Wartime defences

It seems odd to be talking of underground bunkers/fall-out shelters today, with the recent reports of North Korea in the headlines, for it was North Korea/Russia-Communism in 1950 that made us build them in the first place. At the end of WW2 it took three years to get all the troops back home that had been enlisted men, but the MoD did not let go, a number of the forces were placed on reservist list for a number of years - one telegram and you were back to military life regardless of employment, marriage etc. I believe 1950, Civil Defence started to build fall-out shelters and started drills for such etc, maybe Radford Kid may know? But the build up of troops to Korea at one time had me expecting a telegram, fortunately for me it never came, but the cold war became worse. Through the years we had the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, Greenham Common etc. It still goes on. AB was 'Alternative to Bread'. Me, I preferred the Dark Chocolate army ration.

1939 to 1945 bread and flour was not rationed so biscuits to soak was never mentioned to my knowledge.

I'm hoping this will be viewable to all - please let me know if not. The Earlsdon History Facebook page has just shared these amazing images of an air raid shelter in a garage in Stoneleigh Avenue! Earlsdon History FB Page

Hi Neil Does Stoneleigh Avenue back onto Warwick Avenue?

Not quite Rosemary It runs parallel with Woodland Ave - the houses on the westside back on to Hearsall golf course. It 'meets' Warwick Ave at the crossroads with Beechwood Ave. I live right by there

Thanks Neil, I think I can picture it. Unfortunately I disposed of my old A-Z of Coventry when I moved down here!

...the Council made their mistakes before the raid, like issuing hundreds of Anderson shelters, instructing people to put earth over them, then constructing street shelters and placing great concrete slabs over them. Edited by Midland Red, 21st Nov 2020 11:55 am (Copied from "West Orchard" thread)

I feel sure that Anderson and the indoor shelter in many cases saved lives. We used our Anderson as did my grandfather his, but neither had a direct hit. Outside Stoke National School on the green was a brick air-raid shelter, we had to line up for drill rehearsals. Also another in the playground at Folly Lane, but by the time I was there it had fallen out of use (1946).

Prof, the Anderson was brilliant, it was the council-built ones that crushed over a dozen people.

A barrage balloon. 1940 I saw the one on Gosford Green!

Thanks Prof My wild guess is that it could be somewhere on that side of the city, looking west? Is that the gas holder on Hill Street on the horizon, left of centre?

Yes Helen, I think you are right re gas holder and there are the three spires! Quite something those girls are tackling!

Could it perhaps be the memorial park. The CET mention several demonstrations there. There is also a dark shape in the middle of the picture that looks a bit like the top of the Memorial. There is also what looks like a wall with a door way in the middle and another wall to the side of it.

I think you could be right, Anne. The Memorial Park still has three of the concrete barrage balloon anchoring points in situ - at the far end near to Coat of Arms Bridge Road.

As a child, I remember a suspended barrage balloon on a carnival day, well anchored & secured in the memorial park. Don't ask me the date.