25 Feb:Britain’s Backyard Bunkers
The first Andersen Shelter, the pop-up sheds distributed to millions of Londoners during the Blitz was first erected on February 25th, 1939 – in the garden of Mrs. Spong, in Carlsbad Street, Islington.
Devised to protect civilians from Nazi air raids, and handed out free to those who earned under £5 per week, the shelters were dug four metres into the ground and covered with earth, provided cramped but potentially life-saving cover for families during bombings.
In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal why, nonetheless, millions of Londoners sought refuge in Underground stations; discover the creative external decorations proud homeowners adorned to their shelters; and consider how such terrifying experiences transmuted into fond memories for so many survivors…
Further Reading:
‘How to construct an Anderson Shelter’ (The National Archives): https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/home-front-1939-1945-part-one/how-to-construct-an-anderson-shelter/
‘How Britain’s abandoned Anderson shelters are being brought back to life’ (The Guardian, 2018): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/21/how-britains-abandoned-anderson-shelters-are-being-brought-back-to-life
‘Your Anderson Shelter This Winter’ (British Pathé, 1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHyxP3epU-w
This episode first aired in 2024