Civil defence
What is civil defence?
The use of the term 'Civil Defence' began in the late 1930s;
residing under its umbrella were those services that existed to
respond to the threat of air raids. Organisation of civil
defence began before war was declared. The Government
felt any measures taken to reduce casualties from bombing raids
should be in place as quickly as possible. Britain had
already experienced air raids during World War One when German
Zeppelin air ships and then Gotha planes attacked in
1917. There had also been the threat of gas attacks, which
thankfully never materialised. The experiences in Britain
during the First World War led to the formation of the Air Raid
Precautions Committee (ARP). When it first met in 1924 the purpose
of the committe was to examine the organisation of civil defence,
home defence, censorship and war emergency legislation; the
business of running a war on the
home front. Air Raid Precautions
With the threat of war hanging over the country in 1935
the prime minister of the time, Stanley Baldwin, began to take
measures to protect Britain from air attacks. ARP started life
as an information leaflet that encouraged the country’s local
authorities to develop plans to protect their towns and
citizens. Some towns built air raid shelters, others ignored
the advice and so in 1937 the government created the Air Raid
Wardens’ Service and recruited volunteers. By 1939 there were
1.5 million men and women enlisted in the emergency service.
Were the precautions not taken seriously enough? There were gas
masks found in bins after they were distributed in 1939. In a book
written by Southampton’s Oral History Team ‘Southampton Blitz, The
Unofficial Story’ people recalled rumours that respirators were
being sold by enterprising residents to passengers on ships as
souvenirs.
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