Air raid shelter at Bedford's Garage, St James's Street, Brighton, 1939

Although many local men were killed in the First World War, the Second World War had a greater impact on Brighton. As a major town on the south coast, Brighton was particularly vulnerable to air attacks. In the weeks following the declaration of war in September 1939, numerous defence measures were introduced. The most extensive of these were carried out under the Air Raid Precautions initiative, frequently referred to as ARP.

Numerous air raid shelters and warden's posts were constructed around the town. The work on these was supervised and monitored by the Borough Surveyor's department. The shelters were built in a variety of places. Many were placed in or near schools, as the safety of children had become a national priority. Others were placed in department stores, garages, and even the Royal Pavilion. Some of these shelters were placed in reinforced basements, while others were simply dug out of the ground.

The early months of the war became known as the 'phony war' but these photographs capture some of the anxiety and alarm of those early weeks. Although Brighton was fortunately spared invasion, these photographs demonstrate that trench warfare had moved from the fields of Flanders to local streets and playing fields.

View photographs of air raid shelters.