This is copied and pasted from a PDF document from 1939 so there will be discrepancies with the the original document and this. I was going to correct all mistakes but I am off to bed so maybe another day.
I can understand why they built a deep shelter in tranmere for the ship builders but why build one in bidston? (this is an excerpt from that 5.5MB document)
S E C R E T Conclusions of the Fifth Meeting of the Civil Defence (Policy) Committee, held at Richmond Terrace at 11 a.m. on Friday, 14th April, 1939.
THE SUB-COMMITTEE agreed:- i) to take note of the report of the Conference convened by the Lord Privy Seal for the purpose of advising him upon certain aspects of air raid shelter policy, and presided over by Lord Hailey The conclusions of the Conference can be summarised as follows:- a) the rejection for technical and general reasons of any attempt to provide deep "bomb proof" shelters on a widespread scale for the protection of the civil population. (b) the endorsement of the policy of providing in vulnerable areas dispersed splinter and blast proof protection as rapidly and on as wide a scale as possible. (c) the recommendation, as a supplement to splinter and blast proof protection, of heavier protection for personnel engaged in certain essential defence activities, workers at certain vital industrial undertakings and (subject to any modification that may result from Conclusion (iv)(b) below) for certain skilled workmen and technicians "whose loss night be irreparable". The organisations and personnel for which this heavier protection should be provided to be defined by the Government. (ii) that the report, subject to amendment in the light of Conclusion (iv) below, should be submitted to Parliament at an early date by the Lord Privy Real as a -Command Paper, and that the Lord Privy Seal should at the same time make a statement in the House of Coiumons on the shelter policy of the Government. (iii) that a statement should be made, after consultation with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, based on acceptance of the principles enunciated in the report of the Eailey Gohference, suDjecc -co che proviso (unless the text of paragraphs 51 and 52 is modified in accordance with Conclusion (iv) below) that, pending further investigation, the Government must not be regarded as committed to the principle of discrimination in the same establishment in standards of protection foredifferent categories of personnel when not actually engaged in their duties. (iv) to take note that the Lord Privy Seal's Office are ascertaining before publication of the report whether the Air Ministry desire that certain passages should be omitted or modified in the light of military considerations. (v)' that the Lord Privy Seal' s Office should take up with Lord Hailey the possibility of revising the wording of sections 51 a n d 52 so as to make it clear that these passages refer to differential standards of protection for factories and other centres of activity as units, based on their relative importance for the conduct of the war, and not for different categories of workers within a centre of activity. (vi) that the minister of Health and the i;inister of Transport should take up with the London Passenger- Transport Board at once th-:- question of making use of certain tube stations for Casualty Clearing Stations; and. that the Lord Privy Seal -should, if possible, include a reference to this matter in his statement of policy in the House of Commons, or in answer to a supplementary Question, (vii) that the Minister of Health should ascertain the views of the organisations of the Medical profession in regard to the suggestion in paragraph 52 of the report that differential protection should be provided for surgeons in hospitals. (viii) that the Report and the proposals as to Government policy forming the subject of the" statement referred to in (iii) above should be submitted by the Lord Privy Seal to the Cabinet.
I can understand why they built a deep shelter in Tranmere for the ship builders but why build one in Bidston?
The Tranmere shelter wasn't built for the exclusive use of Laird's workers; access tickets were issued to many local residents. (I know; my relatives in Olive Mount had them). As for the Bidston shelters, I suspect they were built because it was relatively easy to do so and they provided accommodation for a large number of people at a modest unit cost.
The Tranmere shelter wasn't built for the exclusive use of Laird's workers; access tickets were issued to many local residents. (I know; my relatives in Olive Mount had them). As for the Bidston shelters, I suspect they were built because it was relatively easy to do so and they provided accommodation for a large number of people at a modest unit cost.
Hi chris Maybe not solely but was it not the main reason to build the one in Tranmere for the lairds workers? As for the one in Bidston it may have been easy but would still take up a lot of manpower/time and seemed out of the way from any industry and large population. As the above letters show they are not favoured due to that reason. I am probably wrong, lol
Hi chris Maybe not solely but was it not the main reason to build the one in Tranmere for the lairds workers? As for the one in Bidston it may have been easy but would still take up a lot of manpower/time and seemed out of the way from any industry and large population.
Certainly, the Laird's workers were lucky that the end of the Storeton/Tranmere ridge was located conveniently close by and they certainly used the shelters. As far as the Bidston shelters are concerned, they had a capacity of 3000 (half the size of Tranmere) and were, I would guess, within about twenty minutes walk of a large section of the population of the North End. In general, warning of air raids would be at least an hour, as Radar tracked the enemy planes before they even crossed the Channel. A typical brick built street shelter would typically only hold about fifty people and would not survive a near miss, let alone a direct hit. The walls were only a brick and a half (13") thick. As an aside, I have put on here somewhere pictures of the quarry containing an entrance to the Tranmere shelters showing bricked-up openings where a wheeled anti aircraft gun and ammunition was stored. (this is the quarry behind the garage opposite the top of Green Lane). http://www.instantstreetview.com/2pj7k8z3cwtytz1r8zr5z2u
Certainly, the Laird's workers were lucky that the end of the Storeton/Tranmere ridge was located conveniently close by and they certainly used the shelters.
Originally Posted by liverpool echo
The Home Office gave Birkenhead the green light to build the most expensive deep tunnel air raid shelter in the country in the 1940s.
They wanted to protect the irreplaceable Cammell Laird workforce.
Now I am confused The echo quote was from the link bert gave above which you are proudly mentioned in
Regarding the Bidston tunnel, was it actually used?
Well, Mike, you can't believe all you read in the papers. For instance, a quote from the same article: "Mellwood’s Danny Ambrose said: “We came across the concrete cap to the shaft and one of the residents came over to us and said ‘you’ve hit the tunnel’". It wasn't a resident, it was me and Pinzgauer. Mellwood's Danny Ambrose wasn't even there at the time. Having said that, I'm sure the location of Laird's was one of the main reasons for building the shelters. As far as Bidston goes, I'm not sure if it was used. Records show that the last bombing of Merseyside was in 1942, but the Bidston shelters were still under construction in 1943. There do seem to be reports of them being used though, although I can't find any proof; maybe someone on Wiki had a relative who used them.
Well, Mike, you can't believe all you read in the papers.
True, very true. I should know, I read the star
Originally Posted by chriskay
As far as Bidston goes, I'm not sure if it was used. Records show that the last bombing of Merseyside was in 1942, but the Bidston shelters were still under construction in 1943. There do seem to be reports of them being used though, although I can't find any proof; maybe someone on Wiki had a relative who used them.
Its hard to find any info on the Bidston tunnel anywhere. Having said that, there is not much on the Tranmere shelter either Most of the info out there regarding these 2 are in this forum
Hehehe! Thanks bert Just before I joined here I read all links pointing to them from the bidston tunnel thread on this forum It took me over 2 days to get to the end clicking on every link in the thread, and that was only part 1 Its why I joined here If you have any more links regarding this subject that are not linked to this forum I would love to see Thanks again bert
