Brisbane Air Raid SheltersBrisbane World War 2 Air Raid Shelters
- Designing and erecting air raid shelters
- Strengthening buildings and structures against possible air raids or other forms of enemy action
- Laying salt-water mains in city streets for fire-fighting purposes
- Blacking out tramway lights, street lights and other forms of illumination
- Painting kerbing white at street intersections to assist during blackout conditions
- Procuring war-reserve supplies of plant, machine tools, coal, oil and other commodities
- Purchase and delivery of sand to ARP wardens and the public for use when dealing with incendiary bombs
- Supply of equipment for decontamination and bomb disposal purposes
- Provision of first aid and decontamination posts at Council depots and other locations
- [1] Rockhampton Morning Bulletin newspaper - Mon 16 Dec 1940
- [2] Former WW2 Air Raid Shelter Conservation Management Plan - Brisbane City Council 2003
- [3] Brisbane Courier-Mail newspaper - Wed 18 Feb 1942
- [4] Brisbane Telegraph newspaper - Wed 20 Sep 1944
"It is my melancholy duty..."
On 3 September 1939, Australian Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies announced that the country was at war:
"Fellow Australians, it is my melancholy duty to inform you officially, that in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia is also at war. No harder task can fall to the lot of a democratic leader than to make such an announcement."
War clouds had been gathering for several years previously, and the announcement did not come as a surprise to many. What was also clear was that this war would be different from the last Great War, particularly when it came to air warfare.
Air warfare had evolved considerably since World War 1 and aircraft had become a devastating offensive tool. Defence and protection against air raids became increasingly important for both military forces and the civilian population.
For the first two years of the war, however, the fighting seemed far from home soil. Australian navy, air force, and army resources were despatched to Europe and the Middle East to support the allied efforts against German and Italian ambitions.
Air Raid Precaution Committees had been established in Queensland in 1938, prior to the outbreak of war, but little work was done, even after Menzies' announcement in 1939.
The first reported official public air raid shelter to be constructed in Brisbane was built by volunteers in the grounds of the Pinkenba school in December 1940 [1]. It was a relatively basic affair, being half-sunken into the ground and built of "stout wooden girders thickly covered with layers of sandbags", lined with metal sheeting and fitted with basic electric lighting. Capacity was estimated to be 100 persons.
The same newspaper article noted that Brisbane City Council was also constructing an experimental shelter in New Farm Park, presumably another trench type.
Air Raids on Home Soil
By late 1941, the situation was suddenly completely different. With the bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese in December 1941, America had offically entered the war. Japanese forces were sweeping through South East Asia and the South West Pacific, and Australia found the war at its doorstep.
The attacks on Darwin (NT) in February 1942 and Broome (WA) in March 1942 brought the reality of air raids on Australian home soil and reinforced the belief that invasion was imminent. Indeed, air raids by Japanese aircraft would continue until November 1943, with attacks on Wyndam (WA), Horn Island, Katherine (NT), Townsville (Qld), Mossman (Qld), Onslow (WA) and Drysdale River Mission (WA). Darwin and its surrounding airfields suffered over 45 seperate air raids.
On 18 April 1942, American General Douglas MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), with his headquarters in Brisbane, Australia. Australian General Sir Thomas Blamey was appointed as commander of Australian forces.
Brisbane had now become a military garrison and the war footing was evident throughout South East Queensland. Airfields at Eagle Farm, Archerfield, Strathpine and Amberly hosted enormous numbers of aircraft. Troops were barracked in any available place, including tent cities at local racecourses. Many local industries had redirected their efforts to war activities.
Brisbane City Council Air Raid Precautions
On Christmas Eve 1941, each Australian State Emergency Committee issued instructions for government, private employers, and private households to immediately begin building air raid shelters.
Brisbane City Council, with responsibility over the entire City of Brisbane area of some 1,340 square kilometres (518 square miles), was tasked to undertake the bulk of the public air raid precautions (ARP) work in Brisbane.
