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As many visitors to this blog will know, original wartime enamel signage relating to ARP and Civil Defence are avidly collected and becoming very valuable. As prices rise, the opportunity to fleece punters with reproductions becomes more problematic. The below enamel sign recently sold on the tat bazaar for almost £125 (incl. shipping). Most serious London Underground collectors know their history and will point out that the style of Underground roundel didn't appear until 30 years after the war ended. Also, not a single period photograph shows any enamel signage like this. The font isn't quite correct and the arrow isn't the right style used. This particular example has also had some spurious additional crap added to the rear. We now have a label from the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) with 'Harringay' added. Obviously, the LNER has nothing to do with London Underground (Harringay doesn't have an Underground station). The modern reproductions are getting scarily close to originals, though. If they put in the research, they'd be almost impossible to tell apart...  Fake Underground 'This Way To The Air Raid Shelter' Enamel Sign  Fake LNER label on fake Underground enamel sign
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Not often seen is this Paragon ARP First Aid tin. It measures 17" x 7.5" and 5.5" high.  Paragon ARP First Aid Tin  Paragon ARP First Aid Tin carry handle As every Wardens' Post was issued with a wooden gas rattle, vast numbers were manufactured prior to and during the war. Some are easily identifiable as they are clearly marked for ARP use. Quite a number of rattles appear online and at fairs, often marked as "Air Raid Precautions Gas Rattle", but they can be easily confused with wooden bird scarers. It's hard to be be definitive about a few designs as they closely resemble WW2-manufactured rattles. The below appeared on eBay as a WW2 rattle. It has no markings. I guess a bird scarer could be reused for a gas rattle at a push. Also, rattles with a metal soundbox were issued by the army.
One of the rarest enamel signs (in fact, I've only ever seen this example) is the ARP Gas Detector sign. In the standard colours of red letters on a white background, it was placed close to gas detector boards outside Wardens' Posts. Some period photographs show wooden boards on poles outside ARP Wardens' Posts. The boards had a reactive yellowish-green or brown paint that would change colour to red in the presence of certain gases, specifically mustard gas, which was both an odourless and colourless chemical warfare agent.  "ARP Gas Detector Do Not Touch" Enamel Sign  Gas Detector Board What sellers ask for on eBay isn't always a good estimation of value, but original Second World War enamel signage is avidly collected these days. This double-sided 'SHELTER HERE' sign has a buy-it-now price of £1,200. Amazing to think how many were simply put into council storage or ditched in skips.  "Shelter Here" Enamel Sign - £1,200 Wanted |
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