Lancashire At War.co.uk
Exploring the hidden history of War sites in Lancashire
Liverpool's Blitz rubble on the Crosby coastline
During the early years of World War Two, Liverpool was heavily bombed (the second most bombed city after London) due to its docks, they were the main recipient of foodstuffs and materials from the North Atlantic (in paricular The United States). It is estimated that the Docks handled around 90% of all imported goods for the war effort. Hitler knew that it was an important non military target as Germany tried to starve the nation into submission.
In the near future we will dedicate a page to the liverpool Blitz but our focus here is something tangible that can still be visited today. Much of the rubble cleared from Liverpool's city streets were dumpled on the Crosby shoreline at Hightown beach as a barrier to prevent coastal erosion. Walking along its coast today it is still possible to pick out beautifully carved stones that would have once decorated some of Liverpool's marvellous buildings (the city's skyline can be seen to the South).
As well as rubble from the city centre there is also rubble from Bootle, which was haevily bombed at the start of the war. Most of the rubble comes from the attacks that took place in May 1941 which saw 20,000 people homeless, 12,000 homes demolished after almost 200 raids in one week.
What can be seen today is what has been exposed recently by the sea. The area of material dumped here stretches inland right under the golf course and up the coast for almost two miles
By chance, when we visited the site the tide was coming in and much of the rubble was already covered. Therefore check the times for low tide and arrange your visit accordingly.
Please be careful on this site as it is very uneven and you could easily injure yourself. The signs say to stick to the path due to the dangerous coastline - some of the rubble filled dunes on the edge have been undercut dy the sea so please take care.
Parking (not free) can be found at the Coastguard station at Crosby - use L23 8SY as your Sat Nav postcode. Walk North up the coast from there.
References: 'Port in a Storm' by John Hughes
'Forgotten Fort Crosby' by Alison Burns
ABOVE:
An example of some of the WW2 blitz rubble visible today. Not all the rubble on the beach dates back to the War, some is more recent.
LEFT: Courtesy of IWM a view across Liverpool in WW2.
To view a larger image - click on any of the photos below.
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