Civil Defence Services

To protect the population against the ill effects of air attack, the Cival Defence was initiated in Britain by the Home Office in 1935. A department was formed called Air Raid Precautions, from which, in 1938, the ARP was organized.

The ARP services included; Report & control of incidents; Messenger & Warden service; Rescue, repair & demolition; Anti-gas service; and Casualty (including First Aid Parties, ambulance, Emergency Mortuary) services. A support service was founded also in 1938 called WVS (womens Volunteer Service), and in 1941 the Fire Guard service (intended to report fires & deal with individual incenduary bombs) was set up.

Associated with the ARP, but independent in organisation were; The Police, including the Auxillery Police; the Fire Services, both National Fire Service (NFS) and Auxillery Fire Service (AFS); and the Health Services.

Initially members of the ARP were supplied with arm bands & a steel helmet, but by 1941 most member had a blue battledress, or overalls. Branch & rank were painted on the steel helmet, usually by letters & rings ("W" for warden, "R" for Rescue).

The WVS had many functions but was best known for its work in running & operating the Mobile Canteens and Rest Centres.

ref "Put that light out! - Britain's Civil Defence Services at War 1935-45" by Mike Brown, published by Sutton 1999. --72.1.217.219 15:43, 10 September 2005 (UTC)D Joseph