Air Raid Precautions. Hints for Housewives..

A wealth of practical information from a Mrs Creswick Atkinson. This 1941 booklet was aimed at housewives in World War II. In the case of an air raid or the possibility of such you either went to to your own air raid shelter (often an Anderson shelter), a public shelter or 'a table indoor shelter' or refuge room. If sheltering under a table you had to be sure it was the bottom floor or basement. The booklet is good on children and pets (although a child is often referred to as 'it') and says several times that they should be sent to the country, something not always possible. There is advice on gas attacks, incendiary bombs and even what to do if being machine gunned by an enemy plane:

Do not run away from the plane. Throw yourself down on your face at once. If you have to run, run towards the plane, not from it. 

In case your house is bombed:

1. Pack a suitcase of spare clothing and keep it at a friend's house in another part of town.
2. Arrange with a friend at the opposite end of your street or in another part of the town to give you hospitality for a short time in case of need.
3. Arrange with a relative to take you in until you can return to your house or find other quarters.

There is the usual advice about not spreading rumours and to 'keep cheerful yourself, and keep others cheerful too. A long face does not help anyone, but a cheerful face always makes the day seem brighter.' In fact 'Keep Calm and Carry on!'

Entering an air raid shelter (gas masks in boxes)

SHELTERS

  Is your shelter clean and always ready for use?

  Do you take part in keeping things clean and neat if you use a public or communal shelter?

  Try to do your share and feel that you have a certain responsibility for the way in which the shelter is kept.

Anderson Shelters

  If you have an Anderson shelter in your garden, is the earth covering thick enough ?

  Is the back well covered with earth as well as the top and sides ?

  The earth covering should be 15 inches deep on the top, 30 inches thick at the sides, and 30 inches deep at the back. It is the earth covering which protects, not the steel walls.

  Is the entrance protected by a wall, barricade, or the wall of a house not more than 15 feet away from it ?