A selection of rare photographs documenting the second World War bomb damage sustained across the historic county of Cheshire

We think of the Blitz as something that happened to major cities and large industrial areas, such as London, Glasgow and Coventry. But that’s only half of the story.

Although 1940s Cheshire was a quiet, agricultural county for the most part, it did still have some areas that were of interest to the Nazis, such as Crewe Railway Works and the Rolls-Royce factory. Its strategic location, between frequent targets Liverpool and Manchester, also meant that it would fall prey to the Luftwaffe’s habit of dumping unused bombs on the way back from sorties.

Using rare photographs from Cheshire Constabulary, taken around the county as defined by its wartime boundaries, Blitz on Cheshire is a look into the devastation that everyday people suffered at the hands of the Nazis.