The first few months of the war became known as the 'Phoney War' because there was almost no fighting and no bombs were dropped. People thought that they were not in danger of being attacked, so some evacuees returned home and people stopped carrying their gas masks.

Air raid shelters were built all over Slough to protect people in the case of an attack from the air. There were 3 types of shelter.

1. Public shelters
   These were built above ground from brick
2. Anderson shelters
   Anderson shelters were built from corrugated iron below ground in back gardens
3. Morrison shelters
   These were metal cages that people had inside their houses and made up beds inside them.

An air raid siren would sound when an air raid was due and people would make their way to a shelter. Later, when it was safe an 'All Clear' siren would sound.

Gas masks
Every British person was issued with a gas mask in case of a poison gas attack. These were meant to be carried with you at all times - they were issued in a cardboard box but people also liked to recycle and make their own holders for their masks.

The blackout curtains were drawn over windows at night to prevent light being seen by enemy aircraft. ARP (Air Raid Precaution) wardens would patrol and make sure blackout rules were being followed - you could be fined if you broke them.

Street lights were switched off and car headlights had to be pointed towards the ground. Night became pitch black. White lines were painted around trees and lampposts, and on kerbs to help people see in the dark.

In Slough, especially around the factories on the Slough Trading Estate, drums of smelly oily rags were burnt to create a screen of smoke to stop the enemy seeing what was happening on the ground.

Did you know??
ARP wardens had gas rattles – like old fashioned football rattles – to warn people if there was a gas attack. No gas attacks were ever made.

Detail of top right, showing how to look after and use your Gas Mask

Metal Tin containing eight tubes of un-opened anti-gas no. 2 ointment in original cardboard packaging -There is a date stamp : 5th March 1940 circa 1940 Crown Copyright/MOD

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Dorothy Bagshaw remembers their Anderson Shelter

"The air raid wardens used to come round. Even if there was a chink of light showing…knock on the door “turn that light out... ........Mother grew vegetables on top of our Anderson Shelter. We did use it a couple of times. I had an accident & fell off & landed up in hospital. My Dad & my brother used to sleep under the table. " T.W remembers a smoke screen in Slough " I can remember the dreadful smoke screen in main part of Slough. Oil drums stood on the kerbs, a lorry of soldiers went round at dusk, they filled the drums with black crude oil & set fire to it which gave off thick black putrid smoke & fumes. The idea was to screen Slough & the Trading Estate from bombers, it must have been quite successful as Slough had very few bombs compared with other areas. "