Wartime evacuee unveils plaque A plaque commemorating the evacuation of Salford children on the outbreak of war in 1939 will be unveiled at a local supermarket on Tuesday 1 September.
The 70th anniversary ceremony will be performed jointly by the Mayor, Councillor Roger Lightup, and one of the evacuees, Eric Youd, who suggested the brass plaque be erected.
Eric, just four years-old when he was sent to the relative safety of Morecambe Bay, now lives in Royton, Oldham, but will never forget the traumatic experience.
"To avoid Nazi bombing, nearly 20,000 children went by steam train from six Salford stations, mainly to parts of rural Lancashire," he recalled.
"I went with my sister, Anice, aged 9, from Ordsall Lane station, which was close to what is now Sainsbury's supermarket, so that is the appropriate place for the plaque."
They returned home to Brassington Street, Ordsall, in 1944 and Eric eventually moved to Oldham, where he became a youth and community worker.
Said the Mayor: "Salford was one of the best prepared cities and began evacuation on 1 September, two days before war was declared.
"More than 75 per cent of the school population travelled to safety and it is an honour and a pleasure to join with Mr Youd in recognising this significant occasion."
Evocative black and white photographs of youngsters wearing identity labels, carrying bags and saying goodbye to their anxious parents are stored in the Salford Local History Library.
