An Anderson shelter
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Anderson shelters were first issued in 1938 at a cost of £7 (free to poor houses). Devised by the Home Secretary John Anderson, but named after their designer Dr David Anderson, they consisted of fourteen sheets of corrugated steel which were bolted together to form a hut. This was placed in a hole in the ground and covered with earth, and could withstand anything but a direct hit. By the time of the Blitz, 2.25 million houses had an Anderson shelter in their garden, each providing shelter for 4-6 people.
This example was used in a garden in St Thomas until 1991 when it was passed to the museum; it proved inconvenient as a garden shed because shelves could not be put up in it.
Acknowledgments: RAM Museum
. Devised by the Home Secretary John Anderson, but named after their designer Dr David Anderson, they consisted of fourteen sheets of corrugated steel which were bolted together to form a hut. This was placed in a hole in the ground and covered with earth, and could withstand anything but a direct hit. By the time of the Blitz, 2.25 million houses had an Anderson shelter in their garden, each providing shelter for 4-6 people.
This example was used in a garden in St Thomas until 1991 when it was passed to the museum; it proved inconvenient as a garden shed because shelves could not be put up in it.)
