When German bombing of London began on 7 September 1940, Londoners initially were not encouraged to shelter in the Underground. TfL feared it would cause panic and undermine morale. Within days, thousands of people had simply pushed past the ticket barriers and claimed platforms as their sleeping space. The government gave in and made it official.
Sheltering in the Tube
At the height of the Blitz, 177,000 people slept in Tube stations each night. Bunk beds were installed, latrines dug, and libraries, concerts and classes organised. The shelters had their own social hierarchies, regular occupants, and even their own newsletters.
The East End
The East End — the docks, the warehouses, the densely packed working-class streets — was hit hardest. Stepney, Poplar, Bermondsey and Southwark were bombed relentlessly. The social solidarity that emerged from shared suffering became one of the founding myths of postwar Britain — the Blitz spirit — though historians note it was more complex than the legend suggests.
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