Deep Bomb-Proof Shelters Not to be Adopted in Britain

Northern Advocate, 22 April 1939, Page 7

Deep Bomb-Proof Shelters Not to be Adopted in Britain

LONDON, April 20. rpilE DECISION OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, TAKEN ON THE ADVICE OF EXPERTS, THAT IT WOULD BE A MISTAKE TO ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE DEEP BOMBPROOF SHELTERS ON A GENERAL SCALE, WAS ANNOUNCED IN THE COURSE OF A STATEMENT ON THE DEEP SHELTER POLICY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS TODAY BY THE MINISTER OF CIVIL DEFENCE, SIR JOHN ANDERSON.

The Government would, however, press on with its Scheme for providing the largest possible number of shelters against blast splinters and falling debris, said the Minister.

He disclosed that already over 300,000 of the Government’s steel shelters, capable of accommodating in all about 1.500,000 people, had been distributed, and it was expected that distribution would henceforth proceed at an accelerated rate.

In the meantime, technical advice would be afforded to industrials and others for heavily protected shelters where there seemed to be a case for providing them for certain key points and certain vital services. The reports of the conference of experts on which the Government decision had been taken, Sir John said, was completed after tests had been carried out on the problems of deep shelters.

The experts had rejected bombproof shelters because of the diversion of effort from active to passive defence, the difficulty of constructing a shelter system which would guarantee speedy and sufficient access, and the time required in construction.