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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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gimme shelter.....

by Researcher 250481

Contributed by听
Researcher 250481
People in story:听
mother and father
Location of story:听
Middlesbrough
Article ID:听
A1325873
Contributed on:听
08 October 2003

My parents had not finished work on the "Anderson Shelter " in the back garden, so they had an agreement with the next-door neighbours : they could use their shelter whenever the sirens 'went' ( strange choice of word - but that's how people described the awful up and down wailing ) Teeside was not only a "popular " target in its own right - but also the last chance for returning Luftwaffe crews to jettison any bombs left over from raid on Glasgow or Belfast before crossing the North Sea. The sirens went one night : my parents grabbed blankets, 'Thermos' and hot water bottles and crept down the side path of No 9. They had just made the shelter when the owner ( a butcher,who was apparently required to take the tools of his trade home with him ) charged out of the back door,cleaver in hand,intent on taking on the "two Jerry parachutists" who'd just landed in his garden. Family history does not relate whether drink was implicated.
Postscript : when our shelter was finished, my father tried to prettify it by disguising it as a rockery..the sight of the stones in the earth covering the roof was not to the liking of the ARP warden who commented : " there won't be a window left in the neighbour if a bomb hits that lot" He seemed surprisingly unconcerned by the possible fate of any of the shelter's inhabitants.

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These messages were added to this story by site members between June 2003 and January 2006. It is no longer possible to leave messages here. Find out more about the site contributors.

Message 1 - Shelter.

Posted on: 09 October 2003 by Frank Mee Researcher 241911

Hi researcher 250481,
Dad Built his own shelter in our large Garden at Norton with electric light the lot. Your story reminded me of an incident we had.
The little old Lady living in the cottage next door asked if she could come into our shelter. But never arrived until one night during a heavy raid she managed to get through our house to the shelter.
Problem, she was a big woman and our entrance tunnel that had a bend in it was narrow. Mum and young Sister inside pulling was having no effect at all, she was stuck solid.
Me sleepy head who mother would pull out of bed onto the floor where I promptly went back to sleep, awoke with the crash of the Kiaora guns.
I flew down the stairs just as another thunderous roar went off and dived head first into the tunnel unexpectedly hitting this big soft round cushion with a mighty thump. To my utter amazement the cushion let out a scream and flew into the shelter knocking mother and sister off their feet into a tangle of legs and things that had to be seen to be believed.
So we sat out the raid all knowing what was coming, we had to get the old lady back out. At the all clear I went for Dad the Firewatcher and he had to come and dismantle the tunnel, we got the old lady out and never saw her in the shelter again though Dad did make the tunnel bigger.
There were laughs as well as sadness in the war.

Message 1 - Shelter.

Posted on: 09 October 2003 by Frank Mee Researcher 241911

Hi researcher 250481,
Dad Built his own shelter in our large Garden at Norton with electric light the lot. Your story reminded me of an incident we had.
The little old Lady living in the cottage next door asked if she could come into our shelter. But never arrived until one night during a heavy raid she managed to get through our house to the shelter.
Problem, she was a big woman and our entrance tunnel that had a bend in it was narrow. Mum and young Sister inside pulling was having no effect at all, she was stuck solid.
Me sleepy head who mother would pull out of bed onto the floor where I promptly went back to sleep, awoke with the crash of the Kiaora guns.
I flew down the stairs just as another thunderous roar went off and dived head first into the tunnel unexpectedly hitting this big soft round cushion with a mighty thump. To my utter amazement the cushion let out a scream and flew into the shelter knocking mother and sister off their feet into a tangle of legs and things that had to be seen to be believed.
So we sat out the raid all knowing what was coming, we had to get the old lady back out. At the all clear I went for Dad the Firewatcher and he had to come and dismantle the tunnel, we got the old lady out and never saw her in the shelter again though Dad did make the tunnel bigger.
There were laughs as well as sadness in the war.

Message 1 - Shelter.

Posted on: 09 October 2003 by Frank Mee Researcher 241911

Hi researcher 250481,
Dad Built his own shelter in our large Garden at Norton with electric light the lot. Your story reminded me of an incident we had.
The little old Lady living in the cottage next door asked if she could come into our shelter. But never arrived until one night during a heavy raid she managed to get through our house to the shelter.
Problem, she was a big woman and our entrance tunnel that had a bend in it was narrow. Mum and young Sister inside pulling was having no effect at all, she was stuck solid.
Me sleepy head who mother would pull out of bed onto the floor where I promptly went back to sleep, awoke with the crash of the Kiaora guns.
I flew down the stairs just as another thunderous roar went off and dived head first into the tunnel unexpectedly hitting this big soft round cushion with a mighty thump. To my utter amazement the cushion let out a scream and flew into the shelter knocking mother and sister off their feet into a tangle of legs and things that had to be seen to be believed.
So we sat out the raid all knowing what was coming, we had to get the old lady back out. At the all clear I went for Dad the Firewatcher and he had to come and dismantle the tunnel, we got the old lady out and never saw her in the shelter again though Dad did make the tunnel bigger.
There were laughs as well as sadness in the war.

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