I spent a day sifting through documents and minute books at the rather wonderful Tyne and Wear Archives Service in Newcastle yesterday...I need to get back to do a more thorough trawl as there is still some outstanding source material.
Below - some notes relating to Wilkinson's taken from Tynemouth's Emergency Committee meeting minutes. There is one interesting resolution therein following the disaster on May 3/4 1941. Otherwise the Minutes are somewhat unsubtantial.
My observations...
1) There is the sense of censorship above and beyond what would be normal in any offical minutes. For example, in the meetings immediately after the disaster, the Shelter (i.e. Wilkinsons) is never named...it is on several occasions in earlier minutes.
2) Eyebrows may be raised at one of the Committee resolutions immediately after the bombing which is to remove 50% of bunks in all public air raid shelters.
Did the Committee fear that overcrowding contributed to the large scale loss of life?
According to reports 192 people were in the shelter at the time of the raid. The Home Office has allowed a maximum occupancy of 188 persons. But why the focus on the bunks? Did bunk provision (one per occupant or more?) actually severely limit the space in the Shelter? Why do the Committee ask for guidance from the Home Office on the number of bunks deemed essential in a public air raid shelter?
3) There is no explicit after the event recognition that Wilkinsons was inherently a dangerous location to house a public air raid shelter - no mention is made of the number of deaths caused by factory machinery, chemicals and glass falling from the upper levels of this Victorian building. What was said un-minuted of course we are unlikely to know.
4) It would be very useful to know what precisely the Chief Constable said in his report the day after the bombing. No details are given in the minutes.
I'll reflect on this over the next few weeks. Of course, one could expect reticence and the line being toe-ed in official minutes. What is strange though is the unemotional and almost distanced tone and content. Committee members will surely have known that they have lived through one of the worst air raid disasters in WWII to date.
5th July 1939 (ARP Committee)
Minutes show that there is a survey underway of those buildings which could offer basement shelter accommodation.
4th January 1940 (36th Meeting)
(503) 21 premises are scheduled by the Borough Surveyor for the purpose of providing Public basement shelters. Permission has been secured in 12 cases.
The Corporation is to pay a nominal 5 shillings per annum rent, and accept responsibility for anything done in connection with the shelter which may adversally affect the building or result in damage to the adjoining property or injury or death to any person and indemnify the owners against any cost in the making or removal of the shelter.
3rd April 1940 (48th Meeting)
(680) Home Office approval gained for a maximum occupancy of 188 persons in the basement of Messrs Wilkinson's premises. Conversion works to cost not more than £95.
15th May 1940 (55th Meeting)
(756) Permission granted by Home Office to rent Wilkinson's basement for the purpose of providing an Air Raid Shelter at the cost of a nominal rent of 5 shillings per annum.
22nd October 1940
(1025) Approval gained to provide protection against blast and splinter at Wilkinsons at a cost of £9.00
4th May 1941 (112th Meeting)
Heaven knows the tone and emotions displayed at this meeting.
(1388) A Major Knowles is present to offer the co-operation of the Military. The Chief Constable reported on the enemy air raid action and on the action taken during and subsequent to the raid by Civil Defence and military.
(1389) Borough Surveyor is instructed to take steps to diminish the intensity of illuminated direction signs at certain public air raid shelters.
5th May 1941 (113th Meeting)
Regional ARP and Civil Defence officials have visited the site and expressed their fullest confidence in the actions taken to date.
(1390) 1. Burials. That subject to the wishes of the relatives in any particular case, arrangements be made for collective funerals but that the victims of the air raid be interred in separate graves according to families.
2. Bunks. Borough Surveyor is immediately instructed to remove 50% of all bunks from Public Air Raid Shelters.
Additionally the BS is requested to find out the number of bunks deemed essential in Public Air raid Shelters.
26th May 1941 (116th Meeting)
(1415) Rsolved that Basement Shelters have a maximum occupancy of 50 persons at any one time and that bunks in such shelters be in numerical relation to such capacity.
There are no further related minutes to Wilkinsons as far as I can tell.