Liverpool at War
The most bombed city outside London. Home to Britain's lifeline in the Battle of the Atlantic and the world's only double Victoria Cross recipient.
The Liverpool Blitz
August 1940 to January 1942
Liverpool and the surrounding Merseyside area suffered the most sustained bombing of any area outside London during World War II. The city's vital port made it a prime target for the Luftwaffe.
The 'May Blitz' of 1941 saw eight consecutive nights of intensive bombing from 1st to 7th May, leaving much of the city centre in ruins. Over 1,700 people were killed in this single week.
Britain's Lifeline
As the western terminus of the Atlantic convoys and headquarters of Western Approaches Command, Liverpool was Britain's lifeline. Churchill called the Battle of the Atlantic the 'dominating factor' of the war.
Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC and Bar MC
The World's Only Double Victoria Cross Recipient (WWI)
1884-1917
Education: Liverpool College, then Trinity College Oxford
Regiment: Royal Army Medical Corps, attached to the Liverpool Scottish
First Victoria Cross
9 August 1916, Guillemont, France
During the Battle of the Somme, he rescued wounded men from no-man's land under heavy fire for two days, saving at least 20 lives.
Bar to Victoria Cross
31 July - 2 August 1917, Wieltje, Belgium
Despite being severely wounded, he continued rescuing casualties for two days during the Battle of Passchendaele. He died of his wounds on 4 August 1917.
Only three people have ever received a Bar to the Victoria Cross; Noel Chavasse is the only one from World War I and the only one to receive both for saving lives rather than taking them.
The Great War: 1914-1918
Liverpool sent more volunteer battalions to the war than any other city
The 'Liverpool Pals' battalions suffered devastating losses
Birkenhead's Cammell Laird built warships including HMS Ark Royal
The shipyards worked around the clock
The city's port handled troops, supplies, and wounded
Over 1.2 million troops passed through Liverpool
Liverpool College lost 338 former pupils in WWI
Including Noel Chavasse VC and Bar
World War II: Liverpool's Crucial Role
Western Approaches Command
The nerve centre of the Battle of the Atlantic was based in a secret bunker beneath Derby House, Liverpool. From here, the war against German U-boats was coordinated.
Port of Liverpool
Handled 90% of all war materials shipped from North America. Without Liverpool, Britain could not have survived.
Convoy System
Liverpool was the eastern terminus for Atlantic convoys. Over 1,000 convoys departed from or arrived at Liverpool during the war.
Munitions and Shipbuilding
Merseyside factories and shipyards produced aircraft, ships, vehicles, and ammunition continuously throughout the war.
We Remember
Liverpool Cenotaph
St George's Hall Plateau
All who served and died
Western Approaches HQ
Rumford Street
Battle of the Atlantic, now a museum
Liverpool Parish Church Memorial
Our Lady and St Nicholas
Maritime casualties
Chavasse Park
Liverpool ONE
Captain Noel Chavasse VC and Bar
Honour the Legacy
Liverpool's wartime sacrifice shaped the world we live in today.
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