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Apr 20, 2023 · The reality of wartime Britain is brought into focus with the role of the Anderson Shelter during World War II aerial bombings. This eye-opening clip from ep...
- 4 min
- 2.2K
- Chronicle
Original WW2 Anderson Shelter As war in Europe loomed in 1938, the Anderson shelter was designed to offer UK householders rudimentary protection during air r...
- 1 min
- 654
- DRS Exploring
'Life in an Anderson Shelter during the Blitz of WW2' written and directed by Jason Gregg.A short film showing what it would have been like in an Anderson s...
- 3 min
- 70.7K
- C&P Productions
- Anderson Shelters Were Named After The Minister of Home Security
- The Shelters Could Fit Up to 6 People
- Anderson Shelters Were Free For Some People
- Anderson Shelters Were Initially Pre-Emptive
- People rebelled Against The Use of Anderson Shelters
- Anderson Shelters Were Tough to Endure During Winter
- Decoration Competitions Were Held
- Anderson Shelters Were Not Ideal For Urban Areas
- Anderson Shelters Were Not The Most Effective Option Available
- Anderson Shelters Were Replaced by Morrison Shelters
In November 1938, while serving as Lord Privy Seal and Minister of Home Security, Sir John Anderson was asked by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to prepare Britain for defense against bombing raids. The resultant shelters Anderson commissioned were named after him.
Anderson commissioned engineers William Patterson and Oscar Carl Kerrison to find a viable structure. Their design consisted of 14 steel panels – 8 internal sheets and 6 curved sheets bolted together to cover the structure. The structure was to be buried over 1m into the ground and covered with soil. Just 1.4m wide, 2m long and 1.8m tall, the shelt...
Anderson shelters were provided free of charge for people with household annual incomes of less than £250 (equivalent to approximately £14,700 today). They cost £7 (roughly £411 today) to buy for everyone else. At the end of the war, many local authorities collected the corrugated iron, though people who wished to purchase their shelters could pay ...
Britain’s preparations for air raid shelters began in 1938, and the first Anderson shelter was set up in Islington, London, in February 1939. By the time Britain and France declared waron Germany on 3 September 1939, 1.5 million Anderson shelters had already been constructed. While Britain’s pre-emptive approach had prepared them well, the substant...
After heavy bombing raids in early September 1940, thousands of Londoners flocked to underground stations against government advice, rather than using Anderson shelters. The police didn’t intervene, and some station managers provided additional toilet facilities. On 21 September, government policy was changed and 79 stations were fitted with bunks ...
While the corrugated steel sheets provided protection from bomb blasts, they offered little protection from the elements. Anderson shelters were bitingly cold during the winter months while rainfall often led to flooding and sometimes the collapse of structures. As a result, many people would defy government instructions to spend the majority of th...
People were free to decorate and where possible add comfort to their shelters as they pleased. Bunk beds could be purchased but were often built at home.As a way of boosting wartime morale, some communities held competitions to determine the best-decorated shelters in the neighbourhood. People also took advantage of the fact that shelters require a...
Given the requirement for garden space to accommodate an Anderson shelter, they were not a particularly viable option in built-up urban areas. Around a quarter of the population did not have gardens. A 1940 survey found that only 27% of Londoners stayed in an Anderson shelter, while 9% slept in public shelters, 4% used underground stations, and the...
During World War Two, Spain utilised the shelter model of engineer Ramón Perera. Larger and sturdier than Anderson shelters, Perera’s shelter proved effective: Barcelona only suffered around 2,500 casualties from 194 bombing raids, earning Perera the nickname ‘the man who saved Barcelona’. The British government ignored Perera’s expertise and rejec...
When it became common knowledge that the public preferred to stay in their homes and would generally avoid using their Anderson shelters, a new, indoor version was prioritised. This arrived in 1941 in the form of the Morrison shelter, named after Herbert Morrison who had replaced Anderson as the Minister of Home Security. The Morrison shelter was e...
Jan 7, 2021 · The first Anderson shelter was erected in a garden in Islington, London, on 25 February 1939. By the time the war broke out in September, around 1.5 million shelters were in place in areas expected to be bombed by the Luftwaffe. During the war a further 2.1 million were erected. The shelters were made of six curved panels of corrugated steel ...
Nov 3, 2005 · A6661514. Contributed on: 03 November 2005. The Anderson Shelter. Towards the end of August 1939 a Plymouth Corporation lorry came along making deliveries at every house both sides of the street ...
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Jun 13, 2024 · On 11 January, a bomb hit the booking hall of Bank Station causing the escalators to collapse and a blast wave that swept people sheltering on the platform below into the path of a train. 111 people were killed in the incident. People dashed to their garden shelter with pre-prepared bags of essential items.
