For this Everton Grave Story, we cross to the back of the cemetery and once again visit the Necropolis stones, in Section GEN06. Although the grave we will look at, was an ‘active’ family plot from Everton Valley’s defunct Necropolis Cemetery, this internment is a much more modern story (in relationship to the other Necropolis stones, in the section).

In the 1911 Census, William Guy, listed as a ‘waiter’ ( aged 39) and his wife Dorothy (35) were living in 128 Cardwell St. / Wavertree, with their 2 children, Charles (14) and William (12). On the night of the census, there is also another family member living at the house, 20 year old Emily Bryan… listed as a niece. I’m sure many of us remember the TV series, ‘Lilies’ when Iris was employed as an ‘out-worker’ for Dobsons… making bespoke chocolates for the luxury market in her own kitchen… Well Emily is listed, as being a wooden box maker, for a sweet manufacturer… chocolates in these boxes, would have been shipped to all corners of the Empire, as well as gracing, first and second class cabins, aboard the the passenger liners, embarking and sailing from, the port of Liverpool.

The next time we look at William and Dorothy’s life is when they are now living at 30 Winifred Street / Wavertree. William is now 68 and Dorothy is 64… It is the 29th November 1940, a cold evening. The air-raid sirens have been droning for some time, as they made their way from their home, to the Durning Road Air-Raid Shelter. This shelter was a really secure shelter, located in the basement of a large Junior Instruction Centre situated on the corner of Durning Road and Clint Road.

Click to enlarge

Many people were making their way to the shelter that night, and over 300 men, women and children would wait out the German Bombers overhead. In the early hours of the morning… The ill-fated bomb struck, with a direct hit on the Centre. With this hit… the lights instantly went out in the basement, as the ceiling caved in. As it was a cold night, the Centre boilers had remained lit. The boilers were directly above the basement, and in the panic of total darkness, the boilers burst… cascading boiling water on those below, it must have been truly terrifying… As if this wasn’t bad enough, the incoming town-gas main to the boilers, ruptured and ignited and many people were either scalded and/or burned to death…

Over 300 entered the shelter that night but sadly less than half survived.

William and Dorothy, were amongst the dead that night (as per casualty lists) The Everton Burial Registers of the day, record William being buried in Section GEN 6, however and sadly, Dorothy is not recorded in the same Register… Many of the dead that night were unrecognisable, and had no I.D. and as such were buried in a mass grave in Anfield Cemetery. Searchers at the time, looked for 2 days, to recover more bodies under the rubble, but after this time, the search was called off… the rubble was ‘limed’ to reduce the odour, and the basement was filled in… Dorothy, it is presumed, falls into one of the last 2 categories. As far as my research can tell, the bodies left in the basement are still in situ. a ‘true’ war grave.

Churchill, later remarked that the Durning Road Shelter bombing, was the worst civillian disaster of the war… However the reporting of the Disaster by the Country’s Press Agencies (even the Liverpool Echo) was very low key, by an edict from central government… but there lies, another disturbing story….