The Liverpool-Merseyside blitz is the forgotten blitz of World War II, or in my case, unknown. I hadn't realized that areas outside of London were systematically bombed by the Germans. I do remember Mary Grace saying that during World War II some of the Walker relatives might send their children to Kansas. I thought that meant they lived in London. But they did not, they lived inn Birkenhead now called Merseyside. This is a link to the Merseyside area
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| Russia Hall - Edward's home for about 10 years, but it remained the Walker family home for more than a century. |
Edward Walker, Edna's father, was the second son and fifth child of Thomas and Mary Walker. As the second son, Edward believed his prospects were better in America. Edna remembered her father saying he was the black sheep of the family - probably because he was the only one of his eight siblings to leave the British Isles.
Edward's family may have been thousands of miles away, but he kept in touch. Edna thought he'd made at least three return trips to visit Russia Hall including one in 1898 when he took Betsy with him. A letter written in 1961 from Ada Walker Smith to Laura Leib mentions that Betsy enjoyed the Walker family when she visited them. She especially enjoyed Ann, Edward's younger sister by three years, and her daughters. Ann had five daughters and one son. The one letter from Ann that survives, written in 1917, mentions the possibility of one of the daughters coming to Kansas to attend Washburn.
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| Ann Walker, dark dress, front row at her daughter Etta's marriage to John Richard Leach in 1909. |
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| From left: Bill Smith, Delphia Burkhardt, EA, Edna, Ada, Grace, Eula and Fred. Back row: Henry Thayer, Jenny Thayer Walker, Bud, Betsy, Frank Faust, George Bale Front row: Dorothy Leib & ? |
Laura, I am sending this letter that tells about the school in Chester which Dorothy wanted to read. The lady who wrote of it is my first cousin her mother was father’s sister. This girl is the one who painted the picture of our fathers’ home which you saw in our dining room. Her husband is dead but she lives near another cousin of mine named Mary and her husband is living. The Joyce who she speaks of is the only child of their sister who was killed in a raid during the war. She and her husband were both killed. There were three girls in this Croston family and mother liked them so well when she met them while in Europe. Return this letter when you have perused same.
The Germans began the bombing of Liverpool in August 1940. During the first week of May 1941 nearly 700 planes dropped 870 tons of high explosives and 112,000 firebombs were dropped on Liverpool and the surrounding area docks. More than 1500 people died. The last blitz was on January 10, 1942. The Liverpool area had the highest death toll of any area outside of London.
As mentioned earlier, Ann Walker had five daughters: Sarah, Mary, Henrietta - Etta, Isabella and Lalla. According to records I've found Isabella Munro Hodgson died September 27, 1943 and her husband Edwin died in 1945. Those years are outside the dates of the bombings, but I assume they could have died from injuries suffered during the blitz.
The area around Lord Street and Castle Street was severely damaged. 3/4 May 1941
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| Ann Walker's children from left: Charles Younger, Isabella Croston, ? Etta Croston, John Leach and Lalla Croston pictured at Etta's wedding to John Leach in 1909. |
