• In September 1935 the Prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, issued ‘Air Raid Precautions’ which asked local authorities to plan protection for the public in the event of war. This was followed in 1938 by Sir John Anderson’s proposal for shelters for large numbers of people.

• The Anderson Shelter was the most popular. They were free to those who earned less than £250 a year, or £7 to those who earned more. Each shelter could hold six people. They were popular with those who had gardens and it was said they could withstand anything but a direct hit. Due to the wartime shortage of steel, the Anderson eventually stopped being produced.

A bombed Anderson Shelter

• The Morrison shelter was designed for use within a house. It would withstand collapse if substantial debris fell on it. Made of steel it could be used as a table during the day and as an enclosed bed at night. By November 1941 over 500, 000 had been distributed.

• Some towns built public shelters designed to protect up to 50 people. However these were often dark, unsanitary and highly unpopular.

• Due to space restrictions in cities many people had to find shelter wherever they could, underneath railway arches, in warehouses, under bridges and in cellars. Some even traveled out of cities. Chislehurst Caves in Kent normally held 1,400 people but was converted to accommodate nearly 10,000.

• In London many people used the London Underground. At first the Government was against this. Eventually they realized they could not prevent people from using them, and began to provide bunks, first aid clinics, chemical toilets and mobile canteens.

Elephant and Castle tube station during the Blitz

• 'There was no doubt about the squalor at first. For weeks in the big shelters there were no beds, not enough sanitation, no proper food, no hygiene, and no organisation to save women and children from queuing in the streets for hours to get a place. All these things were put right in time. The big shelters were equipped with bunks and a ticket system, with canteens, medical aid posts, and sanitary provision. Indeed they came to have cinema shows, concert parties, lectures, and other communal luxuries.' *

* Taken from the book Front Line 1940-1941, The Official Story of the Civil Defence of Britain, 1942, London: His Majesty's Stationery Office.