A photograph of a Morrison shelter in a room setting, showing how such a shelter could be used as a table during the day and as a bed at night. The table cloth is partly pulled back to reveal the sleeping area. London, 1940.

The idea was that instead of running to the backyard to hide inside a sunken shelter, or out into the streets to a tube station, you could stay inside your house and sleep inside your Morrison shelter, where falling debris would not hurt you. This idea was especially popular in the winter, when rousing yourself in the cold night and dragging yourself outside was particularly repugnant. 

By the end of 1941, half a million had been distributed, and by 1943 another 100,000 had been given out. If a family had a combined income of under £400 per year, the government provided them one for free. The Morrison shelter came in a kit similar to something from Ikea, made from 359 parts, including the mesh and the mattress, which was assembled by the purchaser in their home. 

Three gentlemen use the Morrison shelter as a table:

A couple share the Morrison shelter at bedtime:

A bomb ravaged home is bombed again to test the capability of the Morrison shelter:

The test dummy is a little dusty, but it looks like he’s survived: