"Returning to the Caves"
Air Raid Shelters in WW2
What must it have been like? Late November 1941 after a full day at work, waiting in the darkness then catching the late bus home to relax by the fire and enjoy a meagre hot dinner with the wireless tuned to I.T.M.A.. The black outs secure and the lights are down low, the front parlour is warm with a small, tinder fire flickering in the grate. The hot tea is brewed and fatigue takes over, sleep beckons. Alarm!! The sirens are sounding, Jerry is back again tonight; grab your night clothes, no time to wash, grab the blankets the rest are already down there, it's 2 degrees Celsius out in the garden and the haw frost is forming on the grass, out to the Anderson we all go, step firmly in and down into the earthen dugout, the walls are damp, the four wooden bunks are damp, there's an inch of water on the floor from last night's rain, wrap up wrap up and get the Primus lit, we'll get little sleep tonight, quickly quickly 'itler's Luftwaffe's nearly here.
Hitler’s declaration to the Reichstag on September 1st 1939 included a pledge not to wage war on women and children. “I have ordered my airforce to restrict itself to attacks on military objectives” he went on to say. A pledge further reinforced by President Roosevelt’s mediatory appeal to him not to bomb innocent people going about their daily lives in unfortified communities. Hitler replied to this by saying that he “agreed unconditionally to the proposal”.
Yet as Hitler spoke those very words his forces were busy attacking Poland and Polish reports state that even before Britain and France had declared war on Germany (and agreeing to the very same humanitarian rules in doing so) that between 1st and 3rd September 1939 1500 civilians had been killed and many thousands wounded by the relentless push of the German army through the country.
The German excuse was that they had met with stiff opposition from women and old men who had engaged in guerrilla warfare by setting traps and organising resistance to the invading army. Escalation meant that by 17th September 1939 both Warsaw and Vilna had been heavily bombed causing some 20,000 civilian deaths.
Yet as Hitler spoke those very words his forces were busy attacking Poland and Polish reports state that even before Britain and France had declared war on Germany (and agreeing to the very same humanitarian rules in doing so) that between 1st and 3rd September 1939 1500 civilians had been killed and many thousands wounded by the relentless push of the German army through the country.
The German excuse was that they had met with stiff opposition from women and old men who had engaged in guerrilla warfare by setting traps and organising resistance to the invading army. Escalation meant that by 17th September 1939 both Warsaw and Vilna had been heavily bombed causing some 20,000 civilian deaths.
There was no question then, that despite the niceties of written agreements between the warring nations, civilians were going to be legitimate targets in this new European war; a war of technologies undreamed of two decades earlier during a conflict that had more in common with Waterloo than Blitzkrieg.
Bombed out in the East End of London and salvaging a few possessions.
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An all to common sight, house gone and possessions in the street.
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Defiant to the end, the area around St. Pauls Cathedral photographed in 1946.
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The New Menace – Attacked from the air while safely at home
Between 1938 and 1939 during the Munich and Sudeten Crisis’s, the Home Office had begun to prepare for the mass protection of British citizens from sustained air attacks. This initially consisted of open concrete lined trenches dug around public places. It quickly became apparent particularly after the bombing of Guernica in Spain that this wasn’t anywhere near sufficient and designs were drawn up for covered shelters.
The types required were to be:
Between 1938 and 1939 during the Munich and Sudeten Crisis’s, the Home Office had begun to prepare for the mass protection of British citizens from sustained air attacks. This initially consisted of open concrete lined trenches dug around public places. It quickly became apparent particularly after the bombing of Guernica in Spain that this wasn’t anywhere near sufficient and designs were drawn up for covered shelters.
The types required were to be:
1) Individual Shelters: for families, placed nearby private homes, basements or in cellars. Cellars tended to be in houses built up to WW1 and either detached or semi detached in structure. Houses built between the wars did not have underground cellars. This meant that shelters had to be built either inside the house like the Morrison Shelter or in the garden like the Anderson Shelter.
Morrison Shelters: Table (Morrison) Indoor Shelter: A cage like construction below a strong table with four legs. Named after Herbert Morrison Minister for home security. Came in kits to be assembled at home. They were 6ft 6in long 4ft wide and 2ft 6in deep. Had a 1/8in steel top, welded wire mesh sides and a metal lattice mattress type floor. Altogether they had 359 parts and came with three tools for assembly. The shelter was issued free to people earning less than £400 per year.
