| Original caption: “London, England; Southeast Air Raid Shelter.” 9 members of the 11-strong O’Rourke family of Saint James’s Road, Bermondsey, sleep under a blanket in an air raid shelter under the railway arches, probably at Dockley Road, Bermondsey, in November 1940. St James’s Road joins onto Dockley Road at right angles, so the shelter is very close to the family home. In the 1939 England and Wales Register, Maud O’Roarke (January 2, 1896 – ????) at 129 Saint James’s Road, may have been the mother of Michael (???? – ????) and John O’Roarke (???? – ????), among her 9 children. London’s earliest railway, the Spa Station, was 1st closed in 1915 during World War I and completely shut down in 1935. With 838 arches, Dockley Road was just 1 of dozens of railway arches used as a shelter. The O’Roarke family could be there in 5 minutes. Many railway arches were used as air raid shelters during World War II. Stainer Street Arch and Druid Street Arch in Bermondsey were both used as shelters and were, unfortunately, both destroyed by air raids. Druid Street Arch on October 25, 1940, and Stainer Street Arch was hit on February 17, 1941. Masonry structures, while providing shelter from shrapnel and nearby high-explosive bombs, did not withstand a direct hit. The bombs struck the railway arch directly, penetrated through to the shelter, killing scores of civilians. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0276.jpg |
| Image Size | 797.35 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2916 x 2348 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 1, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NLR-PHOCO-A-49164(671) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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