South East London underground station shelter during the Blitz

Following the onset of the Blitz in September 1940, thousands of Londoners began to use Tube stations as impromptu air-raid shelters. Although the idea of Londoners sheltering in Tube stations has subsequently become symbolic of Home Front resilience, in fact only 5% of Londoners used the underground systems in this way. Indeed, large parts of South and East london, the areas most vulnerable to attack, were not part of the Tube network. The images in this series, for instance, show people using church crypts, shop basements and even railway arches for shelter, in addition to Tube stations.

Although the Government had initial reservations about these unofficial shelters, it soon recognised their importance for public moral, as much as safety. Bill Brandt was commissioned to comprehensively document life in the temporary shelters by the Ministry of Information. Every night between 4th and 12th November 1940, he visited shelters across the city. On 12th November, he became ill and was unable to complete the survey.