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This story was e-mailed to Southen Counties Radio by Michael:

"While my Father was in Burma we had moved to Okehampton, in Devon, where he thought we should be safe from the "Blitz".
A large surface Air Raid Shelter had been built next to the river, just below the bridge on the Northern side in the Town. Access was gained by breaking the glass of a small box to extract the key to the padlock which secured the door.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of any bombing, and the arrival of large numbers of American Soldiers bivouacked on Dartmoor around Okehampton, the Shelter was being used for purposes which the Authorities felt were to be discouraged! Accordingly the door was secured and the key entrusted to the Air Raid Wardens.

During 1944 a lone Heinkel Bomber, which had been damaged during a raid on Exeter, caused the Air Raid Warning to be sounded for the first time in Okehampton, and a number of Citizens made their way to this shelter and waited outside for the Warden to come and unlock it.

The Bomber, loosing height jettisoned it's bombload - all of which fell into the river just missing the Bridge. The force of the explosions shot large quantities of water over the knot of citizens waiting outside the Shelter!
Apart from a soaking, no other injuries were suffered in the one and only time bombs fell in Okehampton."

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