primary homework help ww2 air raid shelters

It was dangerous living in a big city during the war. Cities were the target of enemy aircraft that flew over at night and dropped bombs.

Over 350 bombers flew across the Channel from airfields in France and dropped 300 tonnes of bombs on the docks and streets of the East End of London.

burying mother, fathers and children in the rubble

The enemy attacks from the Luftwaffe (the German air force) were called Air Raids.

What was the Blitz?

The on and other cities was known as the 'Blitz'. Night after night, from , German bombers attacked British cities, ports and industrial areas.

London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. One third of London was destroyed.

What does 'Blitz' mean?

Blitz is a shorten form of the German word 'Blitzkrieg' (lightning war).

When did the Blitz start?

On the 7th September, 1940 the German air force changed its strategy of bombing the British air force ( ) and began to concentrate on bombing London. Nearly 2,000 people were killed or wounded in London's first night of the Blitz.

During the first month, German Air Force dropped 5,300 tons of high explosives on London in just 24 nights.

When did air raids take place?

Most air raids happened at night.

How were people warned that an air raid was about to take place?

People were warned of a likely air raid by loud sirens, positioned in different parts of towns and cities. During the blitz, they became an almost daily part of life.

The sirens made a very loud and long signal or warning sound. For an alert, the siren sound pitch rose and fell alternately. The All Clear was a continuous sound from the siren. Not every alert brought a raid, and sometimes raids happened when no alert had sounded.

When people heard the siren they would stop what they were doing and make for a .

What other cities were bombed?

One devastating raid on Coventry in November 1940 was the biggest air-raid the world had ever seen. 4,330 homes were destroyed and 554 people killed. At one point during the night 200 separate fires burned in the city.

During the Blitz 32,000 civilians were killed and 87,000 were seriously injured.

Two million houses (60 per cent of these in London) were destroyed in the Blitz.

What type of bombs were dropped?

Different types of bombs were dropped from the enemy planes. There were:

• H.E. (High Explosive) bombs of various weights;
• Incendiary Bombs, also termed Fire Bombs as they caused fires. and

One in every ten bombs that fell was a 'dud'. which meant that it did not explode on impact. But some bombs had a delayed action fuse, which meant they could go off at any time. This meant that it was almost impossible to tell which bombs were which. People had to be evacuated until the bombs had been made safe.

From 1944, two new types of weapons were used, which had a rocket type of propulsion to launch a war head. They were known as flying bombs.

• The V1 ( Doodlebug) - They had no pilot and made a droning noise. As soon as the droning noise stopped people had 15 seconds to escape from the powerful blast that followed. Many V1's fell short into the sea, others fell in the countryside. Almost 9,250 V1's were fired against London, but less than 2,500 reached their target. About 2,000 were destroyed by anti-aircraft gunfire; 2,000 by fighter planes, and almost 300 by barrage balloons. The first doodlebug exploded in Swanscombe in Kent.
• The V2 - The V2's arrived without any warning sound. They also flew very fast and high up in the air; much too high to be shot down by the anti-aircraft guns of fighter aircraft.

Air Raid Shelters were built. To help prevent the Germans from seeing where the towns were, a blackout was rigorously enforced after darkness. This meant that all sources of light had to be blacked out.

What was life like during the Blitz?

Life was very hard during the Blitz and frightening too. London, in particular was very bad as it was bombed nearly every night. People in London spent most nights sleeping in Air Raid Shelters.

No one within any distance of a likely target such as a big city could sleep entirely easy in their beds. Sometimes German bombers made mistakes and dropped their bombs in entirely the wrong areas. At other times, returning from a raid, they would dump the remainder of their explosives at random in order to fly home in greater safety. Many bombs fell on the areas around the cities and in the Kent countryside, known as 'bomb alley' because it lay on the flight path to London.

It was difficult to move around at night time due to the Blackout and the problems it causes.

Families were separated with children being in evacuated.

