WE start our review of Southport's recent history in a decade over-shadowed by war.
The 1940s saw the resort play its part in the war effort, shutting down the pier to pleasure-seekers and instead stationing searchlights along its structure to pick out enemy aircraft in the night sky.
Birkdale saw the Smedley Hydro Hotel become a centre for the registration of the population.

Smedley Hydro was put to use as an important home front hub, dealing with registration, ID cards, enlisting and rationing for the population.
Southport didn't escape The Blitz, and bombings destroyed homes and lives in the resort.
Look Back reader Roy Whittle remembers: "Tuesday, September 4, 1940, is a date that was forever imprinted on my young memory.
"Around midnight, Southport experienced its first air raid.
"Terror froze my young 11-year-old mind as I heard the shrill whistle of a German bomb, though living in Scarisbrick Road it sounded as though it was coming down on top of the house."

But the 1940s in Southport weren't solely defined by bombings and bad news from the front - for some the images of Lord Street under water will be the defining image of the decade.
Reader Derek Edwards said: "Lord Street is in a slight depression.
"In the 1940s, flooding of certain parts was a frequent occurrence.
"During heavy rain, the storm drains could not cope.
"I vividly remember leaving the Regal Cinema with my parents and we saw that Lord Street was flooded to a depth of about six inches.

"What amused me was to see gallant gentlemen giving piggy backs to young ladies who wanted to cross the road."
And if the 1940s opened under the cloud of war, they closed more hopefully with the birth of the NHS and the newly created system of free state secondary schools began to provide free education to pupils in Southport. And as the 50s approached Southport rediscovered its holiday spirit as our picture of Peter Pan's Fair in 1948 shows.
Visits from Clarke Gable in 1946 and the magicians of the British Ring delighted Sandgrounders.

After my plea for 50s and 60s memories Penny Powell wrote in with her account of the time.
She said: "Born in 1950 I remember attending a little nursey school in the grounds of Botanic Gardens, doing water play outside in the balmy sunshine what a lovely setting that was.
"Then going on to pre school at Emmanuel and having a daily dose of cod liver oil and this fowl tasting concentrated orange juice yuck! After Emmanuel we started Churchtown Primary. Every season there was a new thing to do in the playground.
"Whip and top, skipping, playing with two balls against the school walls, we played with marbles and my favourite," jacks". From hop scotch to hide and seek we always had great "playtimes". I even enjoyed the school meals.
"All the children had to eat them, no packed lunches. We would have a main course mutton,shepherds pie and hot pots and then a desert jam roly poly or steamed syrup pudding and custard, pink blancmonge or crunch.
"The summers were hot and the winters were cold. No central heating, coal fires and ice on the inside of our windows. We all had to wear gabadeen macs and berets!!
"The teachers were strict and made sure that we held a pen correctly, spoke proper english and even made us all stand and sit correctly. You would feel the cane if you mis-behaved.
"On to Secondary school where the girls were taught Mother and Child welfare care, domestic science and sewing, we were even taught to ballroom dance.
"Sadly we girls were ill-prepared for the corporate world, we were only ever expected to marry, have children and be house-keepers.
"We were never encouraged to sit GCE's how sad was that. In the mid 60's everything changed The Beatles were on the scene wow. What a great time that was.

