A very interesting photo of a Home Guard platoon from Lyminge. Quite rare to see Civil Defence defence personnel wearing webbing and with rifles (Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifles). Members of the Home Guard could also serve in the Wardens' Service and they would wear shoulder titles for both. They would wear the KT and 7 insignia and a few appear to have the East Kent District insignia (featuring the White Cliffs and Dover Castle). Chap in the centre is a lieutenant with a sergeant to the left (wearing the stripes). The insignia on the left sleeve in a red HG proficiency award.
The Home Guard was stood down in late 1944 and it's possible the photo dates from this period. They also have four war service chevrons on their right sleeve. All bar one are wearing the austerity pattern battledress with exposed buttons. Photo credit via Dave Harman.
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A large number of the lamps that attached to helmets date from the post war period. They are often boxed and have a red and black twisted cord. They are labeled as "LAMP SPOT ELECTRIC WITH HELMET CLIP". The below is I believe a wartime dated example and includes on the box "SHRAPNEL HELMET LAMP" and has a plain black cord connecting the lamp to the battery.
Very few period photos show the lamp being worn; though there is one of a Lewisham volunteer. Photo from the Sunderland Echo showing a number of wardens from Norfolk Street. Of interest is the reverend in the middle. He has marked up his helmet with a cross and W and is wearing the ARP chaplain's armband that featured a cross below red ARP letters. A distinct lack of any uniforms.
Eric Caxton was a pre-war highways engineer who became involved with civil defence planning run by Surrey County Council. Early in the war he helped set up the Rescue School at Redhill.
In 1942 Caxton set up the Casualties Union and introduced into civil defence training the idea of casualty simulation whereby instead of extricating dummies from bombed buildings during training, real people were used that had been made-up to look injured. The Casualties Union continues to this day. Caxton wrote a number of guides, such as "Practical Rescue Training" handbook shown below, as well as a autobiography entitled "More Ways Than One of Fighting a War". The below is currently for sale on eBay for £40. Few original ARP signs are still in situ but affixed high up on the wall of Cullompton Town Hall in Devon is this beauty - ARP FIRST AID POINT - on the far left of the image. I'm guessing the position it occupies has seen it survive the many decades without being removed or pinched. Shows how good quality they were. It appears there are two different styles of cross - one red and one white in a red circle.
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