Food and clothing were rationed and hard to get hold of because of shops being bombed.

How did the government try to protect cities from being bombed?

Barrage balloons were put up to force the german planes to fly higher – so their bombing would be less accurate. The Barrage balloons were tethered by steel cables strong enough to destroy any aircraft which flew into them.

Redsands Fort

To stop enemy bombers finding their way up the Thames estuary, in 1943 the army built Redsands Fort, a group of anti-aircraft platforms off the Kent coast.

When did the blitz end?

The Blitz ended in mid-May 1941, when much of the German air force was sent east to prepare for the invasion of Russia.

The next big air attacks came from the terrifying V-1 and V-2 attacks. These were flying bombs (doodlebugs) catapulted into the air from camouflaged launched sites in northern, Occupied Europe.

Further information

Images of the London Blitz (pictures)

Cabinet War Rooms 1

Cabinet War Rooms 2

A War time home (BBC) Have a look around a home and see if you can spot ways people protected themselves during the blitz.

©Copyright Mandy Barrow 2013 primaryhomeworkhelp.com

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Woodlands Junior School, Hunt Road Tonbridge Kent TN10 4BB UK

Life in an Air Raid Shelter in the London Blitz

Crowded and uncomfortable air raid shelters became a feature of the urban landscape across Britain during the Second World War (1939-45) as the bombers of Nazi Germany systematically hit cities from 1940. The London Blitz was a particularly sustained period of bombing which civilians escaped from by diving into private or public shelters when the sirens whined their warning signal.

People sought refuge in the London Underground stations, in purpose-built community shelters, in their cellars, under the stairs, or in refuges in their gardens such as the Anderson shelter. The danger was real, prior to the autumn of 1942, more British civilians were killed in the war than British military personnel.

The Bombing of Britain

Civilians had a lot to put up with even before the bombing started. The blackout was imposed where no non-essential lights were to show at night and so help enemy bombers. There was a real fear that gas bombs would be used, and so everyone was encouraged to carry gas masks. The Phoney War, the period of relative military inactivity in Britain between September 1939 and the spring of 1940, brought a sense of false security, but the German Luftwaffe (air force) would arrive soon enough.

Hundreds of thousands of children were evacuated from cities, including the capital where one million children were shipped out. Youngsters were sent to the safety of the countryside, but the separation from parents and a familiar environment proved traumatic for many. As the historian J. Hale points out: "By January 1940 about half of all children and nine out of ten mothers had returned to their old homes" (27). Despite this, when the bombing started, the official policy of evacuation was continued.

Bombers of the Luftwaffe and the Italian Air Force dropped both explosive and incendiary bombs, the first type to smash through buildings and the second to set the ruins alight. Britain had an integrated air defensive system, the Dowding System , which monitored incoming aircraft and sent out fighters to intercept like the Supermarine Spitfire , but many bombers got through to deliver their deadly loads. In the Battle of Britain , the Luftwaffe aimed to destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF), both in the air and on the ground, while a secondary aim was to terrorize the civilian population. As the Luftwaffe began to lose the battle , so it concentrated more on civilian targets. Most raids were carried out at night since darkness was the best protection for the German bombers against fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The bombers were guided by radar to their targets, but bombing remained highly inaccurate so that even when strategic sites like factories were the target, there was usually great damage to civilian areas.

London was first bombed on 24 August 1940. The bombers were to attack an oil terminal but mistakenly hit the city , thus beginning a tit-for-tat bombing of civilian areas that escalated to unimaginable horrors like the total bombing of Coventry and Hamburg ( Operation Gomorrah ). The systematic bombing of London began on 7 September 1940 and continued until the middle of May 1941. The British press called this campaign "the Blitz". The East End of the city, where the docks were located, was a particular target. Other cities across Britain were also repeatedly hit. For civilians, not knowing where the bombers would hit next, air raid shelters became essential everywhere.

