There were no public shelters
constructed in the village, it was left to individuals to look after their
own welfare.
The majority of people constructed their own shelters made out of any
material that was forthcoming. By far the most popular was the Anderson
Shelter, the basic material supplied by Mr Cousins at the Eight Bells
Garage.
Anderson
shelters:
In November 1938, Chamberlain placed Sir John Anderson in
charge of Air Raid Precautions (ARP). He immediately commissioned the engineer,
William Patterson, to design a small and cheap shelter that could be erected in
people's gardens, this became known as the "Anderson Shelter" Within
a few months, the government provided half a million of these shelters free of
charge to those earning under £350 a year, and only charged £7 for
those who earned above this amount. | It
was made up of several pieces of strong corrugated steel and could easily be assembled
by homeowners in their backyards. In
some instances the shelter was covered in soil and turf offering better protection. The
shelter usually had a raised floor to prevent flooding and was equipped with a
couple of bunks, table and small cupboard. Non-perishable foods, water and children's
toys were also kept in the shelter. Nights spent in the shelter were generally
uncomfortable - they were small, cold and damp, with little air circulation and
only a pot for a toilet. |
Morrison
Shelter
In March 1941 the government began issuing Morrison Shelters.
Named after the Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, the shelters were made of very
heavy steel and could be put in the living room and used as a table. One wire
side lifted up for people to crawl underneath and get inside. | The
Morrison shelter was approximately 6 feet 6 inches (2m) long, 4 feet (1.2m) wide
and 2 feet 6 inches (0.75m) high. When
not in use as a shelter it could be used as a table (see illustration) by temporarily
removing the welded wire mesh sides. Whilst the Anderson was constructed of
14 corrugated sheets, and required some digging to let it into the ground, the
Morrison consisted of some 219 parts (not including 48 nuts and bolts) and came
with 3 tools with which to assemble it. These
shelters were distributed free to most people and over 500 000 had been distributed
by November 1941
Morrison shelters
were fairly large and provided sleeping space for two or three people. |
The only known Morrison
shelter in the area was used by Mrs Clampin at Craigs Lane, Mount Bures
Courtesy
of BBC.co.uk
|