I was 13 at the time and we lived at 23 King Street: Wilkinson's was just over the road. We used the shelter often but very luckily not that night.
My father was in an exempt occupation - he worked for the gas company. I remember he told my mother that if there was a raid that night she was to take us into Wilkinson's for safety. When the sirens went my mother decided to stay in the house. She didn't want to go to the shelter because with it being a saturday night she knew there would be music on. She didn't like the accordion music. It kept her awake.
"We used the shelter often but very luckily not that night..."
Instead we hid under a table in one of the bedrooms. Right after the bomb hit we ran over to the shelter but the doors wouldn't open. We knew straight away that it was a disaster.
I remember Mrs Lee the ARP woman. She was a big, nice lady. We called her Tessie O'Shea. I think she got a medal. The soldiers at Kettlewell School came to help. Our friend, Anne Lloyd lived right next door to Wilkinson's, she was fine. My uncle still lives in one of the council houses they built on the site of Wilkinsons.