The Warning System

The police and Air Raid Precaution (ARP) volunteers (1.6 million around the country, many of whom were women ), warned civilians that bombers were headed for their location, information that came from RAF Fighter Command using its network of radars and observers. The whine of air raid sirens became an all too familiar sound during the war. When the sirens went off, it usually meant bombers were just 12 minutes away. ARP wardens made sure people headed to the shelters, compiled damage reports, and alerted bomb disposal squads to any unexploded munitions (UXBs). The public often helped the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) to put out fires using buckets and stirrup pumps. People were informed that a raid was finally over by the sirens ringing a steady note. Most raids lasted most of the night.

The sirens, of course, could ring out at any time and interrupt daily life. John Scott, on leave from his post with Coastal Command, recalls a raid when he was in a London cinema:

In those days, early in the war, when the air-raid siren sounded a notice to that effect would appear on cinema screens, asking those who wanted to go to the shelters to leave quietly. On this occasion we were in a cinema near Victoria station when the manager appeared on the stage and told us that bombs were dropping. A few minutes later we could hear them; everyone rose and headed for the exits. In the streets outside there was chaos – people charging about, shouting, searchlights flashing, guns going off, bombs dropping, and already the glow from fires in the sky over the river. It was very frightening, and there was sometimes a lot of panic before people got used to these mighty raids. (Neillands, 45)

Eventually, the authorities stopped the sirens in favour of a calmer warning system using the ARP wardens. The people themselves became tired of leaving their homes night after night, and by November 1940, only 40% or so of Londoners were going to the public shelters for refuge.

Community Shelters

Britain expected a bombing campaign against it. The terrors of modern air warfare had been displayed all too clearly in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) in which the Luftwaffe had actively participated. One London resident, Mr Overlander, explains:

They expected a tremendous number of civilian casualties, dead, and all the schools and playgrounds were turned into emergency mortuaries with stretchers and things of that sort to put the bodies on. But the thing that surprised the authorities, owing to the policy of the Anderson shelters and things of that sort, was that very few of the people themselves were injured but there was a tremendous damage to property, all these little houses at the least blast fell down. (Holmes, 140)

The government followed a policy that community shelters were necessary but not to be encouraged since massing many people together would mean greater casualties where the bombs hit. There was even a government booklet, The Protection of Your Home Against Air Raids , which encouraged people to create a 'refuge room' in their house, basement, or coal cellar. A consequence of this policy was that local authorities were delegated to build and organise public shelters. This meant that facilities varied greatly depending on the area. The cellars of such buildings as schools and town halls, railway tunnels and bridges, the perceived sanctity of churches (although crypts were safe enough), and purpose-built street shelters of concrete, bricks, and earth welcomed people each night, not only locals but anyone caught out in the street when the bombers came. "In London alone, at least 5,000 shelters were erected" (Levine, 63). Some street shelters were death traps since councils cut costs and used insufficient cement. Some were so flimsy, dirty, and flooded that they attracted few shelterers. A shelter in Waterloo even had a sign warning people they entered at their own risk. The government had plans for deep underground shelters, but these were not completed until 1944. Businesses were obliged by law to provide some sort of shelter for their workers (who worked day and night shifts) and were given government funds to do so, but, again, the ability of such shelters to withstand bombing varied greatly.

One East End Londoner describes their local community shelter:

The shelter where we used to be what we call 'under the arches' and at the end of under the arches was a bigger archway and there'd be a canteen in there and this was run by Father John Groser of Stepney. He used to run the canteen and run dances so we all used to have half an hour, an hour up there and all. He used to come through selling coffee or cocoa or tea and what have you and keep us all happy in the shelters, it was one big, happy family. (Holmes, 141)

In the community shelters, people tried to forget the risks to their property above ground and the unsavoury smells and discomfort below. They chatted, played cards and darts, wrote diaries, and tried to put up with the consequences of so many strangers all together in the same place, the whispered prayers, the snoring, and the arguments that developed over breaches of shelter etiquette like putting down one's blanket in another persons's usual spot or stepping on somebody in the darkness. The majority stoically accepted the inconveniences, even developing a spirit of community as faces became familiar and routines were established. The authorities began to get their act together as the Blitz wore on, providing more public shelters with more toilets, washing facilities, canteens, and bunk beds. Much depended on the enthusiasm of the individuals managing a shelter. Some had libraries of their own, like one in West Ham with an impressive 4,000 volumes. Classes were put on and acting troupes toured the official shelters.

