Widnes Memories: Up, up and away in wartime town

By Runcorn And Widnes Weekly News on Dec 1, 09 09:34 AM in 1900-1945

ONCE of Widnes and now living in Hawthorn Drive, Eccleston, St Helens, a certain M J O'Connor kindly took the trouble to send me an amusing wartime story which I'm sure you'll enjoy reading.

It was back in 1941 when the writer was living in Rose Street, Widnes.

He recalls: "An anti-aircraft balloon had broken loose from its moorings in Lowerhouse Lane.

"As it drifted, it lost some of its buoyancy and dropped low over Rose Street.

"The first we knew about it was when we heard screaming and shouting coming from our next door neighbour's garden.

"My father and I went out to investigate and the sight that met our eyes was really comical. "The neighbour's wife was screaming and pointing to her husband who was hanging on to the cables trailing from the balloon.

"The balloon wanted to go up but he wanted to bring it down - and the balloon was winning!

"We managed to grab his legs as he was about to go up again and we hauled him to the ground.

He added: "He was still clinging to the cables and shouting to us to help him secure the balloon.

"He thought there might be a reward for capturing it and we could share the proceeds!
"As it turned out we found it impossible to keep the neighbour safe and secure the balloon at the same time.

"Of course it got away from us.

"We never did find out what happened to it!"

Lovely stuff!

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