 THEY were responsible for a music revolution in Liverpool which influenced rock'n'roll and The Beatles. Their fashion sense inspired men to swop their flat caps and over-coats for Frank Sinatra hats and tailored suits, while women discovered nylons and cashmere. When the Cunard ships docked at port 92 after a 17-day voyage to New York, these sailors would come ashore laden with treasures they had brought home. Britain was demoralised following the war, and the seamen, nicknamed the Cunard Yanks, brought bomb-ridden Liverpool back to life. Now a film has been made about the men, recounting a piece of maritime history that has never before been told on screen. One of the documentary's stars, Bill Harrison, 68, of Roby, said: "Liverpool was black and white but when we went over to New York, it was technicolour. "In Liverpool, we were still on rations and people were wearing second hand military clothes. "America was this surreal place where everything was ten years ahead. There were electric guitars, records, refrigerators, washing machines, beautiful clothes, chocolates - and we bought it all back for our family, friends and girlfriends." In the 1950s, there were about 25,000 seamen in Liverpool and a further 45,000 from across the North West. Many of them worked as waiters and stewards on Cunard's passenger ships, earning lucrative tips from wealthy passengers. When the Cunard Yanks were home, they could be seen strutting about the city or at dances in their stylish clothes. It was the Cunard Yanks who brought the first electric guitar into Liverpool. They flooded the city with, among others, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole records, bringing a new eclectic sound to Merseyside, which is said to have influenced The Beatles. It was Mr Harrison's nephew Steve Higginson, of Childwall, who had the idea for making a documentary about the Cunard Yanks. Mr Harrison said: "He remembered how I would bring back amazing presents from New York and he wrote his memories down. "He remembered that I had bought a fridge home for his mother. It was too big for the two-up two-down house in Liverpool, but it was such a novelty. "He investigated the history of the sailors and found there was no record of the influence we had on Liverpool's culture." Now production company Souled Out, run by the John Moores Corporation, has shot a one-hour film, which it is hoped will be aired on television. Part of the film has already been shown at the Crosby Plaza and at the Unity Theatre and it is hoped that the finished product will be premiered at a Liverpool cinema soon. Mr Harrison bought an early movie camera in New York and the reels he captured as a young sailor play a big part in the documentary. For the film, Mr Harrison and four fellow ex-seamen were taken to New York to visit their old haunts and tell their stories. Among them was Richard Barton, 72, of Allerton, who first went to sea at the age of 16, He said: "It was an amazing time to be a sailor. People would wait for our ships to come in because they couldn't wait to see what we had brought home. "Some people would just bring food or electrical goods, but I loved the music and the clothes. Liverpool was buzzing with the records we brought here." * AN EXHIBITION on the Cunard Yanks is now open at Liverpool's Maritime Museum on the Albert Dock. Mr Harrison and Mr Barton will be at the Museum on Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday to talk to visitors about their memorabilia. jessicashaugnessy@dailypost.co.uk | 
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