"We would head for the outdoor pool with massive transistor radios, the smell of ambre-solaire almost knocking you out, sunbathing for hours in the hot long summer days and eyeing up the young bronzed life guards mmmm!
"We would smother ourselves in oil and fry oh dear if we knew then what we know now, think we had an ozone layer then. Late 60's we go and see all the live bands at the Floral Hall, screaming at The Hollies and Manfred Mann.
"I remember meeting Paul Jones afterwards, chasing their car to the Royal Hotel where they were staying and getting their autographs. We would go dance the night away on Friday and Saturday nights at the old Palace Hotel and The Kingsway watching the Cabaret first then up to the Starlight Room where ex Radio Caroline DJ's would play great music all night. We felt perfectly safe going into town at night there was never any trouble, everyone just wanted to have a good time.
"They were really great times growing up in such an era. The first generation to feel really free. Carnaby Street dictating the fashion yet no one seemed to suffer with anorexia or bolimia. We all just got on with things and enjoyed ourselves.
"If you left your job you would just be able to get another job.The boys were made to do apprenterships so most of them ended up with a trade, would it be so bad to take ideas from the 50's and 60's???
"Safe happy and healthy times I am so glad I do not have to grow with the pressures that the youth of today have to put up with. Sorry no photos not many of us owned cameras in those days."

By JANINE YAQOOB
A SOUTHPORT man who was a leading figure in the North West press industry has died.
Former president of Liverpool Press Club Norman Dickson passed away on January 15, aged 82.
His funeral was held at Emmanuel Church, Cambridge Road on Wednesday.
Born in Crosby on July 3, 1927, Norman, who was known to his colleagues at 'Dicko', was evacuated to Rhyl prior to World War II.

Whilst there Norman discovered his talent for writing when he served an internship Rhyl Guardian newspaper and excelled as a junior reporter.
He later joined the RAF, where his talents as a writer were recognised and he was assigned to duty as a Press Attache at the British Embassy in Paris.
In 1953 Norman returned to Merseyside and landed a job at the Daily Herald, where he made his name as one of the paper's two staff reporters in Liverpool.
In the same year he married partner Dorothy.
Reporting widely across the Merseybeat era, Norman covered the exploits of The Beatles and other well-known musical acts before turning his hand to his greatest passion - politics.
After stints working for the Daily Herald in Manchester and when it was relaunched as The Sun, Norman tried his hand in the business sector before returning to journalism as a sub-editor and industrial correspondent at the Wigan Evening Post.
Norman retired in 1992 but still remained an active member of the Liverpool Press Club and the Southport Stroke Club.
Residing at his Fylde Road home in Southport for over 30 years, Norman was a keen gardener and enjoyed travelling, music and wine making.
He is survived by daughters Michelle and Carolann, son Stephen and nine grandchildren.
Daughter Carolann said: "My father had an amazing vocabulary, I remember him correcting our grammar when we were children.
"He loved jazz music, which we played at the funeral. The service was informal, just what he would have liked.
"Curate Jacqueline Stobart really summed up the essence of my father and service was very pleasant.
"Some of the grandchildren got up to say a few words, as did my sister and I and my brother."
Alan Jones. member of the Liverpool Press Club and friend of Norman's, said: "When the Press Club was resurrected in 1991 as the Friends of Liverpool Press Club, Norman played a leading part in helping to make our annual Christmas lunches a great success.
"He was a natural showman and often acted as master of ceremonies and sometimes recited in dialect one of the late Larry Sayle's great Scouse monologues.
"He was a character and mainstay of the club. He attended every Christmas lunch up and including to last November.
"He was a real trouper, a great journalist and a true friend."

CAN you spot a young Sir Paul McCartney?
This lovely picture was unearthed by a former classmate at the Joseph Williams School in Belle Vale, Childwall, who now lives in Southport.
She took it to the Churchtown branch of Bonhams where the firm's entertainments specialist, Stephen Maycock, took a look at it.

He said: "The picture was taken in 1953, Sir Paul was born in June so we think it was just past his 11th birthday.
"It would have been his last term at the school before going to the Liverpool Institute."
The informal feel of the small form photograph adds to the picture's charm and gives a real sense of Sir Paul's early school days.
He said: "Pictures like this are quite rare.
"Very formal photographs from the Liverpool Institute which are about eight feet long and show the whole school standing in banks are more common - a number of these have previously come up for sale."
Mr Maycock added that despite this even the larger school pictures can prove valuable.
"Although every pupil who attended the school will have had the same photograph after 50 years, like most things, they've been lost or chucked away," he said.
However the picture which surfaced in Churchtown is likely to be of more interest to collectors and has been valued for auction on Dec 16 for between £400-£600.
"I think it was a pleasant surprise for the owner," said Mr Maycock.
"It's just photo she's had tucked away from her childhood - and now it's quite a valuable thing."
Standing, fourth row from front, third from left is an 11-year-old Sir Paul McCartney at Belle Vale School, Childwall. Picture taken in 1953.

