An Anderson air raid shelter was the unusual setting for two new scouts to be invested.

Finn Longley, 10, and Victoria Bell, 12, squeezed into the safe haven during a visit to the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum.

They made their promise with the authentic noise of a siren in the background.

First Teynham leader Amanda Seymour said: “We like to invest our scouts in different places to make the ceremony special for them.

“This is the first time we’ve ever invested in an air raid shelter and although it was a bit cramped, it was better than me having to invest them on horseback and on a trampoline, as I have done previously.”

Finn said: “I think it was the best investment ever. It was dark and we had trouble unfolding the flag so it didn’t hit the roof.”

About 20 scouts visited the centre in East Street, Sittingbourne, to understand about how the world wars affected Sittingbourne and the surrounding area.

They also learnt about historical local finds such as bottles and clay pipes and were surprised by the condition of the shoes and ladies’ garments that were found when the pub opposite the museum had been demolished.

Mrs Seymour added: “One of the favourite areas had to be the 1940s’ kitchen.

“It was hard for the Scouts to fully understand about rationing, but the display gave them a pretty good idea as to what they would have been eating during the war and as one of the them said ‘there isn’t very much is there’.

“The biggest reaction of the evening, however, was the tin bath when they were told that as children they would be the last ones to bathe in it and that the water would have been used by everyone before them. Their faces were a picture.

“We would like to thank all of the staff at the museum who made our evening so special.”