Although most of share a love of Liverpool, and its rich history, because we were born here, or have connections to the city… However, many of us from another generation, can say we were really born in Mill Road Hospital, which of course housed the City’s Maternity wards, where thousands of us started life, with a helping hand from the dedicated staff of the hospital.

For this Everton Cemetery Grave Story… we once again, step past the ‘dropped’ memorial stone of Captain Noel J Allan, and make our way into Long Lane Jewish Cemetery, to search out, in Section ‘A’, a large 3 panelled memorial. The Centre grave, holds the young body of: Morris Louis Peace Lyons, aged 22 at the time of his early and tragic death…

It was Saturday, 3rd May 1941… The German Luftwaffe, had begun the third night of its infamous May Blitz (although the Liverpool Blitz was from August-May) on Liverpool & Birkenhead. The May Blitz had begun on Thursday, the 1st May, and as such, Mill Road Hospital (along with other hospitals in the area), was filling up with the casualties of the two previous nights of heavy, sustained bombing raids, plus of course Liverpool’s steady influx of prospective mothers and their subsequent babies who were constantly in and out of this large city hospital in Mill Road… as it was, of course, Liverpool’s MAIN Maternity Hospital.

Liverpool & Birkenhead sustained the most bombing of any part of the Country, other than London, with an estimated 4000 deaths in the Liverpool Blitz… this was because of its importance as the second Port of the Empire, and the gateway to America & Canada…from which the Country as a whole obtained its food supplies for the entirety of WW2. So it was imperative that the port remain open… The Luftwaffe, struck Liverpool, by flying over the South-west & Wales, which gave us warning… for the barrage balloons to be lifted along the docks, so keeping the bombers to a minimum 5,000 feet… on top of this, Liverpool had its own fighter squadron stationed in Speke, on the River Mersey, to meet and combat the approaching German bombers and their fighter escorts, heading to Liverpool & Birkenhead’s docks and the city’s gun emplacements. Most of the City’s children had already been evacuated to North Wales or Cheshire, but of course new and ‘expectant’ mothers, were still in the city… receiving pre and post natal attention, along with ‘younger’ children at home…

Morris Lyons, was a young medical student of 22 years of age, training in Mill Road Hospital, to become a qualified doctor, and on duty that ill fated night, when a German bomb struck a courtyard in the hospital, where the ambulances parked up after dropping off, and whilst they waited for their next emergency call destination. The bomb instantly wiped out 3 of the hospital buildings, including one of the maternity wards… causing total chaos and loss of life, in the hospital and operating theatres…

Morris was one of the 79 recorded deaths at the hospital that night, but records of the day, imply that this is a low estimate of how many deaths actually occurred that night, in Mill Road Hospital.

Morris’s Grave Memorial reads:

In Unfading Memory of
Morris Louis Peace Lyons
Whilst in Performance
of his Noble Duties at a Liverpool Hospital
He fell a Victim to the Fury of the Enemy
in an air-raid
on the night of May 3-4 1941
Aged 22 years

Ever in thoughts of his loved ones
May his sweet soul
Rest in everlasting peace

An excellent, and fuller account of this fateful night can be found at the link below… Including a full list of casualty names…

http://liverpoolremembrance.weebly.com/mill-road-hospital.h…