I have documention from a Group HQ instructing staff to proceed at the double to trenches, should the air raid siren alert. I always imagines there would be air raid shelters, not trenches. Can anyone enlighten me please??? Many thanks
In the early days slit trenches were dug near places of work to act as emergency shelters - later more permanent shelters were provided
diggerblonde a bit here about them http://www.vauxhallandkennington.org.uk/forgottentragedy.pdf http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/united-kingdom/27223-kenningtons-forgotten-tragedy.html Kingston Museum, Their Past, Your Future | Topic Air raid precautions
Trenches were common as shelters as they provided protection from blast, covered shelters were unlikely to withstand a direct hit so the slit trenches were as good as anything really. Here is a slit trench at RAF East Kirkby:
In the book "Battleaxe Division" by Ken Ford-the 78th Div were in North Africa, and it says that "Private Johnson was engaged in producing a fine SLIT TRENCH at the foot of a huge gnarled olive tree when Randolph Churchill (who was visiting there) observed-my good man do you realise that by digging a trench on that spot you may be killing a tree well over a thousand years old?-Johnson replied-if its a choice between who goes, me or that bloody tree, its going to be the f***ing tree!"