Sometimes bombs fell that destroyed shelters or underground venues previously considered safe. The famous Café de Paris , an underground nightclub, promoted itself as the safest nightclub in London. On the night of 8 March, the club was hit by two bombs, only one of which exploded but still killed 32 people. The Kennington Park Shelter in London – a long trench lined with concrete – was struck by a bomb, which killed 47 people. The hit on the Dame's Alice Owen's School in Edmonton was a similar disaster when a parachute bomb collapsed the building and trapped 150 people in the school's basement.

The Underground

Londoners quickly got the idea that the underground stations of the London Tube were a safe place to see out an air raid. Indeed, the underground network had been a place of refuge during the airship raids of the First World War (1914-1918). The government did not encourage this as it could interfere with the normal running of the trains, but people-power made the habit unstoppable as several thousand gathered in each station each night.

One had to bring one's own bedding, there was plenty of noise from chatter and children running about, and the sanitation was limited, but this did not put off over 150,000 people (around 4% of London's population) who chose to spend the nights in the stations.

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Even the underground was not immune to bomb damage. Sloane Square Station was hit on 12 November and 37 people died. On 11 January, a bomb hit the booking hall of Bank Station causing the escalators to collapse and a blast wave that swept people sheltering on the platform below into the path of a train. 111 people were killed in the incident.

Anderson Shelters

An Anderson shelter was a cheap and easy-to-build solution for those civilians who did not have a cellar in their homes or lived too far from a community shelter. It is often claimed it was named after John Anderson, Lord Privy Seal, the man made responsible for British civil defence during the war, but actually, it was named after one of its designers, Dr David Anderson (another designer involved was William Paterson). The shelter was composed of two curved pieces of corrugated galvanized steel which were set in a pit with a depth of between 1 and 2 metres or 3 to 6 feet. The roof was then covered with earth and turf (18 inches or 45 cm being the recommended minimum). The shelter measured 6 ft by 4 ft 6 in and was 6 ft high (1.8 x 1.4 x 1.8 m). They were meant to accommodate four people or six at a push. Around two million shelters were distributed free of charge provided one's annual income was below £250 ($17,000 today) with priority given to areas considered most vulnerable to attacks. However, production was halted due to a shortage of steel, a valuable material needed elsewhere in the war effort. There was, at least initially, a problem of uptake, as explained by one East End resident:

Many of the casualties that happened in the early part of the Blitz need not have happened if they had accepted the help and advice of the authorities. There must have been thousands and thousands of Anderson shelters staked up in depots up and down the country where people said they weren't going to have their gardens destroyed. (Holmes, 140)

The flimsy Anderson shelter did not appear to offer a great deal of protection, but many survived when the buildings next to them did not, and they certainly protected against flying debris. As the historian P. Ziegler states, an Anderson shelter could "resist a 50 kg bomb falling six feet away and a 250 kg bomb at twenty feet" (99-100). One serious design flaw was the lack of drainage and bailing out after a rainstorm became a frequent chore. People dashed to their garden shelter with pre-prepared bags of essential items and valuable documents like bank books and house deeds. Those keen on preparation bought themselves a siren suit, a sort of boiler suit with lots of pockets for essential items. When the sirens wailed and one had to get out of bed and dash to the garden, a single suit was a lot quicker to put on than normal clothes. The siren suit was championed by Winston Churchill (1874-1965), and there were small sizes for children.

