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Topic: Air Raid Shelters (Read 4189 times)

Meryl

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Air Raid Shelters « Posted: 07 September 2010 at 10:15 PM »

Does anyone know if there are any records for the air raid shelters that were under the playground of Lovewell Road school? Or is there anyone who knows anything about them.?


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Joe

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #1 Posted: 07 September 2010 at 10:24 PM »

I've asked similar questions in the past, Meryl, but not had much luck getting answers. All I do know, well was told, is that when there's light snow on the ground the snow in the area directly above the shelter melts first showing where the shelter is.

One thing I've wondered about is how such shelters are constructed. I'd love to see photos taken while they were dug out showing, first, the big hole, & second, the roof being put on. The roof problem interests me because the shelter would necessarily be quite big, so how would it be made to support the weight of the concrete above it & still be safe 65 years later.

Thanks for asking, I'll be followng this thread with interest.


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Meg

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #2 Posted: 07 September 2010 at 10:32 PM »

There were shelters on the Grammar School playing field when I went there in the 1950's.There were steps going down each end and they were quite long.These were on the "girl's side" of the field so don't know if there were any on the other side-maybe Mick(freelance) can tell us.We used to go down in them if it rained while we were outside.


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freelance

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #3 Posted: 08 September 2010 at 01:12 AM »

Yes we had the shelters on the boys' side as well.


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Meryl

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #4 Posted: 08 September 2010 at 11:16 AM »

I have just spent over an hour at the library ,together with the very helpful staff, try to research the Lovewell Road air raid shelters. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any records or info on these at all.
Just one little snippet was in the school log book, where all entries had stopped in 1940, this said "we had an air raid this morning and 2 this afternoon and the children had to hide under their desks. From this we have to assume that 1940 was pre air raid shelters and that they were constructed after this. My memories of them was about 1942.


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bombtheb

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #5 Posted: 11 September 2010 at 11:50 AM »

Minor correction, but I think the log book entry should have read "air-raid ALERT", either that or it was assumed that when the sirens sounded an attack was in progress. I'm sure that I don't need to explain that there were many instances when air-raid warnings were sounded and nothing happened; conversely, there were quite a few attacks on the town when no warnings were given - that of 12 May 1943 being the worst with 32 killed.
I think Robert Jarvis has done some research into the Dell Road School shelter, but whether any plans or detailed records of construction have emerged I am unable to say. The various wartime shelters around the town is certainly a subject worthy of further research.

BC


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Meryl

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #6 Posted: 11 September 2010 at 12:01 PM »

Why I mentioned the log book entry was because it simply confirms that the air raid shelters were not in use until after this date. By the time I got home after being at the library I may have misremembered the actual wording, if this was the case then I apologise.


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Joe

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #7 Posted: 11 September 2010 at 01:22 PM »

It seems I followed you to the record office, Meryl! I asked Ivan Bunn about construction of air raid shelters & he told me there weren't any photos taken. Furthermore he said it was absolutely illegal to photograph them being built, something maybe to do with a fear of the photos reaching the Germans - who, it sems, built fantastic air raid shelters, he showed me pictures of some. In fact, if I'm getting this right, Ford Jenkins was the 'official' photographer of Lowestoft during WW2 & only he was allowed to take photos of war releted events.

One therefore has to hope some amateur photographers were able to take & develop photos of air raid shelters being built, & that, if they did, they weren't double agents passing their results to the enemy! Because, if they didn't, this part of recent history could very easily be lost.

Is there anyone reading this who actually watched air raid shelters being built?


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bombtheb

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #8 Posted: 11 September 2010 at 02:07 PM »

You are right saying Ford Jenkins was the only photographer officially sanctioned by the Ministry of Information (changed by Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels to "misinformation") to take pictures of wartime events. However, the late Jeff Gorrod, who was a surveyor for the Lowestoft Borough Council before the war, also took some pictures. Most of his pictures and negatives were held by WDC or their subordinate planning offices, but their location is not known now ?

I am doubtful if any pictures of the larger shelters will come to light unless somebody has some personal snaps of the people involved in the construction work itself. As you say it was expressly forbidden to take pictures of such things, and it is only through the efforts of a few people who defied the rules and took some of their own photos that we have a few "unofficial" images from these extraordinary times.

Recommended reading: "Life in the Shelters" article by Andrew P Hyde pp112-121 in "The Blitz: Then & Now Vol.2 edited by Winston G Ramsey, After The Battle Publications, 1988 (ISBN 0 900913 54 1).


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malcolm

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Re: Air Raid Shelters « Reply #9 Posted: 12 September 2010 at 12:28 AM »

I must find out when the Duxford autumn air display is on.


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