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Engaged from the summer of 1942, Honorary Fire Observers (HFOs) were men with a scientific background (e.g. university professors or those working in industry) sent to major fire incidents to witness the recently organised National Fire Service (NFS) in operation. They prepared reports on how major fires developed and how they should be tackled in the future. Some HFOs gave lectures and demonstrations to NFS units. To identify themselves at incidents, fire observers would wear an armband with 'FIRE OBSERVER' in red letters on a white cotton armband. Armband image courtesy of Austin J. Ruddy.  Honorary Fire Observer's Armband
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This FPS armband is made in the same way as the SFP (Street / Supplementary Fire Party) armbands. It is made with a dark blue cotton twill backing and red screen-printed FPS letters. It has been held in a collection for many years by a collector. To date, no definitive answer to the meaning of the letters has come to light. Answers on a postcard to the usual competition address or drop me a line.  Civil Defence FPS Armband The image below shows a number of original WW2 badges relating to the Civil Defence Reserve: numeral tab badges (1 to 4), shoulder epaulette insignia (star), and shoulder flashes for mobile reserve formations. There are also printed CD and CDR beret badges. In the centre is a "M.O.W.B." (Ministry of Works and Buildings) badge with letters and a crown embroidered on blue cotton twill. Below this badge is a square civil defence badge. The CD armband is noted as "Armband Rank Marking". I have not seen the square Civil Defence badge in period photos. It may have been for the Civil Defence Reserve but no documentation is currently available to answer the question.  Numerals, beret badges, shoulder flashes and armband rank marking
Another recent pick-up from eBay was this embroidered Civil Defence armlet. The screen-printed ARP Pattern 54 dark blue armband features a gold-coloured King's crown and CIVIL DEFENCE written within an arched regional device (sometimes incorrectly called a 'rainbow'). First issued in the summer of 1940, these armlets were initially issued only to members of a local authority's ARP services, but by 1944, they could be worn by anyone volunteering with the Civil Defence Services.  Embroidered Civil Defence Armlet (Armband)  Embroidered Civil Defence armlet regional device detail  Embroidered Civil Defence armlet crown detail I recently picked up this armlet (armband) on eBay for next to nothing. It features the FIRE GUARD patch with screen-printed gold letters (an ARP Pattern Number 88 is known for a patch of white letters on dark blue). The patch is much thicker than the standard material used for one-piece Fire Guard armlets. The patch has been sewn onto an SFP (Street Fire Party) armlet (Armband Street Fire Party - ARP Pattern Number 38 - Red Screen Printed on Dark Blue). The screen-printed SFP letters look pristine, so I imagine this armlet was in stores and had the patch sewn on before issue. Both Supplementary and Street Fire Parties were reorganised within the Fire Guard Organisation from August 1941.  Fire Guard patch sewn onto an SFP armlet  SFP letters under Fire Guard Patch |
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