Wartime
Wednesday: DIY Stanton Shelters
The more I research World War II, the more I realize how
easy my everyday life is because of the vast number of modern conveniences now
available. Food was made from scratch. Clothing was handmade. (Yes, there were
ready-to-wear items in stores, but after rationing began scarcity became a
problem.) Cameras came with a manual that explained how to process film, so
that even photographs were developed at home.
As discussed in two prior posts, Anderson Shelters and Morrison Shelters were also Do-It-Yourself. Made of steel, the pieces bolted
together and were seemingly easy to assemble. I recently discovered Stanton
Shelters, another type of air raid shelter that was delivered unassembled.

The manufacturer’s instructions touted the shelter’s
ease of assembly, but I can’t imagine trying to wrestle large pieces of
concrete into place, then connecting them and slathering the joints with some
sort of “goop” to make them impervious to water. I’m skeptical that this was a
simple weekend project. The general public may have felt the same way. Only
about 100,000 personal Stanton shelters were assembled versus the millions of
Anderson and Morrison shelters. However, there are reports of multiple Stanton
shelters on company sites around England.
In a BBC interview, Mr. Ashby talked about the mixed
blessing of her family’s Stanton shelter. “A couple of benches and an oil lamp
made up the furnishings. Dad said we would be safe there.” Apparently his
father didn’t consider the weather because it flooded during rainy weather.
Fortunately he was correct about its effectiveness. During one air raid the
shelter was hit by an incendiary bomb that “hit the roof and bounced off into
the garden without detonating.”
Think you could have hauled around bits of concrete to
build a shelter?
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Set in 1942 and taking place in London, Under Fire tells the story of Ruth Brown, whose missing sister Jane is declared dead. Following clues from her tiny New Hampshire town overseas to England, Ruth stumbles resistance fighters, the IRA, and smugglers, all of whom want her dead for what she has discovered.
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