The intention was for the family to sleep in the shelter at night while using the table top as a useful addition to the homes furniture. 500,000 Morrison shelters were distributed by the end of 1941 with a further 100,000 being added in 1943 in anticipation of the coming flying bomb attack.
Anderson Shelters: 9th February 1939; "the home office responsible for air raid precautions announces plans to provide shelters for thousands of homes in vulnerable areas. Families with an income of less than £250 per year will receive them free. Other families must pay £6.14s (£6.70) each for them. They are to be called “Anderson Shelters” after Sir John Anderson the minister for civil defence.
They are steel built, tunnel shaped shelters measuring 6ft 6in X 4ft 4in and are made in sections that require two people to assemble them. They should be semi sunk into earth and have space for four bunk beds. It is hoped that one and a half million Anderson's will have been given out by August 1939".
On 5th April 1939: Minister for health Walter Elliot says that 279,435 Anderson shelters providing cover for 1,500,000 people have already been delivered and 80,000 are being delivered every week.
Morrison Shelters: Table (Morrison) Indoor Shelter: A cage like construction below a strong table with four legs. Named after Herbert Morrison Minister for home security. Came in kits to be assembled at home. They were 6ft 6in long 4ft wide and 2ft 6in deep. Had a 1/8in steel top, welded wire mesh sides and a metal lattice mattress type floor. Altogether they had 359 parts and came with three tools for assembly. The shelter was issued free to people earning less than £400 per year.
The intention was for the family to sleep in the shelter at night while using the table top as a useful addition to the homes furniture. 500,000 Morrison shelters were distributed by the end of 1941 with a further 100,000 being added in 1943 in anticipation of the coming flying bomb attack.
Anderson Shelters: 9th February 1939; "the home office responsible for air raid precautions announces plans to provide shelters for thousands of homes in vulnerable areas. Families with an income of less than £250 per year will receive them free. Other families must pay £6.14s (£6.70) each for them. They are to be called “Anderson Shelters” after Sir John Anderson the minister for civil defence.
They are steel built, tunnel shaped shelters measuring 6ft 6in X 4ft 4in and are made in sections that require two people to assemble them. They should be semi sunk into earth and have space for four bunk beds. It is hoped that one and a half million Anderson's will have been given out by August 1939".
On 5th April 1939: Minister for health Walter Elliot says that 279,435 Anderson shelters providing cover for 1,500,000 people have already been delivered and 80,000 are being delivered every week.
The Anderson Shelter, here showing the correct installation being set into the ground and covered with earth.
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The Morrison Shelter with two occupants asleep inside. They were designed to be positioned inside the house where the top could be used as a table.
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2) Street Communal Shelters: For the population of whole streets, people at work or people caught out in the open.
These would be either surface shelters or basements. Most factories, shops, hospitals and department stores had basements and these could be used for shelter. People caught in the street had the use of surfaces shelters made of brick with thick concrete roofs and sandbagged for added strength. They would hold about 50 people and were divided up into interior sections with some having six bunk beds. Though strong they would not survive a direct hit.
Though basements seemed safer they were susceptible to structural failures from above or flooding from below, drowning and/or trapping in their occupants.
Railway arches and street subways were also used but geographic location to areas of population and the fact that the railway was often the target for the bombers didn’t make them popular.
These would be either surface shelters or basements. Most factories, shops, hospitals and department stores had basements and these could be used for shelter. People caught in the street had the use of surfaces shelters made of brick with thick concrete roofs and sandbagged for added strength. They would hold about 50 people and were divided up into interior sections with some having six bunk beds. Though strong they would not survive a direct hit.
Though basements seemed safer they were susceptible to structural failures from above or flooding from below, drowning and/or trapping in their occupants.
Railway arches and street subways were also used but geographic location to areas of population and the fact that the railway was often the target for the bombers didn’t make them popular.
Street shelters having just survived a near miss but occupants safe.
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This street shelter has been demolished by blast but the occupants survived.
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3) Town population shelters: To house perhaps a few thousand people and being dug underground utilising existing mines or caves or specially dug for the purpose. These could hold around 6,000 – 10,000 people and were often long tunnels dug into solid geology. They were damp, poorly lit, confined and drafty spaces but were often as much as 100 ft below the ground and therefore considered bomb proof.
Examples can be seen at Ramsgate, Kent with about 4 miles of tunnels to house about 6,000 people; Chistlehurst, Kent with 22 miles of tunnels to house around 10,000 people and provide room for a working factory and Stockport, Cheshire with 6 miles of tunnels providing shelter for nearly 7,000 people.
