WW2 Household Bomb Shelters (non-Anderson)

[johnnyanglia]

Hi, Can you tell me whereabouts the brick built shelter that started the thread was. I have lived on the Southside all my life and do not have a clue where it is !. While doing some research myself i found references to brick built shelters being built throughout the East End in 1939. According to "The Builder" the first underground public shelter accomodated 200 and was built in Springburn in 1940. Various city centre offices from about 1937 onwards were constructed with staff basement shelters.

[DickyHart]

I heard about this shelter, and could find no evidence of it, my dad being from springburn, was taken to a shelter in Vulcan Street, where the library stands, there was also a public toilet there., now filled over 15 years ago.

[escotregen]

Johnnya the shelter I mentioned is just outside Croftfoot or King Park station - there were actually two until just recently. I can't quite remember just which station they are outside, but it's definately on the north side track. I'll check it out next time I onth train.

You mention a 'public' shelter. So just for calrity I should confirm that the shelters I'm talking about are 'small' sized ones to hold a group of 4 perhaps 6 persons. One typical feature is that they usually have a baffle wall just in front of the entrance to deflect any blast wave or debris.

[johnnyanglia]

Hi, Thanks for the reply. Is it possible that these shelters were for railway staff !. I would like to find out more about what still exists from the war in Glasgow

[escotregen]

Johnnya, I'm very sure these were not for railway staff. Several reasons for me saying so.

First, the shelters lie within the curtilage of the land adjoining the houses. Secondly, they are typical in size and design of the 'family' shelters. Thirdly they are not situated next to any buildings or sidings where railway wokers would be (although this could of course have changed over time). Fourthly, a little commuter line like Croftfoot or Kings Park would not have been accorded the type of strategic priority that would be needed to get the materials and labour to build the shelters at the time i.e. when Britain was at its most desperate and vulnerable during 1939 - 41.

It was very common for the owners of bungalows and semis to have their own shelters in the back garden. One mystery I'm seeking to clear up is why some had the more widely known 'Anderson' shelter made up of corrugated steel, while others had the brick built ones. The Anderson was standard issue form the government for individual houses. In 1939/40 there was a long waiting list for Anderson shelters. I'm told that brick shelters were mostly for more communal use for the likes of tenement residents or in commercial or industrial areas (like the public one you refer to).

I can add another incidental piece to this story of shelters as it applies to the Rutheglen area. At the corner of Dryborough Avenue and Stonelaw Road there is a four-in-a-block of flats. While the occupants were in their shelter during a raid, the block took a direct hit and sustained heavy damage. A photograph of the bomb damage used to be displayed in the Peoples Palace. Also, Fossil posted a photograph sometime in the past year of an 18 tram going down Stonelaw Road; I reckon this must have been taken during or just after WW2, because you can see the white rings painted around the tree trunks to help guide motorists during the blackouts.

I also have a piece of oral history of the tragedy of two families being exterminated by a bomb in their shared shelter in Rutherglen whilst the 2 fathers escaped unscathed on the scene - but that would take too long here so I'll have to relate it to you some other time

[Fossil]

............................

It was very common for the owners of bungalows and semis to have their own shelters in the back garden. One mystery I'm seeking to clear up is why some had the more widely known 'Anderson' shelter made up of corrugated steel, while others had the brick built ones. The Anderson was standard issue form the government for individual houses. In 1939/40 there was a long waiting list for Anderson shelters. I'm told that brick shelters were mostly for more communal use for the likes of tenement residents or in commercial or industrial areas (like the public one you refer to).

I can add another incidental piece to this story of shelters as it applies to the Rutheglen area. At the corner of Dryborough Avenue and Stonelaw Road there is a four-in-a-block of flats. While the occupants were in their shelter during a raid, the block took a direct hit and sustained heavy damage. A photograph of the bomb damage used to be displayed in the Peoples Palace. Also, Fossil posted a photograph sometime in the past year of an 18 tram going down Stonelaw Road; I reckon this must have been taken during or just after WW2, because you can see the white rings painted around the tree trunks to help guide motorists during the blackouts.
....................

this one escotty?



