The tunnels which Ipswich residents fled to during the Second World War have once again reopened to the public, with the ribbon cut by one of the descendants of the air raid warden.
Hidden underneath the playground of Clifford Road Primary School are three Second World War air raid tunnels, built at the start of the war to protect the community in bombings.
One of these has now been turned into the Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter Museum, reopening after the pandemic in a ceremony on the morning of Saturday, April 8.
The tunnels were sealed in 1948 and forgotten for many years until they were rediscovered by workmen in 1989. They were then once again closed during the pandemic.
This weekend, the ribbon was cut to reopen the museum by Keith Kennell, one of the grandsons of Air Raid Precaution warden, Frank Kennell.
It was Frank’s job to ensure that the people of Ipswich made it safely to shelters and to retrieve the dead and injured from bombed buildings.
Perhaps because of Frank’s trade as a carpenter and builder, he was given the responsibility of closing the tunnels in 1948, which he did, but not before signing his name on the concrete wall.
Frank died in 1990, but the museum is now a heritage site to remember his story and service.
"It's kind of marvellous really. My grandfather never mentioned it in his lifetime," said Keith Kennell, at the reopening.
Children play in the school playground above the other two underground tunnels, which are marked out with white paint.
The first tunnel caved in and had to be filled, but the school hopes to open the second tunnel, covered by a manhole, at some point in the future.
Headmaster of Clifford Road, Steve Wood, said he was "really proud" of the school and the community in setting up and opening the museum to the public.
"We will open up the tunnel to the public every weekend and hope to raise funds to develop the museum," Mr Wood said.
"We also hope to open up the second tunnel again, but this is a project that may take a while.
"It is important to remember as time goes on that the people of history are alive. The people who used this shelter may be in their 80s now."
Attending the event, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt congratulated everyone involved in the project.
The MP added: "I think it is very important that this part of history is not forgotten."
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