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The first ‘Anderson’ shelter was erected in a garden in Islington, London on 25 February 1939 and, between then and the outbreak of the war in September, around 1.5 million shelters were distributed to people living in areas expected to be bombed by the Luftwaffe. During the war a further 2.1 million were erected, making a total of 3.5 million.
The shelters were given to people in areas that were at risk of being bombed by the Germans. Over the course of World War 2, another 2.1 million Anderson shelters were built in gardens around the country. Anderson shelters were free for people who earned less than £250 per year. For those with a higher income, they could be bought for £7.
- Anderson shelters were named after the Minister of Home Security. 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 shelters could fit up to 6 people. 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.
- Anderson shelters were free for some people. Anderson shelters were provided free of charge for people with household annual incomes of less than £250 (equivalent to approximately £14,700 today).
- Anderson shelters were initially pre-emptive. 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 outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Anderson shelters had been installed in the gardens of around 1.5 million houses in the areas most expected to be targeted by the Luftwaffe. A further 2.1 million were installed over the course of the war. Of those 3.6 million shelters, just a handful remain in place today.
Jan 15, 2013 · The Anderson shelter was designed in 1938. It was named after Sir John Anderson, the man responsible for preparing Britain to withstand German air raids. Anderson shelters were designed for 6 people. The construction of the shelter was reasonably simple. The main part of the shelter was formed from six corrugated steel panels.
Photograph inside an Anderson Shelter, 1941-1943, Catalogue ref: HO 207/469 Experts said that bombing would kill hundreds of thousands of people. So new plans were made for mass evacuation, the construction of large public shelters, and the erection of small units in private gardens (“Anderson” shelters) and inside houses (“Morrison” shelters). Although the War began […]
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Jan 15, 2013 · Anderson Shelters and Morrison Shelters. Anderson shelters were designed to house six people. They used curved and straight panels of galvanised corrugated steel, and they performed really well in bomb tests. Over 3 million Anderson shelters were put up all over Britain. They were free to all families who earned less than £250 a year.
