PEOPLE gathered in a North town yesterday to mark the 90th anniversary of a bombardment in which 120 people, including 44 children, died.

At 8.10am, the Reverend Jon Goode, of St Hilda's Church, Hartlepool, read survivors' accounts at the exact time the German bombs started falling.

He said: "This one is from Fred Jacques. Fred was 14 and he said: 'I remember waiting for the kettle to boil for breakfast and there was this terrible crash. There were hats from Thompson's shop flying by like it was a tornado. We stepped outside.

"I stepped over the body of a boy. His name was Crake. Later, I found my mother and we hugged the wall around St Hilda's Church, searching for security. We were just hoping to be saved'."

Other recollections were read by Mr Goode and retired Major Glen Baume, who represented the Heugh Battery Trust. Local primary school children also attended.

The Germans chose to attack Hartlepool because it was between Scapa Flow and Sheerness, where Britain's two battle fleets were.

It was thought the attack would lure the fleets to sea, where German submarines were waiting to attack them.

The plan leaked out, but because High Command did not want to cause hysteria, they did not tell people in Hartlepool that the town was to be bombed.