Between September 1939 and June 1940, Germany conquered all the countries surrounding England. The thin strip of the English Channel was the 75-mile (100 km) buffer zone between Bournemouth and occupied France. In preparation for a German bombing attack, the family built a bomb shelter in a small room off the kitchen. The bomb shelter was a small crawl space made of metal stripping. No indoor photos exist because Jane's family could not afford a camera. Her uncle did own one, but it didn't have a flash. Here is a sample of a typical bomb shelter.