MUSEUMS & EVENTS

Exploring parallels between Ukraine and London in wartime, the Army Flying Museum displays an iconic US helicopter, and Living with the Troubles goes north

Echoes of the Blitz

A new photographic display from the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden explores how metro stations have been used to shelter civilians from wartime bombardment. Echoes of the Blitz: Underground Shelters in Ukraine and London presents 38 images of Ukrainian citizens finding extraordinary ways to survive underground in Kyiv and Kharkiv’s metro stations. They can be seen sleeping, cooking, washing clothes and caring for each other within make-shift homes. The images are then ‘echoed’ in 70 black and white archive images showing Londoners taking shelter in Tube stations during the Second World War. Quotes accompany the images, giving voice to people’s daily lives underground.

However, the British and Ukrainian use of metro stations as shelters began very differently. Due to the likely train service disruption, the UK government initially opposed allowing civilians to shelter in the stations. It took concerted public pressure for the stations to be opened up. Meanwhile, Ukrainian metro stations are Cold War constructions built to act as bomb shelters in the case of a Western attack. There are also differences in the nature of the images: Blitz photographs were taken by newspaper photographers aiming to give the impression of Londoners united; on the other hand, independent photojournalists have produced the Ukrainian images, making them hard-hitting and realistic.

The exhibition has been curated in collaboration with the Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe (n-ost), which previously displayed images from Ukraine in subway stations across Europe. Matt Brosnan, head curator of the London Transport Museum, explains how this partnership was formed: “The story of people sheltering in Tube stations during the Second World War has long been part of our museum collection. So, when we were approached by n-ost with contemporar y images that reflected the similar wartime experiences of civilians in stations in Ukraine, we felt compelled to produce an exhibition together. The images may be 80 years apart, but they show the resilience and tragic reality of war.”

London Transport Museum’s exhibition is open now and will run until spring 2025. Entrance to the museum is free for children, TfL staff, carers and other groups. Annual passes can be purchased for £24.50, with discounts available to concessions, local residents and those on Universal Credit.