During the year 1941-1942, the Council's Emergency Works Program included:
Under the Protection of Persons and Property Order No.1 of 23 December 1941, the Council was authorised to construct 200 public air raid shelters, although construction work had actually started a week earlier. The number was further increased to 275, however only 266 sites were eventually determined to be suitable for construction.
Types of Public Air Raid Shelters
The public shelters whose design and construction were overseen by the Council were intended to be for the "floating" population, meaning members of the public who who may have been "caught out" during an air raid - the total capacity of the public shelters was less than 20,000 people. However, many private shelters, in homes and businesses, were constructed and basements of large building were also used as shelters.
The shelters were not, and were not intended to be, "bomb proof", but rather to provide protection from strafing, flying debris and falling fragments of exploded anti-aircraft shells fired from the ground defenders (which could be as deadly as the bombs).
The Council's City Architect, Frank Gibson Costello, oversaw the design and construction of the public shelters in the Council area. In designing the shelters, Costello attempted to vary the form and materials of some shelters with a view to potential post-war use. He was aware of the significant expenditure of public funds required and furthermore concerned that "...if the emergency for their use does not arise... (unused shelters will).. remain in brick and concrete, in many cases having no further value and being a possible source of nuisance..." In summarising his approach, he stated: "Without sacrificing the primary requirement of shelter from air attack, I have endeavoured in our Council buildings to so plan the shelters that they will fit into schemes of improvement which we hope will proceed immediately after the war." [2]
There appears to be no consistent or unique description of the types of shelters constructed by Council - even the original plans show some ambiguity. I have, accordingly, defined the types as below.
Similarly, the stated capacity of the shelters is not consistent. The standard surface public shelters were roughly 40 feet long x 12 feet wide and 9 feet high. Council records initially list the capacity of the standard shelters at 70 persons, but this seems to have been revised down to 50 persons. It seems plausible that the figure of 70 was a theoretical calculation and following actual experience it was determined that 50 was more realistic. Some shelters with lavatory facilities may also have had a slightly reduced capacity.
The trench type of shelters list capacity as 1 person per linear foot of trench. This is consistent with a row of bench seating each side of the trench with each person taking up about 2 feet of bench space.
Monolithic concrete or brick blockhouse "pillbox" type
Most shelters of this type were constructed down the centre of the inner-city streets, and all were demolished at the end of the war.
A reinforced concrete slab floor supported either reinforced concrete or reinforced double-brick blast walls. Minimum thickness of the concrete walls was 12 inches, while wall brickwork was a minimum of 13½ inches. A reinforced concrete suspended slab roof (minimum 4 inches thick) was cast in-situ after the wall were complete.
As these shelters were not intended to be permanent structures, speed of construction was more important than finished aesthetics.
Those shelters with concrete blast walls had the walls built using rough timber plank formwork, with the finished height requiring two or three separate pours, or lifts, over a period of day or weeks. Contemporary photographs show a very rustic finish, with visible board patterns and ridges where concrete has oozed from the gaps between boards.
Brick walls also appear to have been constructed with less regard to final appearance than was usual building practice. In both brick and concrete walls, Z-shaped air vents were formed, approximately one foot below the roofline.
The roof was cast on similarly rough formwork, although some attempt seems to have been made to get a smooth finish on the top face, with a fall from a centre ridge line to aid water runoff.
No shelters of this type survive. The Council-designed "Bus Stop" type of shelter was dimensionally similar, and it is likely that its features were similar to those constructed in the city streets. [2]
The Council records note that some of the shelters were built with lavatory facilities – essentially an "earth closet" in a small cubicle at the entry. They do not appear to have been fitted with electric lighting.
One feature that remains unclear is the location of the entries on the shelters built in the streets. Some contemporary photographs suggest that entries on the "short" sides faced the same way, while other images (e.g. the photograph pf a shelter under construction) suggest the end entries faced different ways. There is even a suggestion that some may have been built with entries on the "long" sides. It is plausible that entries may have been constructed according to the site location. It also seems logical that end entries facing alternate directions would have afforded the easiest and quickest way for the public to find refuge in a confined city street.
