Sleepers

'Sleepers' depicts people seeking refuge in Tilbury Shelter, a huge underground goods yard situated in Whitechapel, East London.

Thousands of Londoners sought shelter in the yard during the Blitz, when the city was bombed repeatedly by German aircraft. East London was particularly badly-affected by the air raids. Railway bridges, warehouses, cellars and tube stations across London were adapted to accomodate the growing demand for shelter.

Tilbury shelter consisted of a cavernous central space with rows of loading bays. It also contained small storage rooms and dark corners where small groups of families and friends took up residence.

The charcoal used by Rose Henriques in this drawing conveys the gloomy atmosphere inside the shelter. The living conditions soon became intolerable for the occupants, as Nina Hibben, who worked for Mass Observation, was fully aware. She later wrote:

'The first time I went in there, I had to come out, I felt sick .... There were thousands and thousands of people lying head to toe, all along the bays and with no facilities. At the beginning there were only four earth buckets down the end, behind screens, for toilets .... The place was a hell hole.'

During the Second World War, Rose Henriques worked as an ambulance officer and an air raid warden. This is one of several works by her in the Museum of London's collection. Other images depict underground shelters and scenes she witnessed first-hand during the course of her war duties.