Ainsworth, J, Pringle, JK, Doyle, P, Stringfellow, M, Roberts, D, Stimpson, IG, Wisniewski, K and Goodwin, J (2019) Geophysical Investigations of WW2 UK air-raid shelters. Journal of Conflict Archaeology, 13 (3). pp. 167-197. ISSN 1574-0773

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Abstract

Just before WW2, the British government prepared for an aerial onslaught that was predicted to raze cities and cause mass casualties. By 1938, the Air Raid Precautions Act officially stated that population protection would be through dispersal, meaning evacuation and small-scale protection, local authority responsibility often devolving to householders. Archaeological records of remaining air-raid shelters are relatively rare and under threat. This paper reports on geophysical surveys on three sites in Stoke-on-Trent and London. Results found three intact Stanton shelters in Stoke-on-Trent, located by GPR, electrical resistivity, magnetometry, gravity and electromagnetic methods. In London, partially demolished shelters and an intact, mass public shelter were both detected by EM and GPR methods, with subsequent intrusive investigations confirming results. Study outcomes shows hitherto-neglected wartime shelters are in varied condition, with geophysical surveys able to detect, characterise and assess them, helping bring WWII British history into the wider scientific community and public domain.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: This is the accepted author manuscript (AAM). The final published version (version of record) is available online via Taylor & Francis at https://doi.org/10.1080/15740773.2018.1583472 - Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.
Uncontrolled Keywords: geophysics, WW2, air raid shelters, The Blitz, United Kingdom
Subjects: Q Science > QE Geology
Divisions: Faculty of Natural Sciences > School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
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Depositing User: Symplectic
Date Deposited: 10 Sep 2018 08:23
Last Modified: 15 Feb 2020 01:30
URI: https://eprints.keele.ac.uk/id/eprint/5280

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