After the Munich crisis in 1938, Britain began to prepare for war. The preparations in Bristol took many forms and for some families included the construction of domestic air-raid shelters. If there was room, many families had shelters constructed for their own use or to share with neighbours. These might be in the form of an Anderson or a Morrison shelter, or by converting a cellar or chimney surround.

Anderson Shelters were designed on behalf of the Home Office. Once approved they were issued free to householders who earned less than £250 a year whilst those on higher incomes were charged £7 but they could only be installed in large gardens. The shelters were supplied in kit form and consisted of panels of galvanised corrugated steel that once bolted together were set into the ground up to a depth of 1.2m. The whole structure was then covered over with a layer of earth 0.4m deep. Betty recalled,

"We had an Anderson shelter in the garden. When the war started we religiously went to it, then we used to make beds in the recesses by the fireplace, then we'd stay in bed and say we'll get up when the bombs start, then we'll get up when we hear the first close one."

Indoor shelters were also needed since there were many households with no cellars that could be used instead. Self-assembly Morrison Shelters were designed to meet the need and distributed free to households with an income of less than £350 a year. They consisted of a steel plate 'table' top with a cage-like construction below. Peter S. remembered,

"We had a Morrison shelter in the living room. It was against the wall but my mother discovered there were spiders in there and as she couldn't move the shelter because of the weight we abandoned it."

Both types of shelter proved effective during raids although Anderson shelters were particularly cold, wet and uncomfortable during the winter.