People tried their best to make their Anderson shelters homely as they spent more and more time in them. They fitted their shelter with carpet, pictures (especially patriotic portraits of the monarchy), candles, artificial flowers, and as much furniture as could be squeezed in. Some went for individual beds, others for bunkbeds and chairs. Those who could afford it had a chemical toilet, others simply had a bucket. Time in the shelter could be used to read, knit, or repair things. People listened to wind-up gramophones or, because many were shared between households, caught up on local gossip as to who had survived the last raid.

For those who had neither a cellar nor a garden but still wished to stay in their homes during a raid, there was the possibility of acquiring a Morrison shelter from January 1941. The shelter, named after the Home Secretary Herbert Morrison, was a steel box-table that the family could all lie under. If none of these options was available, the last and most popular resort was to seek refuge under the stairs. A more drastic option was to leave the urban areas and head for a night in the countryside, a phenomenon known as 'trekking'.

The Psychology of the Blitz

The enemy believed that the systematic bombing of London and other cities would destroy the social fabric of Britain. In this, they were quite wrong, if anything, the opposite happened as people pulled together. Even the monarchy became 'one of us' after a corner of Buckingham Palace was hit by a bomb. It is true, though, that there were some strains put upon society.

There were often accusations that some people were using the shelters for improper liaisons. There were other, more sinister prejudices, too, such as rumours that Jews were spending all day in the shelters and taking the best places when there was a raid. The idea that the best-placed spots were being traded in some sort of shelter black market seems to have been widespread, too.

There were, albeit rare, instances of those without shelters acting upon their displeasure at seeing the wealthier elements of society safe in their shelters. In one incident, a crowd pushed their way into the basement of London's swanky Savoy Hotel, then being used as a shelter. The 100-or-so interlopers were led by Peter Piratin, a leading communist, but they were allowed to stay the night. Piratin and his followers were served tea, which they insisted on paying for (although not at the Savoy's usual price).

The authorities were certainly concerned over civilian mental health as well as protecting them physically from the bombing. John Langdon wrote a short guide for maintaining a positive attitude during the bombing, his Nerves versus Nazis . Certainly, many who could left the big cities for the relative safety of smaller towns, staying with relatives. As the destruction affected more people, the monarchy and leading politicians visited bombed-out homes, and the propaganda branch of the UK government put up posters with slogans like "Britain Can Take It".

The End of the Bombing

The Blitz ended in the spring of 1941, with Britain unsubdued. The Luftwaffe had conducted 85 major operations against London and dropped 24,000 tons of high explosives. The losses in aircraft and technological improvements in air defences meant the campaign was halted to prepare for Hitler's campaign against the USSR, Operation Barbarossa (22 June 1941). The bombing of Britain killed over 43,000 civilians, injured another 139,000, and made over 750,000 families homeless, but the skies would darken once again before the war ended when Germany sent almost 10,000 V-weapons, unmanned flying bombs, in the final year of WWII. These attacks caused another 6,184 civilian deaths and injured almost 18,000 more, but how heavier would have been these casualties without the country's system of air raid shelters?

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Bibliography

• Dear, I. C. B. & Foot, M. R. D. The Oxford Companion to World War II. Oxford University Press, 1995.
• Gardiner, Juliet. Blitz. HarperCollins Publishers, 2024.
• Hale, Julian & Bangsø, Mads. The Blitz 1940–41. Osprey Publishing, 2023.
• Holmes, Richard. The World at War. Ebury Press, 2007.
• Joshua Levine. The Secret History of the Blitz. Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2016.
• Overy Ph.D., Richard. The Battle of Britain. W. W. Norton & Company, 2002.
• Robin Neillands. The Bomber War The Allied Air Offensive Against Nazi Germany. Barnes and Noble, 2024.
• Ziegler, Philip. London At War. Knopf Canada, 1995.

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London Blitz

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The Bombing of Dresden in 1945

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Cartwright, M. (2024, June 13). Life in an Air Raid Shelter in the London Blitz . World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2481/life-in-an-air-raid-shelter-in-the-london-blitz/

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History for Kids

Anderson Shelter Facts & Information for Kids

What is an anderson shelter.

