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#NVHOW20 Introducing Dr Stephen Moore @smooreBofB1940 ‘The Bethnal Green Shelter Disaster’; how the causes of the greatest loss of life in a shelter in the UK during the Second World War have been distorted by post-war press claims #SWW #WWII #SecondWorldWar
1 #NVHOW20 At 2025 on 3 March 1943 173 people died on this staircase during the Bethnal Green shelter disaster. Reoccurring conspiracy theories claim of & #39;cover up & rumour& #39; as information was withheld & #39;for two days& #39;, and details were & #39;kept secret for years& #39;, which persist today.
2 #NVHOW20 There was & #39;panic& #39; & & #39;pandemonium& #39; at the shelter, with a book portraying the Council as a hapless victim, having & #39;repeatedly tried, to make safe the access to the shelter’, claiming they had & #39;wanted to insert a crush barrier at the mouth of the shelter& #39;.
3 #NVHOW20 Press accounts appeared on 5 March, 36 hours after the incident, & since night raids were never reported directly after an attack, but on the following day, this conformed to wartime standards with most details included, & only the actual location was withheld.
4 #NVHOW20 A Civil Defence document confirms the press reports, also mentioning & #39;panic& #39; for the first time, & contained a drawing showing the location of the accident. Unlike Tube stations used as shelters, Bethnal Green was not part of the active transport network.
5 #NVHOW20 The Central Line extension tunnels were completed by the summer of 1939, but without rails a floor had been added to the tunnels & bunks installed. By 8 March a & #39;rush-breaker& #39; had already been installed at Bethnal Green to slow people down before entering the staircase
6 #NVHOW20 The Public Inquiry took place behind closed doors, with the absence of a crush barrier documented for the first time. One witness stated that people were entering the shelter & #39;at a level speed without any disorder& #39;, as the operation of the shelter was scrutinised.
7 #NVHOW20 It was clear that crush barriers had not previously been considered at shelter entrances. The staircase was & #39;in the open air& #39; throughout the Blitz, & puddles had to be swept when it rained. The Inquiry concluded that a crowd surge pushed people down the stairs.
8 #NVHOW20 The only reference to & #39;panic& #39; was afterwards when the crowd outside the shelter were ‘frantic with worry& #39;. Reductions in police numbers since 1941 meant a permanent post at the entrance was no longer possible, & the constable assigned there during an alert arrived late
9 #NVHOW20. The Dunne report put the Government in a difficult position, as information that personnel shortages had & #39;very adversely affected& #39; Civil Defence could have led to additional raids on London. The lack of police & wardens were also significant & #39;security considerations& #39;.
10 #NVHOW20 A roof had been added to the stairs & the entrance and gates were strengthened in 1941, but these & #39;improvements& #39; were the wrong solution. The work proposed in 1941 & actually carried out in 1943 demonstrates how circumstances had changed since Winter 1940-41.
11 #NVHOW20 Reports of crowds being & #39;out of hand& #39; were after the accident, & may have been people searching for relatives. Although a crush barrier would not have prevented the initial fall, it may have mitigated the casualty figures, but this had never been previously considered