Double cantilever concrete roof type
These shelters were built in, or adjacent to, parks, hence they are often referred to a "Park Type Shelters". There were intended, as per F.G Costello's vision, to be re-purposed after the war and hence the designs reflect a degree of architectural finesse and elegance.
A central row of four reinforced concrete columns supported a reinforced concrete double-cantilever roof, creating a free-standing structure. To complete the shelter, reinforced concrete or reinforced double-brick blast walls were constructed around the perimeter.
While the walls were structurally connected to both the floor slab and the roof slab with reinforcing bars, these connections could be severed when the walls were later demolished, without damaging the roof.
The original plans have a note stating that the shelters were to have conduits installed for lighting to be fitted after the war, but this note has been crossed out. There is no evidence on the shelters of this type that remain that any provision was made. The plans show the location of internal partitions screening an "earth closet".
The majority of the air raid shelters that survive today are of this type, possibly because of their locations in parks, but also because their simple, elegant appearance gives little clue to their original purpose.
Single cantilever concrete roof type
This type was also referred to as the "Waiting Shed Type Shelter" as it was also intended to be re-purposed once it had served its time as an air raid shelter. More brutal in appearance than the double cantilever shelter, it had a 14 inch thick reinforced concrete rear wall supporting a thick, tapered single-cantilever reinforced concrete roof, creating a free-standing structure that could serve as a waiting shed after the war.
The other three blast walls were of either reinforced concrete or reinforced double-brick. Similar to the double-cantilever Park Type Shelter, the structural connection between these temporary blast walls and the free-standing structure could be severed and the blast walls demolished without damaging the remaining structure.
It is not clear how many of this type were constructed, and none survive today.
"Bus Stop" type
Another design intended to be repurposed after the war, it consisted of reinforced concrete rear wall, and reinforced concrete side stub walls that projected 3 feet from the rear wall. These were intended to be permant walls. The front and remaining side walls were reinforced double-brick. The reinforced concrete suspended slab concrete roof, poured in-situ, was supported by the walls.
For conversion after the war, a row of supporting columns were constructed inset from the front walls, after which the brick blast walls were removed. The repurposed structure was intended to serve as a bus stop, hence these shelters were usually located adjacent to a road. A variation on the theme used stone for the rear wall and side stub walls - if stone was used for blast walls, the specifications called for a minimum thickness of 18 inches. Four of these "bus stop" type shelters still exist, one being of the stonework variant.
Trench Systems
Trench shelters were also built in several parks. The name is perhaps slightly misleading as some were far more than slit trenches dug into the ground and much more sophisticated than the first one constructed in the grounds of the Pinkenba school in 1940.
The public trench shelters built by the Council consisted of rectangular-section reinforced-concrete tubes (approximately 7 foot high and 6 foot wide), partially sunk into the ground with the excavated soil heaped over the top for additional protection and concealment. In plan-view, they were laid out in a zig-zag pattern, with entry points at each change of direction. Lavatory facilities were provided.
Large trench systems in the City Botanic Gardens, Albert Park, Victoria Park, New Farm Park, Newstead Park, and Highgate Hill Park offered shelter for more than 6,700 persons. In total, the public trench shelters constructed by Council could accommodate some 8,450 persons.
Plans survive of the trench system built in the City Botanic Gardens, on the corner of George Street and Alice Street. Total length of the shelter was 1,050 feet. It had six entry points, each with stairs leading down to an entry door, which was flanked by lavatory facilities. There were five large air vents, which doubled as emergency escape hatches. Floor drainage was installed and it is possible electric lights were fitted. Bench seating lined each side, with room in the centre for occupants to walk up and down.