The Anderson shelter was an air raid shelter designed to accommodate up to six people. It was designed in 1938 by William Paterson and Oscar Carl (Karl) Kerrison in response to a request from the Home Office.

The Anderson shelter was named after Sir John Anderson, who was Lord Privy Seal with the responsibility of preparing air-raid precautions immediately prior to the outbreak of World War II.

Interesting Facts About Anderson Shelter

Below are some interesting facts and information on this very important air raid shelter.

• In 1938 the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain placed Sir John Anderson in charge of air raid precautions. Anderson worked with an engineer called William Patterson to design and ball a small, inexpensive air raid shelter that people could build in their garden.
• The first Anderson shelter was built in 1939. It was built in a garden in Islington, London on February 25, 1939.
• Over 1.5 million Anderson shelters were given out before the start of WW2. They were distributed  between February 1939 and the start of the Second World War that September. The shelters were given to people in areas that were at risk of being bombed by the Germans.
• Over the course of World War 2, another 2.1 million Anderson shelters were built in gardens around the country.
• Anderson shelters were free for people who earned less than £250 per year. For those with a higher income, they could be bought for £7.
• The shelters were very easy to build. Anderson shelters were made from six corrugated steel panels that were curved and bolted together at the top.
• The Anderson shelters were buried up to a meter in the ground. They would also have a thick layer of soil and turf on top to keep them secure.
• Shelters could hold up to six people and were incredibly strong. The corrugated sheets made them extra strong against compressive force and was perfect for protecting from nearby bomb explosions.
• You had to assemble your own shelter. Families who received an Anderson shelter got the materials and an instruction guide to put it together themselves.
• Many Anderson shelters are still in use today. A lot of people dug up the old shelters when the war ended to use them as garden sheds.
• A lot of Anderson shelters were decorated by their owners. This could include growing flowers or vegetables on the roof.
• UK bombings on German cities killed about 500,000 people but because of Anderson shelters German bombs killed 90% less — around 50,000. This shows just how effective the Anderson shelters were.
• Only 27% of people in London used Anderson shelters according to a 1940 survey. 9% slept in public shelters and 4% slept in underground railway stations. 60% of people were on duty at night or just slept in their own homes.

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World War Two - Air Raid Shelters

Subject: History

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

24 May 2023

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This lesson looks into different types of shelters used during the Blitz during WW2. It has handy QR code links to information sheets for students.

Students are then tasked with designing their own shelter based on the types of shelters which were used during WW2.

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World War Two - Home Front

This is a complete set of 6 lessons each lasting between one and two periods. The lessons look at what life was like on the British Home Front during World War Two. All handouts are included.

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Design a leaflet giving advice from the government to someone sheltering during an air-raid. You will need to include information on this presentation and from the text 'What To Do In An Air-raid' (below).

• Anderson-Shelters.pdf
• Anderson-Shelters.pptx

Read the information then answer the questions

(you can download the information as a document if you prefer - scroll down the page)

What to do during an air-raid

During the late 1930s, the British government began to prepare the civilian population for war. As well as the widely expected and feared bombing raids, it was also thought that poison gas might be used against civilians. Gas masks were issued in 1938 and over 44 million had been distributed by the outbreak of the  Second World War  in September 1939.

From 1 September 1939, 'Blackout' was enforced. Curtains, cardboard and paint were used to prevent light escaping from houses, offices, factories or shops, which might be used by enemy bombers to locate their targets.

The first air raid shelters were distributed in 1938. People without the outside space needed to put one up were encouraged to use communal shelters instead.

Public information films, leaflets and posters provided advice and guidance on how to cope in an air raid. These are some of the ways that the public could protect themselves – and others – during  the Blitz .