THESE photographs captures the moment Lord Street disappeared under a torrent of rain water in 1948.
Brian Balfe visited Southport on a day trip from Widnes at the age of seven with his older sister, mum and dad and aunt and uncle - and their group was almost washed away.

He told LookBack: "When I was a young boy living in Widnes in the 1940s my family visited Southport on a day trip, by train I think.
"After spending some time in the resort, as far as I can remember we were heading back to the station when there was an almighty downpour resulting in Lord Street being flooded."
The family, who weren't dressed for a downpour, had to run for shelter as the rain pounded down in a short, but unrelenting, burst.
"My uncle, who had accompanied us that day and was a keen photographer, must have taken some pictures," said Brian.
"After he passed away about 35 years later I found a box of old negatives.
"I had some of them printed and considering the age of them they turned out quite well. The year must have been around 1947 judging by some of the photos, which may be of some interest.
"It looks as though they taken from the bottom of Eastbank Street as the Scarisbrick Hotel is in view.
"I can remember the sets in the road were floating as people were walking and cycling over them.
"The thing that sticks in my mind was the road moving the water must have got under the cobbles and they were floating."

SPANDAU Ballet's reunion brought back fond memories for LookBack reader HelenGillingham.
The Churchtown resident and her mum, Valerie Smith, shared a passion for 1980s chart toppers before Valerie's tragic death at the age of 66.
Valerie battled against long-term kidney disease, before being diagnosed with cancer in December 2007, which eventually killed her.

Before her death, Valerie and Helen met Tony Hadley after a solo performance at Preston's Guild Hall in November 2007.
Helen said, 'It was my mum's dream come true to meet him. She was a fighter and wouldn't let her illness prevent her from meeting Tony and getting his autograph.
"He was such a lovely man and had so much time for us. Mum was so pleased with her signed programme, and he even had words of encouragment for my son Elliott to continue with his guitar playing."
The band's 1983 number one hit 'True' was played at Valerie's funeral and as the group began their reunion tour last month, with new material set for release, Helen remembered happier times.
She said: "Watching Tony Hadley was our thing.
"Me and mum saw him perform with Martin Fry of ABC, and Go West at the Floral Hall in Southport, and each time we had such a good time. Onstage, Tony always involved the crowd, having a laugh and a joke with the audience."
"During her time in hospital Mum always had a copy of Tony's autobiography with her.
"Mum would have loved to have seen them reform, she would have been thrilled to hear that they were Spandau Ballet again."

THE weekend of August 2, 1938 was one of Southport's darkest.
Lookback reader Maureen Forward is a relative of one of the four swimmers swept out to sea at Ainsdale.
Her sister in law's grandfather, George Frederick Hollis, died in the disaster and Maureen approached the Southport Visiter as she tried to investigate what had happened.
She said, "We didn't know exactly what had happened but we are delighted to have found out. Her dad would never speak about it. It is obviously a shame that he never got to meet his grandchildren".
Four of the bathers were rescued, including George's son, George Frederick Louis Hollis.
While a crowd of hundreds was kept back, Lifeguards pulled all of the bathers to safety but Mr Hollis (senior) was in a critical condition.
Chief Lifeguard at the time of the incident, Pat Cullen, said, "From the look-out van I had seen the lifeguards' signals.
"I swam out to Mr Hollis and Mr Hargreaves with the assistance of other bathers.
"Mr Hargreaves appeared to be all right, but Mr Hollis was in a serious condition and although artificial respiration was tried and stimulants administered, he died".
Mr Hollis had been teaching his son to swim when he appeared to be struggling.
Two other bathers, Mr and Mrs Hargreaves went to help him out, when they began to struggle also.
The two lifeguards heard the cries for help and saw the group around 75 yards from the shore in water believed to be seven foot deep.

