The Southland Times THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,1940. London People Go Underground

Southland Times, Issue 24235, 19 September 1940, Page 6

The Southland Times THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19,1940. London People Go Underground

THE MOST urgent problem of civil organization during a period of intensified air warfare is the provision of a maximum protection for the people. In London the first phase of improvisation is now being replaced by an approach to a long-range policy, and during the next few weeks the Government may have to make some far-reaching decisions. According' to a cable message printed yesterday, The Daily Mail has advocated “the construction of deep, bomb-proof shelters in every available open space.” The interesting thing about this suggestion is that it has at last reached the editorial columns of one of the large-circulation newspapers. Deep shelters were being advocated by smaller and less influential journals at least a year before the outbreak of war. Evidence obtained during the Spanish Civil War was quoted to show that there could be no satisfactory alternative to an underground system, and Sir John Anderson’s “back-yard” shelters came in for a great deal of criticism. Events are now proving that the critics were right. It is true that the Anderson shelters have saved many lives: they appear to withstand anything except a direct hit. But as the raids cover a wider area a growing number of these steel frameworks must be damaged or destroyed by falling debris. Although they might save their occupants several times, they can scarcely be expected to give protection for an indefinite future, especially if the raids become more serious. And replacements might be increasingly impracticable. Safety with Comfort

There are other and equally important arguments in favour of the deep shelter. No one knows how long the air battles will continue; but there seems every chance that Londoners will have to dig in for the winter, which is now almost upon them. Large underground shelters can be provided with lighting and warmth, and can be made habitable far beyond the scope of a family trench at the bottom of a damp garden. Moreover, in times of ordeal there is a natural tendency for men and women to congregate in large groups. It is easier to strengthen the morale of civilians when they can share the danger and the waiting, perhaps with a deepening sense of the comradeship which comes in war time even to a phlegmatic people. Already it has been reported that thousands of persons are ignoring official disapproval and are spending the nights in underground stations. The tube system is an obvious nucleus for a larger and more permanent network of shelters; but it is also the one transport service which can be maintained during the raids. If the people are beginning to flock down the escalators the authorities will understand the symptom, and may have to act quickly to satisfy an obvious public demand. These trends will raise some interesting questions of social adaptation. War brings many changes, and the present struggle, more than any other in modern times, is affecting civilians immediately and profoundly. The implications of a life which may have to be spent partly underground by millions of people, are beyond the reach of prediction. It is sufficiently plain, however, that the effort to defend a highly technical civilization, combined with a temporary return of the cave-dwelling instinct, must leave a deep imprint on the mind of England. Its ultimate effect may be found in strange and unexpected developments in post-war society.