Take care during an air-raid

Blackout restrictions did not just cover the home. Street lighting and illuminated signs were extinguished and all vehicles had to put caps over their lights to dim them. In the early days of the war, people were forbidden even to carry around torches. The blackout caused a steady rise in accidents. A poll published in January 1940 found that since the previous September, one person in five had been injured in the blackout.

Carry a gas mask

The public were urged by the government to carry their gas masks at all times, although it was not a legal requirement to do so. Initially, there were instances where workplaces sent home any employees who did not have their masks and some places of entertainment refused to allow people to enter without them. During the  Phoney War   period – from 3 September 1939 to 10 May 1940 – many people stopped carrying their gas masks.

Ta ke shelter at home

An Anderson shelter stands intact amongst a scene of debris in Norwich, c.1941                                                                                                                                                  

Anderson shelters – named after Sir John Anderson – consisted of two curved corrugated sheets of steel, bolted together at the top and sunk three feet into the ground, then covered with eighteen inches of earth. If constructed correctly, they could withstand the effects of a hundred-pound bomb falling six feet away. However, many Anderson shelters leaked, were cold, dark and cramped and amplified the noise of falling bombs.

If outside, find a communal shelter

The Tube, October 1940 , by Feliks Topolski (wash on paper)

The government initially tried to prevent London Underground stations being used as air raid shelters, fearing the development of a 'deep shelter mentality' and the potential disruption of the capital's transport network. However, Londoners persisted in using the Tube and eventually the government had to reconsider. Aldwych station was closed and converted into a permanent shelter. Improvements such as bunks, better lighting, washing and toilet facilities were made at other stations.                                                                                        

Shelter at home (even if you don't have a garden)

A Morrison shelter in a dining room, 1941

Morrison shelters – named after the Home Secretary Herbert Morrison – were produced from January 1941. They consisted of a rectangular steel and mesh cage which could accommodate two adults and two children. The Morrison was intended for use indoors so was suitable for those without gardens. Though more popular than Anderson shelters, they were less effective as they provided no lateral protection. They could also be used as a dining table during daytime.

     Be prepared for a gas attack

Air Raid Precautions (ARP) gas rattle

Air raid wardens   were equipped with gas rattles and whistles to alert the public to a gas attack. Post boxes and lamp posts were painted with a substance which would reveal the presence of gas and identification and decontamination squads were set up. The public could attend lectures on the different types of gases that might be used and were advised to fill gaps in their windows and doors to prevent gas seeping in.

Read the text then answer the questions. Refer to the text in your answer. (Think – where in the text is the answer).

• In the first paragraph we are told  ‘the British government began to prepare the civilian population for war’. What is meant by ‘ the civilian population’?  [1 mark]
• War was declared on 1 st  September 1939. List 2 things that the government did to prepare for war  before  this date. [1 mark]
• List 3 changes people had to make when the ‘Blackout’ was enforced. [2 marks]
• Look at the image of the poster in the paragraph subtitled ‘Blackout’. Why do you think people were encouraged to wait 15 seconds before moving in the blackout? [2 marks]
• Look at the paragraph with the subheading  Carry a gas mask.  Which word in the first sentence tells us that the government tried to persuade people to carry a gas mask? [1 mark]
• Why do you think that Anderson shelters were names after Sir John Anderson? [1 mark]
• Some people preferred not to use an Anderson shelter. Why do you think this was? (Refer to the text). [2 marks]
• Why did the government try to prevent people from taking shelter in the underground? [2 marks]
• Explain why Morrison shelters were less effective forms of protection? [1 mark]
• Look at the first heading on page 3. What does  communal  mean? [1 mark]
• Do you think the government was effective in preparing people for air-raids? Explain your answer making reference to the text. [3 marks]

Information sheet and answer sheet

• What To Do During An Air Raid .pdf
• Air raid text answers.pdf

These posters helped Britain prepare for air-raids

in the Second World War

This will help you to understand how to structure an information text

• how_do_you_survive_an_earthquake.pdf
• how_do_you_survive_an_earthquake.docx

Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.

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