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At the start of the war, my parents decided to keep the family together and not let we three brothers be evacuated with the schools. My father also accepted the offer of an Anderson garden shelter so as to give some protection in the event of air raids.
The required shape and depth of hole was dug in the back yard and the corrugated sheets bolted together to produce the ‘metal coffin’. Seeing as there was five of us in the family, four bunks and a centre walkway frame were installed, the bunks constructed of wood frames with sacking supports on which one could lay in reasonable comfort.
Heaps of earth were built up on top and around the sides, back and part of the shelter front. Seeds were dutifully planted to produce vegetables and give some form of decoration.
It was my job to keep the interior of the shelter clear of cobwebs and other nasties, including mushrooms or toadstools that had the habit of growing. Electricity was fed from the house so that we at least had the comfort of an electric fire and also a radio and light.
During one period of air raids it was a case of regularly getting things ready for the evening so as to settle down in the shelter, it being almost certain that an air raid would soon be upon us.
On occasions, when a raid was in progress, my father would take my tin hat) (and me into the front porch to watch the anti-aircraft gun activity and also the searchlights trying to capture the enemy planes on their way. The most frightening thing was seeing the ground to air rockets being fired all at once up towards the suspected position of the aircraft, knowing only too well that amongst the rockets were those that had not exploded and were on their way down – maybe towards us. It was considered that more damage was done by our anti-aircraft shells and rockets that came down than the actual bombs.
I did see one German aircraft go down in flames and was able to visit its landing place, a disused shop.

Ian Dellow

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