Chistlehurst Caves, Kent
Examples can be seen at Ramsgate, Kent with about 4 miles of tunnels to house about 6,000 people; Chistlehurst, Kent with 22 miles of tunnels to house around 10,000 people and provide room for a working factory and Stockport, Cheshire with 6 miles of tunnels providing shelter for nearly 7,000 people.
Chistlehurst Caves, Kent
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Ramsgate Tunnels, Kent
4) Massive super large deep shelters: Built under cities to protect many thousands of people, such as Tube stations or purpose built vast underground bunkers. The larger cities were to be a problem. In London the underground railway was an obvious choice but it took a lot of protests from citizens for it to be officially opened up for air raid use. During the Blitz the government relented and activated what it called it’s "Deep Shelter Protection Policy" that included 79 stations to be supplied with bunks, first aid areas, chemical toilets, 134 canteens all managed by appointed Shelter Marshals. These could protect 22,000 people.
As the demand increased the government went a step further and commissioned the construction of a number of purpose built deep shelters such as the one at Holborn in London which when used all together were capable of protecting around 50,000 citizens.
As the demand increased the government went a step further and commissioned the construction of a number of purpose built deep shelters such as the one at Holborn in London which when used all together were capable of protecting around 50,000 citizens.
Added to this was the need for some kind of precautionary measure in which people could be warned in advance of an impending attack and so be directed to the nearest shelter. Sirens set up in public areas on roof tops and high masts and the appointment of the Air Raid Precaution force (ARP) were to carry out this task.
Precautions also consisted of the engagement of Anti Aircraft Command, Barrage Balloon Command, Search Light Command, Early Warning Radar, Night Fighter Command and ultimately the Volunteer Fire Fighters to boost the effectiveness of the professional fire service crews.
Precautions also consisted of the engagement of Anti Aircraft Command, Barrage Balloon Command, Search Light Command, Early Warning Radar, Night Fighter Command and ultimately the Volunteer Fire Fighters to boost the effectiveness of the professional fire service crews.
As the bombing raids became more regular it was also decide that a night curfew and black out be instigated adding further to everyone's loss of freedom though few saw the real reasons behind these decisions. While the black out certainly made it much more difficult for German bombers to locate British cities at night, people were kept blissfully ignorant to the fact that the Germans were night bombing by following radio beams transmitted from Europe and didn’t need to see their targets anyway.
It was however, the hidden dangers of night bombing that the curfew was intended to counter. For on one night in January 1941 during a heavy raid on London Anti Aircraft Command shot off 24,000 shells without doing very much damage to the invaders. All that metal going up has to come back down to earth and it is for this reason that venturing out at night became hazardous for the unwary but brave, bomb dodging citizen.
It was however, the hidden dangers of night bombing that the curfew was intended to counter. For on one night in January 1941 during a heavy raid on London Anti Aircraft Command shot off 24,000 shells without doing very much damage to the invaders. All that metal going up has to come back down to earth and it is for this reason that venturing out at night became hazardous for the unwary but brave, bomb dodging citizen.
At the end of the war most of the individual Morrison and Anderson shelters were supposed to be handed back for scrap. Many Anderson shelters however, survive to this day as garden or allotment sheds. Surface shelters were demolished and the underground stations reverted back to their intended purpose. Underground town shelters were generally sealed up and forgotten, many only coming to light in recent years and enjoying a second life as tourist attractions.
The big deep shelters were closed down and put into hibernation and left abandoned though a few became repositories for long term document storage.
All perhaps remain fascinating and for today’s technical gadget generation bring thoughts of unimaginable hardship for what it might have been like to spend every winters night sleeping in an Anderson shelter then go to work the next day before checking to see if your house and yourself, had survived the night in one piece. Then of course repeating the procedure nightly, for perhaps weeks on end.
The big deep shelters were closed down and put into hibernation and left abandoned though a few became repositories for long term document storage.
All perhaps remain fascinating and for today’s technical gadget generation bring thoughts of unimaginable hardship for what it might have been like to spend every winters night sleeping in an Anderson shelter then go to work the next day before checking to see if your house and yourself, had survived the night in one piece. Then of course repeating the procedure nightly, for perhaps weeks on end.
A well known photograph illustrating the perils of being out in the streets during a bombing raid
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Life goes on; the walls might have gone around him but the morning shave and brush up still takes priority
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Extracts from Illustrated London News. The War Illustrated. And quotes from The Times, newspaper digital archive
Newhaven Museum, East Sussex
Text, Design, Colour Photography: Copyright Steve Sullivan, August 2021
