He Got Carried Away
This man slipped away from a dinner party and wandered into an unkempt garden. He only stopped when he got to a wall of ivy. After seeing that the ground there sloped downward without leading to anything, he took a closer look at it. He parted the leaves and felt a shock of excitement go through his body. There was a hidden doorway at the bottom, and it was calling out to him. He had no clue that he was going to find something that would change his life forever.
His Name Is Kyle May
Kyle May hails from Liverpool. When he was young, he fell in love with photography and spent the majority of his childhood going through a book full of vintage photos from the Second World War. It was his most prized possession back then. He had no idea why, but there was something about them that piqued his interest. It felt like the photos were hiding secrets that you would not find in his books. However, he had no idea that he was going to personally discover one such mystery all by himself.
His Name Is Kyle May
He Has An Excellent Portfolio
By the age of 30, he was able to create an amazing body of work. Kyle has carved a career in the field that he loved. With his love of vintage photos and history, he created personal pieces. However, he had no choice but to tone down the creativity as he worked on commercial projects. He has done many photoshoots for events, weddings, and local bands. Even though he has worked on a lot of stuff over the years, his true passion has never died out!
He Has An Excellent Portfolio
On The Lookout For A Thrill
He liked to go through the streets of Liverpool. Armed with a camera, he let his imagination run wild. Among other things, he loved to explore the ruins of abandoned places and old buildings that were full of history. Whenever he went to these decrepit spots, he could practically feel the weight of the ghosts who lingered in that spot. It was like a cold hand on his chest. To him, this feeling was worth chasing over and over. However, he had no idea that he was going to stumble into the biggest thrill of his life.
On The Lookout For A Thrill
There Was A Secret Lying In Wait
Everything started when a friend of his invited him over. The couple just signed a lease agreement, packed up their belongings, and moved into a new house. They wanted to celebrate this occasion by inviting a group of loved ones to a gathering. No one expected that there was actually a secret hiding in the garden. The new occupants did not have an inkling that there was something like that down there!
There Was A Secret Lying In Wait
Going Out For Fresh Air
In the middle of the afternoon, the party seemed to be going well. The couple already opened the housewarming gifts, people were drinking, and Kyle photographed the lovely moments. All of a sudden, he felt a headache come on. This was the reason he stepped outside to catch some fresh air. He assumed that he would only take a couple of minutes, but his feet dragged him to a certain spot.
Going Out For Fresh Air
Going Down The Strange Pathway
Kyle walked down the flagstones and then took the garden path. Before he even knew it, he reached the bottom part of the garden. There was a wall there covered in ivy, but what caught his attention was the fact that the ground was sloping down so much that it formed a trench. However, what on earth could possibly be in there? After parting the ivy, he was shocked by the sight that greeted him.
Going Down The Strange Pathway
The Hidden Entrance
Who would have thought that there was actually an entryway there? His heart started to pound against his chest as he lifted the vines away. Kyle saw that there was a tunnel in the garden! He went to his car to retrieve a flashlight, thrilled that he walked into a mystery in the backyard. However, he did not consider that it might just be the worst decision he has ever made in his life.
The Hidden Entrance
A Dark Tunnel
When he got to the entrance, he took a deep breath before going inside. He used his flashlight to see what was inside. The old walls were damp and looked like they were going to collapse any minute now. Kyle suddenly felt aware of all the soil that was pressing down on the tunnel from above. After a little while, the passageway opened up. He was able to breathe normally once more. However, what he saw on the walls made his heart stop.
A Dark Tunnel
They Did Not Know That It Was There
Kyle dashed back into the house and informed his friends about what he just discovered. The wall of ivy hid the entrance to the tunnel. It was not surprising to hear that the homeowners did not notice it before that moment. He picked up his camera and returned for another inspection. He took several photos of the entryway, which was set in concrete and partly buried into the ground. After that, it was time to go back in to check out those faces that he saw during the first time.
They Did Not Know That It Was There
There Were Mysterious Faces On The Wall
There were portraits on the walls of the tunnel! On top of that, there was an initial beneath each one of them. But who could these people be? Why did the artist choose this place as her canvas? Kyle was knowledgeable about the Second World War, so he was certain that this was an underground bunker. As you can imagine, he was filled with excitement about this fascinating discovery of his. We would be too!
There Were Mysterious Faces On The Wall
He Went Deeper
He delved deeper into the tunnel and found out that the backyard was only one out of thirteen entry points! The tunnel went on for 300 meters. Its main entrance was found beneath Wavertree Botanic Gardens. It is believed that the bunker was built before the eruption of the Second World War. The theory goes that it served as an air-raid shelter for the people working at the Littlewood site.
He Went Deeper
Intrigued And Curious
The tunnel actually played a part in the protection of factory workers when the Blitz was going on. Did you know that Liverpool was actually the second most bombed city in the United Kingdom? Despite this, it did not answer the questions about the faces on the walls. Kyle simply could not forget about it, so he started to solve this mystery on his own. He started to trace the faces, but was it a decision that he regretted in the end?
Intrigued And Curious
The Ghostly Figures On The Walls
The faces on the wall would haunt him even in his dreams. Kyle started to run wild with his speculations. He had no leads a year after making the discovery, but it was consuming him. He went to the library to check the old newspapers but found nothing there. We could see why he was thinking of giving up at that point. However, another idea came to him.
Intrigued And Curious
Time To Follow The Clues
“It was a proper mystery, no one knows who painted them or who they are,” he recounted. “But I noticed one of the faces had the initial U next to it and I thought there are not many names that begin with a U so I signed up for a free trial on Ancestry and started looking for people from that time with a name beginning with that letter.”
Time To Follow The Clues
Arriving At An Answer At Last
After his research, he was able to narrow it down to two distinct possibilities. At long last, he was getting close to solving the mystery that had been haunting him. He finally managed to find a lady who seemed to match what he knew. “She’s a lady called Ursula Lois Forshaw,” he said. He now had to make contact.
Arriving At An Answer At Last
He Reached Out
“My search said this person is in somebody else’s family tree and I managed to find him on LinkedIn as he’d stopped using Ancestory a while ago,” he shared. “I said to him ‘I think this might be your auntie’ and he contacted his brother to check. Then I got an email saying ‘I’m sure it’s my auntie.’”
He Reached Out
The Mystery Was Unraveling
“She was in the Women’s Air Force,” he revealed, “I’m pretty sure she’s the girl in the picture but there’s no way of knowing for sure. Her nephews were the only relatives alive that were on her family tree.” However, there was a question that lingered in the air. Why were there portraits on the wall?
The Mystery Was Unraveling
Theories Abound
If you check the photographs, you are going to see portraits of both men and women with helmets. There are experts who said that the rushed and crude drawing style must have indicated that they were painted from life. Maybe the person who made the portraits had been trying to entertain the occupants of the shelter as they waited for the blitz to end. However, there was another theory about them…
Theories Abound
It Goes On
There was another theory that came up after conducting more research. It suggested that these are portraits of the people who had been working at the nearby factory. A year later, the photographer is still working on figuring out the identities of these people. He shared, “I don’t know if there are any plans for the shelter but I got in touch with the council to discuss the possibility of opening them up as a tourist attraction and making sure they’re protected.”
It Goes On