WW2 buff creates ultimate 1940s man-cave in his garden

A Second World War buff has created his imagination antheral cave – by gathering an Anderson Shelter astatine the extremity of his garden.

Trad Casey, 58, has kitted retired his retro retreat with a bed, a comfy seat and each the wartime essentials including a state mask, a archetypal assistance kit and a tin hat.

He has besides stocked up connected immoderate tasty old-fashioned supplies – and often takes screen determination erstwhile beingness connected the location beforehand gets a spot much.

Trad explained: “My girl comes location successful the wintertime and my woman and her volition beryllium nattering distant and watching the telly.

“When that happens, I could spell up the pub and walk a fortune, oregon beryllium successful determination and person a fewer drinks. It’s amazingly pleasant.

“I’ve got a wood burner successful determination and connected a truly acold nighttime successful the winter, I’ll beryllium successful determination and person a mates of pints and navigator immoderate spam connected the fire.”

Designed successful 1938, Anderson shelters were made with galvanised corrugated alloy and were meant to beryllium partially buried successful gardens arsenic a defence against aerial raids.

Around 1.5 cardinal were distributed betwixt February 1939 and the commencement of the warfare successful July. A further 2.1 cardinal were enactment up earlier it ended successful September 1945.

Trad, a marine plumber, from Weymouth, Dorset, became fascinated with civilian beingness during the struggle aft chatting to his gran astir her experiences.

He said: I rather similar learning astir however radical lived during the war. Probably astir five, six years ago, I had this thought I’d similar to person an Anderson Shelter.

“You excavation a hole, betwixt 3 and 4 ft deep, you heap up each the ungraded and past you conception the happening similar they would person done.

“Then each of the ungraded that you dug retired of the spread goes connected top.”

Trad seized the accidental to physique his structure during lockdown.

And helium admitted: “I had a existent occupation digging it out. I deliberation that astir apt took maine 3 oregon 4 weeks.

“But it was inactive during Covid and I had immoderate time, truthful I truly went for it. I wanted to get it done.”

The archetypal Anderson shelters – named aft wartime civilian defence curate Sir John Anderson were issued escaped to low-income households. Higher earners had to wage £7 - astir £500 successful today’s money.

Trad’s replica structure outgo astir £400. And helium has reused an archetypal facade that spent the warfare successful Chapelhay, a heavily-bombed country successful his hometown.

It present truly looks the portion successful Trad’s garden, which is location to different relics from the past, including an aged tract mower and roller.

He said: “Some mightiness deliberation it’s weird – I mean, you’ve got to beryllium a spot weird to enactment 1 successful your garden, I suppose.

“But you cognize what blokes are similar with antheral caves.

“No substance however aged they are, it’s inactive similar erstwhile you’re a kid and you had a den.

“So, yeah, I bash bask it. It’s rather nice. It’s conscionable relaxing.”