Specials
There were also a number of shelters built that were classed as "specials". Some were similar to the standalone monolithic blockhouse pillbox types, while other were incorporated into existing buildings. Not all of these "specials" were considered public shelters.
A large public "special" was constructed in the laneway behind the City Hall. It was likely to have consisted of several sections or compartments and have included lavatory facilities. Council records indicate the total capacity of this shelter as 500 persons.
City Saltwater Pipeline
Another highly visible air raid precaution in the city streets was the saltwater pipeline laid beside the air raid shelters. The pipeline consisted of cast iron or steel sectional pipes of approximately 2 foot diameter. The purpose of the pipeline was to aid firefighting in the event of an air raid and the line had valves places at regular intervals.
The pipeline was laid directly on the road surface, with rough asphalt ramps provided at the road intersections. During blackout conditions, no doubt the "speedbump" would have come as a surprise to any driver unfamilar with the feature!
In contemporary records, the pipeline is always referred to as containing saltwater, although the source of the water is not known. It seems likely that it would have drawn water from the nearby Brisbane River, which is certainly brackish in the city reaches.
Removal of Shelters
On May 8, 1945, World War 2 in Europe came to an end (VE Day). On September 2, 1945 (V-J Day), formal surrender documents were signed with Japan aboard the USS Missouri and the war that had caused amost 85million people to perish (3% of the world's population in 1940) was offically over.
By late 1944, it had been apparent to the alllies that the end of the war was a foregone conclusion. Military activity in Brisbane had been declining since 1943 and there was no longer any plausible threat of air raids on Brisbane. No more shelters were constructed and existing shelters were neglected. The air raid shelters no longer had a purpose.
While shelters built in parks and at the side of the road posed no immediate inconvenience, the monolithic blockhouses in the CBD streets were a different matter. As well as being an eyesore, they significantly impeded traffic and pedestrian flow to the detriment of businesses and offices. Additionally, the saltwater fire pipes presented quite an obstacle to traffic.
In September 1944, the matter was discussed in the Queensland Parliament. [4] Although Brisbane City Council had overseen the design and construction of the shelters in the streets at the direction of the state government, and funded 50 percent of the cost, it had no authority (or funds) to demolish them. Similarly, the saltwater mains pipeline, which had been funded entirely by the state government, required state approval to remove.
It was estimated that the cost of building the shelters was in the region of £100,000 and the cost of demolishing them would be somewhere around £60,000!
It was concluded that, once approval had been granted, demolition of the shelters could be accomplished fairly quickly with pile drivers and bulldozers provided by the Council or borrowed from the Army and Allied Works Committee.
The materials shortages then being experienced meant that there would be no shortage of takers to salvage any bricks. Likewise, the saltwater main would find a ready purchaser for re-use as water pipes.
Thus, the city street shelters disappeared. Sadly,the photographic evidence of their existence is sparse.
The park shelters and "bus stop" shelters lingered a little longer - indeed, a number still survive. In 1944, it was estimated that 69 of these types could be re-purposed, however, the actual number retained at he time seems to have been less. Only a handful remain today, although ome are still fulfilling roles as envisioned by F.G. Costello and are being maintained by the Council and State Government.
Businesses and private citizens were left to their own devices to remove any shelters they had constructed. In some cases the shelters were demolished, while others were simply abandoned or filled in.
Remaining Shelters
In 2003, the Brisbane City Council prepared a Conservation Management Plan for the surviving shelters constructed by the Council. The study identified 21 shelters still in existence, although only 17 remained under Council ownership at that time. Three shelters located in East Street, Fortitude Valley, and one in Wickham Street, Fortitude valley are owned by the Queensland Department of Housing.
This list of public shelters notes those constructed by Brisbane City Council in 1941-1942.
Some air raid shelter plans have survived in the Brisbane City Council archives.
Private Shelters
In addition to the public shelters, many shelters were constructed on pivate and residential properties to various specifications. Brisbane City Council compiled a list of private and residentail shelters exisitng and known in 1942.
References