Anderson Shelters

[Flying10uk]

I felt that I had to share this video with fellow forum members of the Anderson Air Raid Shelter.

My mother's parents did decide to take up the government's offer and had one of these shelters delivered to their home in Mexborough, South Yorkshire. It arrived "flat-packed" and had to be self assembled by my Grandfather, with help from a neighbour, in the back garden. Unfortunately, this shelter wasn't exactly conducive for good health, not because of German bombs, but because everyone, in my mother's immediate family using this shelter, got pneumonia during the winter of 1940 because they spent many cold nights in there. After that they took their chances sheltering in the house, during air raids, under the dining table and in the cupboard under the stairs.

In more recent years I did get the opportunity to examine a section of the galvanised iron that made up the shelter and did note that it appeared to be a surprisingly thick gauge of galvanised iron.

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Pretty funny though, I've slept in many, many bunkers and you get far from an ideal sleep. The noise of action close by will still wake you. Damp, yes that would describe it. And the cup of tea before bed so you can struggle over those bodies to go wizz in the middle of the night... My elders talked about this too...

[Flying10uk]

My understanding from my mother is that the main problem with these shelters was that of the cold and the dampness in the winter. The dampness was mainly caused because the shelter had to be "sunk" into the ground with earth on top. Some ground conditions could be worse than others, meaning some shelters were more damp than others. These shelters were very good at surviving and protecting the occupants from bombs unless it was a direct hit on the shelter. These shelters would flex and bend without actually breaking apart because of the use galvanised iron which is very flexible due to it's formed "U" shape.

I believe that there were a number of cases of these shelters surviving pretty much complete but the occupants not surviving because of the bomb blast being so large and relatively close. To put it another way some people died just from the bomb blast alone because it was too much for their lungs and other internal organs to cope with but there was no apparent external injury to be seen.

[browningautorifle]

Some ground conditions could be worse than others, meaning some shelters were more damp than others.

Specially where you are, damp through winter.

[Flying10uk]

If I tried to install one where I live now, as per the official instructions i.e. sunk into the ground to the specified depth, it would be at least half full of water for a good part of the year. This is because of thick clay, just below the top soil, which doesn't allow for easy drainage of surface water.

[browningautorifle]

This is because of thick clay,

Yes, I was a farmer when young...I know well what that crap is like. You'd have to pour a concrete box with a top entrance. Then MAYBE...unless it floated right up out.

[GeeRam]

The one my grandfather dug into their garden was still there until around 1970. I can remember it as a young child wanting to play in it, but wasn't allowed as it was in pretty bad condition by then.

[Flying10uk]

At the end of the war you could pay a small fee and keep your Anderson shelter or dismantle it and return it. Mother's parents decided to return it but many people dug them up and used them as garden sheds/stores at ground level.