Was talking to my brother today Retlaw, and he reminded me that the popular theory for the trenches being dug on the Coppice was to stop enemy aircraft landing. Now that piece of land is bumpy anyway, so can't see that really. Why were they actually dug, for the Homeguard, troops practising digging trenches or what ?
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A lot of strange activity took place at the outbreak of WW2, especially with the issue of identity cards, I still have mine somewhere) issue of gasmasks, formation of the C.D., & L.D.V., later renamed as Home Guard, one company was stationed in Hargreaves St School, next door to where I lived, several men from WW1 joined the unit. They used to practice manouvers all over the Coppice area. Then we have all the concrete pill boxes being built, the concrete blocks to stop tanks etc.
Barrage Balloon unit on Broadway, Police Station and Fire Station fronts were covered in sandbags, you can still see the marks on the walls, where they caused water to attack the stone work. Best of all school shut for a week.
Then as the war progressed you could hear the Heinkels & Dorniers droning overhead, on the way to Manchester. I could see the search lights from my bedroom window, and see the flashes of the ack ack shells as the exploded, I was always getting pasted for hanging out the bedroom window to watch.
Retlaw.