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| Exciting Tom? Exactly. I think I have made my point. |
Sunday 11 March 2012
Hardly exciting: build your own air raid shelter
This is positively the last post in answer to my son's observation that it might have been exciting to live during the Second World War. I have been given a number of public information leaflets that, for me, illustrate the terror that must have gripped most of the population. So far we have had advice relating to prisoners of war, what to do if poisonous gas gets into your food, and the actions to take if the the Nazis actually land. This last information leaflet provides the householder with advice, and even plans, as to how to construct an air raid shelter. This is not like an IKEA flat pack - which can be difficult enough, I know. In this case you only got the plans; no handily wrapped wooden bits or bag of nuts and bolts. Just drawings. If the thought of being bombed from 10000 feet was not frightening enough, the government expected, or suggested, that people build and sleep in this scary construction:
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I remember my father telling me about sleeping in one of those... but then, his father was a woodwork teacher. True DIY in those days!
ReplyDeleteMy father and grandfather both have (and had) great practical skills. I have none. I can only hope that if the need ever arose the state would provide shelter for my lot. Flat packs with the bits are daunting enough. Thanks for reading though.
DeleteHi Tim
ReplyDeleteApparently they had one of these in Riversdale. I remember Grandma saying that her mother was seriously ill and had to stay in bed under it for a few weeks. It was a heavy iron construction she said but she didn't mention the 'cage' bits at the sides. Must have been grim. Vera
It just brought back memories of the great 60s/70s war issue and the protect and survive campaign that was truly scary and certainly wasn't exciting. Was it Raymond Briggs' animation when the wind blows hard thinking about even now!
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