Category: 1941

ICI Hillhouse Starts Manufacturing Chemicals in Thornton Cleveleys

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ICI Hillhouse was a chlorine-production facility in Lancashire, England. A division of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it was active between 1941 and 1992. Its triangular footprint spread from the banks of the River Wyre at Stanah in the east, to Hillylaid Road in the southwest, to the southern edge of Fleetwood in the north. Its entrances were on Hillylaid Road (via the extant gate at the end of today’s The Hawthorns) and on Butts Road in Burn Naze. Burn Naze Halt railway station served those arriving by train. ICI Hillhouse expanded on a United Alkali Company venture begun in 1890….

Amy Johnson’s Final Flight From Blackpool Airport

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On the evening of 4 January 1941, Amy Johnson CBE, one of Britain’s most celebrated aviators, spends time in Blackpool. She visits her sister Mollie, who lives on Newton Drive, a residential street not far from the town centre. Johnson has stayed with her sister before, and Blackpool serves as a familiar waypoint during her service with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Click here to see more information on her previous visits. The following day she departs from RAF Squires Gate, now Blackpool Airport, piloting an Airspeed Oxford on a ferry flight from Prestwick to RAF Kidlington near Oxford. Weather…

Blackpool WWII Air Raid Shelters

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During World War II, Blackpool had various air raid shelters, including public shelters and domestic shelters. Anderson Shelters were simple, underground shelters built from corrugated steel, designed for individual families. Morrison Shelters were indoor shelters, usually placed in the living room, made of steel and designed to provide protection from shrapnel and falling debris. Some examples are listed below: Winter Gardens had a large shelter where the public could seek refuge. Public shelters were built in various locations to provide protection for larger groups of people. Pillboxes were concrete structures used for defence, found at Blackpool Airport, possibly for defense of… Read more »

Stanley Mortensen Signs with Blackpool Football Club

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Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was a distinguished English professional footballer, best remembered for his remarkable performance in the 1953 FA Cup final, commonly referred to as the “Matthews Final.” During this match, he made history by becoming the only player to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup final. Mortensen was also the first player to score for England in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match and later became the first England player to find the net in the World Cup itself. Wartime career Born in South Shields, Mortensen enlisted in the armed… Read more »