GORTON STREET GAZETTE ‘CHRISTMAS BLITZ’ Part 4 of the Eccles RFC WW2 story, told in instalments by Sheila Thomas and Chris Gaffey. In September 1939, the officers and members of Eccles RFC were determined to maintain morale with some ‘friendly’ action, but with the progression of war and the club’s facilities occupied by the army it became clear that rugby would have to cease. On Monday 22nd April 1940, at the Eccles RFC AGM held in the Rock House Hotel, Barton, a Lancashire Rugby Union Circular stated the county’s decision to abandon all activities until the conclusion of hostilities. Following discussion it was agreed that a War Emergency committee would run the club for the duration and messers Rider and Shaw would act as trustees of the funds held at the District Bank, Patricroft. On 17th August 1940, as the RAF and Luftwaffe battled above southern England, the rugby posts at Redclyffe Road were taken down. It would be 6 years before rugby was played there again. Eccles however would soon see plenty of activity of a different kind. Adjacent to the Eccles pitch stood Barton Power Station, essential to Trafford Park, a world famous concentrated industrial city with vast Metropolitan Vickers engineering facilities, AV Roe aircraft manufacturing, chemical production and food processing making it an important target for heavy enemy bombers who used the Ship Canal as a navigational aid. The Christmas Blitz of Manchester 1940 killed an estimated 770 people and injured more than 2,000 when 467 tons of high explosive were dropped on the city over two consecutive nights, inflicting wide spread disruption and destruction. Salford alone suffered over 200 fatalities and 8,000 destroyed homes. At 6.35pm on Sunday 22nd December air raid sirens sounded as the bombers approached from the south east. Families ran to shelters as the first wave of the attack rained over 1,000 incendiary bombs down on Salford, Hulme, Stretford and the city centre. Albert Square was the first place to be hit. The Royal Exchange, the Free Trade Hall and Piccadilly were soon ablaze.
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