Here are some facts about Morrison shelters, or, to use its official name, the ‘Table (Morrison) Indoor Shelter’.
- The Morrison shelter was designed by John Baker and named after the Minister of Home Security, Herbert Morrison.
- The shelters came in kits which could be assembled (bolted together) in the home.
- Morrison shelters were 2 metres in length, 1.2 metres in width and 75 cm tall. It was designed to be slept under at night and used as a table for the rest of the time.
- The shelter had over 350 parts, but mainly consisted of a steel top (like a table top) and wire mesh sides (one of which could be lifted open and acted as the door).
- The Morrison shelter was not designed to survive a direct hit from a bomb, but it was really effective at protecting people from the effects of a bomb blast.
- Over 500,000 Morrison shelters were made and they were given free of charge to families who earned less than £350 a year.
Find out more about some of the other types of World War 2 air raid shelters.