Fossil

[Pgcc93]

One mystery I'm seeking to clear up is why some had the more widely known 'Anderson' shelter made up of corrugated steel, while others had the brick built ones. The Anderson was standard issue form the government for individual houses. In 1939/40 there was a long waiting list for Anderson shelters. I'm told that brick shelters were mostly for more communal use for the likes of tenement residents or in commercial or industrial areas (like the public one you refer to).

Ed, there was brick built shelter at the bottom of our garden which was of the brick construction mentioned above.

My folks had it demolished sometime in the 1970's.

Funnily enough that was in Croftfoot! I just wonder if the brick variety of shelter came about as the result of the Western Heritable houses that were being bulit in Croftfoot/ Kings Park area at the time circa 1938/9 and the availabilty of materials that were on hand to build domestic shelters prior to or during the outbreak of WW2?.

IIRC johnnyanglia has a book Home Builders: Mactaggart & Mickel & the Scottish Housebuilding Industry that might have some info or at least the build dates for housing in Croftoot/Kings Park during that period

[escotregen]

Fossil that's the one. The photograph must be easily post WW2 because the damage to the front of the block of flats is no longer visible - the photograph in the Peoples Palace showed the full front corner of the block had been ripped off. The block is the last one just before the darker sandstone church building.

PG; very timely and apposite what you say... this morning I was lounging about in the coffee shop (Bank Holiday off and all that). Got into conversation with one of the regulars and we got chatting about this. He had a friend who stayed in Kings Park where M & T built a lot of the pre-war housing. His friend stayed in the house in which, he says, "the builder actually lived". Reason he found out was that when the friend was building an extension a few years ago, he had to call on all hands to help him 'cos he discovered the remains of and earthed-over old brick shelter! When they mentioned this to neighbours they found out about at least two other such shelters that had existed in the immediate area.

I think therefore you are onto something when suggesting that the presence of the builder, and building going on just as war broke out, was probably the reason for the ready availability of materials and men for shelter building (for private profit rather than await Government issue Andersons?). If JohnnyA can peruse his book for further gleanings I think I can maybe tap into the present-day M & T network with a view to uncovering any further info.

[footbowler]

There is still one in Southwood Drive in Kings Park, very close to Kings Park Station.

[escotregen]

footbowler thanks for that... I wonder if that's one of the ones I've been looking at from the train? I'm hoping to confirm location on my my way home tonight.

[footbowler]

The one im talking about cannot be seen from the station, as it is hidden by a house on Menock Road and bushes. It backs onto the actual Kings Park.

[Grahame]

We had one at our house in Knightswood until the early 70's. I was sad to see it go; although it did block out a lot of light to the back of the house, it was a great storage area, secret gang hut, fortified castle, launch platform for early BASE-jumping experiments utilising blankets for parachutes (failed - ooyah! ), and a host of other things.
But I suppose it was nice to finally be able to see the garden from the kitchen...

[escotregen]

Footbowler, of course you're right - the shelter you describe is different from the ones I spotted. By the way I confirmed this evening that they (well the remaining one) are on the north embankment as you are coming from Glasgow Central into Croftfoot.

Graham you are lucky!... the Glasgow Corporation started pulling the brick shelters down in the early 60s cos they had a nasty habit of collapsing when kids were playing on them and maiming and killing them... honestly the old Corporation had no sense of adventure.

[footbowler]

The one you are talking about is a different one from the one im talking about. The one i know of is on the southside of the concourse, directly opposite Kings Park Station. I could tell you the exact house and number, but for privacy reasons i wont. It could probably be viewed from Kings Park by going through the woods and down to the Southwood Drive part of the park.

[johnnyanglia]

It is great to see such a response to such an interesting topic. I will help in whatever way i can regarding the Mactaggart and Mickel book. Ask the questions and i will glean the book for the answers. With regards to the brick built shelters i am reading a book at the moment called "An underworld at war. Spivs, Deserters, Racketeers and Civilians in the Second World War" by Donald Thomas. In London there was at least one incident where one shelter collapsed killing people when much flimsy things around survived. Investigation revealed crookery and bribary between builders and the authorities charged with taking care of the shelter contracts. Maybe wartime Glasgow would make a good future "Hidden Glasgow" outting.