Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The Weak Starts Again; Let’s Do It!

If you had friends like mine, you’d be the luckiest guy in the world!

Raining raining raining! We were amazed at how hard it rained last night. However, neither rain, sleet, snow, or hail will keep us from The Ol’ Ship in Santa Ana today as we say goodbye to Brian and Jan! They have to return to the UK becuase of their medical insurance. If it were not for that damned Obama and his lies, they would be staying here permanently! Their health insurance in the US was cancelled and when they tried to renew it, the cost tripled to $21,000/year and a $5.000 deductible! Thanks all to Barry the liar!

We are but a few pieces away…. Two weeks on and off!

Anyway, we are off to Ol’ Ship. While traveling down the freeway. at the great speed of 40 MPH, it was like being on the ocean! Water water everywhere!

Teas and beer on this cold winter day!

We talk about all sorts of things when we get together and today WWII bomb shelters were the topic! Wow! Bomb shelters! We needed our tea and a beer to get started! Brain remembers seeing the Morrison Bomb Shelter and they used to play in the Patterson Bomb Shelters as kids!

Did You Know? In November 1938, Chamberlain placed Sir John Anderson in charge of Air Raid Precautions (ARP). He immediately commissioned the engineer, William Patterson, to design a small and cheap shelter that could be erected in people’s gardens. Within a few months nearly one and a half million of what became known as Anderson Shelters were distributed to people living in areas expected to be bombed by the Luftwaffe.

Made from six curved sheets bolted together at the top, with steel plates at either end, and measuring 6ft 6in by 4ft 6in (1.95m by 1.35m) the shelter could accommodate six people. These shelters were half buried in the ground with earth heaped on top. The entrance was protected by a steel shield and an earthen blast wall.

Anderson shelters were dark and damp and people were reluctant to use them at night. In low-lying areas they tended to flood and sleeping was difficult as they did not keep out the sound of the bombings. Another problem was that the majority of people living in industrial areas did not have gardens where they could erect their shelters.

A census held in November 1940 discovered that the majority of people in London did not use specially created shelters. The survey revealed that of those interviewed, 27 per cent used Anderson shelters, 9 per cent slept in public shelters whereas 4 per cent used underground railway stations (4 per cent). The rest of those interviewed were either on duty at night or slept in their own homes.

Ellen Wilkinson was made responsible for air raid shelters and was instrumental in the introduction of the Morrison Shelter in March 1941. Named after the Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, the shelters were made of very heavy steel and could be put in the living room and used as a table. One wire side lifted up for people to crawl underneath and get inside. Morrison shelters were fairly large and provided sleeping space for two or three people.

Morrison Shelter (Indoors)

Brian and Jan told us about the Patterson Bunkers they used to play in as kids! They were all over the country especially in the country where there were yards!

Patterson Shelter (Outdoor)

We stayed around and had Indian curry and told stories for a couple of hours. Bob Z joined us about 1:00 PM which is always a delight! The rain seemed to have slowed down so we returned home for a quick nap before heading out again!

We headed to Melanies about 4:30 PM and we did get to see the sunset although it lasted about two minutes and was small!

The picture is brighter than it really was…thanks to Photoshop!
Miss Irene was there so we solved the world’s problems while drinking cranberry juice and non-alcoholic wine and beer!

After getting home about 7:00 PM we watched TV for a while and crashed, ready or this, at 10:30 PM. We both read while snuggled in bed… a good thing. Yes, we DID have tookies and I did not burn them tonight … I checked the temperature at least teice!!

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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