LOOKBACK readers are a vocal sort, and when we asked them if they knew the story behind this picture we were inundated with calls.
It turns out that the photograph we found in the Visiter archives, and published on December 11, shows the Church Street Methodist Festival Choir.
They were posing for the camera after an award winning performance at the Southport Festival, hence the trophy which is proudly displayed by choir master Arnold Meadowcroft.
LookBack reader June Hobley told us: "I recognised Dorothy Watson in the centre wearing spectacles and Albert Hopkins on the back row.
"Eunice Hopkins is alongside Dorothy and Muriel Randall (later head teacher at Farnborough Road School) is on the same row.
"I was not a member of that church but some of their members moved to my church (Leyland Road) when St Mark's closed."
The choir competed in the annual festival events, often recruiting extra members for their competitive performances.
Eunice Hopkins, who later took over as choir mistress when Mr Meadowcroft retired, also called us to tell her about the choir.
Her husband was also a member, along with her sister and father.
She said: "Mr Meadowcroft, is holding the trophy, on his right is Bob Bannister our organist and on his left Reverend Fletcher Fleet.
"We had won at the festival once or twice before and on this occasion decided to have our picture taken in the school room of the church.
"It's a church family photograph really."

THIS Friday's Southport Visiter will feature the first of our LookBack specials.
For the next five weeks we will be reviewing Southport's recent history in a series of extended LookBack features.
On Friday we kick off with the 1940s, but I'm already turning my attention to Southport in the 1950s.
If you've got pictures, memories or stories you'd like to see included - send them my way!
E-mail us at visiternews@southportvisiter.cop.uk, or write to: Southport Visiter, 26-32 Tulketh St, Southport PR8 1BT

LOOKBACK this week opens the Visiter photo album to share these pictures with our readers.
This selection of charming images from the newspaper archives may be familiar to many people - some of you may even be pictured!
For example our first photograph, taken in on June 8, 1977 shows Hesketh Bank beauties 16-year-old Claire Flaherty, Kim Gough (14) and Tina Radcliffe (15) celebrating the 1977 jubilee.
But who are the other 10 members of the Hesketh Bank Youth Club in the background?
If you know, or were there on the day, get in touch with LookBack and we'll share it with our readers.

Our next picture shows Southport from an unconventional angle.

Our photographer scaled the dizzying heights of the Traumatizer to get this vertigo-inducing snapshot of Pleasureland, looking towards Lord Street.
Since the picture was taken, one or two things have changed - the swimming pool is shown before it changed its name to Dunes and extended to include Splashworld.
Behind it sits the supermarket Safeway, which has now become Morrisons.
On the horizon the gasometer, which disappeared from our town this year, can just be made out.
Rail enthusiasts and proud Sandgrounders alike will enjoy our third photograph.
This view will be familiar to any Southport commuter, but once again things have changed - Chapel Street in the background is almost unrecognisable.
The train has drawn a crowd, but we don't know why and the photograph is undated.
Can you shed any light on the Sandgrounder? Did you ever travel on it when it chugged to and from Southport?
Let LookBack know and we'll try to find out more about why our photographer was dispatched to take this picture.

Our fourth and final photograph is even more of a mystery. No information regarding this group remains in the Visiter archives.
Can you name the vicar in the front row, or any of the other members of the group?
We don't know why they have assembled to have this picture taken, although judging by the trophy at the centre of the shot a prize-giving ceremony of some kind has taken place.
If you know what the prize was for, or who the winner was, get in touch!