Air Raid Shelters
In the early months of the war, the government issued two million Anderson shelters to homes
in cities likely to be bombed. They were issued free to those earning less than £250 a year (the
average wage then was about £300. £300 was the equivalent in purchasing power today of about £25,000.
Anderson shelters, named after the minister for Civil Defence, John Anderson. The shelters consisted
of 14 strong curved sheets of corrugated steel, bolted together and sunk about three feet into the
ground. They were 6 feet 6 inches high and 4 feet 6 inches wide. On top was added about 15 inches of soil.
They could withstand anything except a direct hit but were not very popular because they tended
to flood and were cold and damp. They cost £7 to buy then - about £500 in terms of purchasing power today.
Mrs. Janet Convin has sent in these photographs of a deep shelter built by her grandfather, William
Humphrey in June, 1940. Her grandfather was not impressed by Anderson shelters and thought they
were not secure enough for his 18 month-old granddaughter, so he decided to build his own shelter at
what was then 40 Townsend Rd. It would be fully sunk underground and waterproofed. We also know how much
the materials cost as Mrs. Convin still has the original invoice of £6 16s 4d - though this
doesn't include the cost of labour since William Humphrey did the work himself. So, for less than the
price of an Anderson shelter, William Humphrey had built himself something far more secure. Fortunately
it was never put to the test but sadly neither the shelter or the house are still standing today.
"Progress", ironically, has achieved what Hitler proved unable to do.
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