I have talked to many people who experienced the Manchester blitz over the years and one story sticks in my mind:

A young lad known to one witness wanted to do his bit and volunteered as a fire-watcher. His post was on top of one of the big mills and unfortunately it was hit and no trace of him could be found at first. The next day they found him two streets away, dead and completely naked, but without a mark on his body – I think he was sixteen and unfortunately the witness could not recall his name.

My wife’s grandfather volunteered as a fireman during the war as his religious beliefs meant he was a non-combatant. He was posted to Manchester right at the start of the blitz and I know he saw many terrible scenes and they affected him badly and he could never bring himself to talk about them – I still have his uniform buttons that he gave me – a sadly mute testament to the blitz, as he died several years ago.