merseyside "

" A series of 5 railway arches in Bentinck street, Liverpool, used as an unofficial shelter and crowded with people, were directly hit. This was one of the most dreadful of the nights incidents. The arches were quite destroyed, collaspsing in huge concret blocks and showers of ballast on to the packed ground beneath. 
 
The work of rescue was exceptionally difficult, since the blocks of concrete could not be moved, and were hard enough to turn the chisels of the compressors brought up to slit them. After many days, when the work was complete, 42 bodies had been extricated. "

A grainy 1965 photo showing the last house on Bentinck Street ( Allegedly ) The Railway arches would be to the right of the picture. Note the Policeman on his bike who is probably coming from the nearby Athol Street Bridewell. The Athol Street Gas Works can be seen in the background and along with the Railway and nearby Docklands it shows just how dangerous an area this was to live in during WW2. Many thanks to John for supplying the photograph.

At the end of the steel fence on the left of this photo is where the house in the above picture stood. You can see the arches behind the yellow fencing. Note the train going across them.

During the war I lived in Bentinck Street, off Great Howard Street in Liverpool. We were not evacuated and we never went to an air raid shelter. My father said that if we were to be killed, it would be better if we were all killed together. Our windows were blown in during the Christmas Blitz (1940) and we covered them with tarpaulin, our landlord said that glass was scarce. We had paraffin oil lamps on the mantelpiece and my mum cooked everything on the fire.

The May Blitz (1941) was a terrible time. Over 40 people died sheltering under the arches (the railway) at the top end of our street. Across the street was the Liverpool Warehousing Co's premises. A bomb clipped a gable end and bounced through the window of the gannet (?) where one of my Aunts slept. She was downstairs at the time and went to investigate the noise. You can imagine the shock when she found a bomb in her bed! Friends and neighbours all came round to have a look, but we were made to leave the street while the Bomb Disposal Squad dealt with it and made it safe.

John Gaul/WW2 People's War

The website can be viewed through this link            http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/

                    The Railway Arches that the local people used for shelter during the raids

                                             Sadly also the scene of the bombing that killed so many

Above and below. The railway archers viewed from Snowdon Lane. Bentinck street is behind the bricked up archers.

42 people were reported as killed in the Bentinck street bombing. I have found 28 of the victims and listed their details below. May they and the unidentified rest in peace.

MARY BURKE
died 20/12/1940, aged 18.
of 11A Bentinck Street. Died at Bentinck Street.

JULIA CHEW
died 20/12/1940, aged 27.
of 270 Great Howard Street. Daughter of John and Magdalen Green, of 25 Orrell Street, Parr, St. Helen's, wife of Joseph William Chew (H.M. Forces). Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MICHAEL CHEW
died 20/12/1940, aged 20 Months.
of 270 Great Howard Street. Son of Joseph William Chew (H.M. Forces), and of Julia Chew. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

ELIZABETH COX
died 20/12/1940, aged 32.
of 13 Bentinck Street. Daughter of Patrick and Annie Hannaway; wife of John Cox. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MARY COX
died 20/12/1940, aged 2 Months.
of 13 Bentinck Street. Daughter of John Cox, and of Elizabeth Cox. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

THOMAS HENRY EAGLES
died 20/12/1940, aged 33.
Son of Amy Eagles, of 26C Myrtle Gardens, and of the late Thomas Henry Eagles. Died at Bentinck Street.

ANN FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 12 Months.
of 12 Idris Street. Daughter of Philip Fitzpatrick, and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

BERNARD FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 7.
of 12 Idris Street. Son of Philip Fitzpatrick, and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

EDWARD FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 5.
of 12 Idris Street. Son of Philip Fitzpatrick and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

ELLEN FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 3.
of 12 Idris Street. Daughter of Philip Fitzpatrick, and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

ELLEN FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 39.
of 12 Idris Street. Wife of Philip Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

JOHN FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 11.
of 12 Idris Street. Son of Philip Fitzpatrick, and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

PHILIP FITZPATRICK
died 20/12/1940, aged 9.
of 12 Idris Street. Son of Philip Fitzpatrick, and of Ellen Fitzpatrick. Died at Bentinck Street.

CHARLES GREEN
died 20/12/1940, aged 29.
of 155 Gloucester Road, Bootle. Son of Charles and J. L. Green, of 25 Litherland Road; husband of Ada Green. Died at Bentinck Street.

ALICE HANNAWAY
died 20/12/1940, aged 63.
of 52 Bentinck Street. Wife of John Hannaway. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

JOHN HANNAWAY
died 20/12/1940, aged 63.
of 52 Bentinck Street. Husband of Alice Hannaway. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

ELLEN KAVANAGH
died 21/12/1940, aged 33.
of 4 Paget Street. Wife of Thomas Kavanagh. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

JAMES KAVANAGH
died 21/12/1940, aged 2.
of 4 Paget Street. Son of Thomas and Ellen Kavanagh. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

THOMAS KAVANAGH
died 20/12/1940, aged 4.
of 4 Paget Street. Son of Thomas and Ellen Kavanagh. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

THOMAS KAVANAGH
died 20/12/1940, aged 42.
of 4 Paget Street. Husband of Ellen Kavanagh. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MARGARET ROSE MADDEN
died 20/12/1940, aged 9.
of 11 Bentinck Street. Daughter of James Joseph Madden. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MARGARET McKEOWN
died 20/12/1940, aged 63.
of 2 Paget Street. Died at Bentinck Street.

KATHLEEN McNALLY
died 20/12/1940, aged 73.
of 39 Bentinck Street. Widow of William McNally. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

ANN MOONEY
died 20/12/1940, aged 5.
of 41 Bentinck Street. Daughter of Margaret Mooney, and of Terence Mooney. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MARY MOONEY
died 20/12/1940, aged 16.
of 41 Bentinck Street. Daughter of Margaret Mooney, and of Terence Mooney. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

TERENCE MOONEY
died 20/12/1940, aged 56.
of 41 Bentinck Street. Husband of Margaret Mooney. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

MARGARET REYNOLDS
died 20/12/1940, aged 63.
of 11 Bentinck Street. Wife of Arnold Edward Reynolds. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

RICHARD THOMAS
died 20/12/1940, aged 50.
Husband of Margaret Thomas, of 4 Whitcroft Road, Fairfield. Died at Bentinck Street.

JOHN JOSEPH WHITELAW
died 20/12/1940, aged 18.
of 8 Cemeas Street. Son of Martin and Margaret Whitelaw. Died at Bentinck Street Shelter.

                                         ALSO FOR THE UNKNOWN, MAY THEY REST IN PEACE