Special Constable Matthew Layzell
Aged 88 years old when interviewed in 2001, Mr Layzell's memory of that evening at Wilkinson's remained crystal clear. It is an evening he naturally cannot forget. He was first at the scene with Inspector Joseph Stuart.
Based at the Police Box on Washington Terrace (about 500 yards from Wilkinson's), Mr Layzell and Inspector Joseph Stuart had set out on patrol. Walking up Tynemouth Road, Mr Layzell heard the plane and moments later the bomb hit.
Reaching the scene, he remembers:
"It was completely still, silent. There was a mist. We were first at the scene and I knew immediately that many people had been killed in the Shelter. The ARP people came very quickly. I was detailed to check on the surrounding houses. The ARP worked through the night trying to rescue survivors. Many of the men were traumatised by what they saw and were off work for weeks."
Mr Layzell knew Robert Westall's father who was an ARP warden at the time.
