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I have previously covered the reproduction green Air Raid Wardens' Post signs that have proliferated on eBay over the past 18 months (and before that). I have been looking at original wartime photographs to see if this particular design can be seen. To date, I have been unable to verify the sign in any period photo. The below example recently sold on eBay (I cannot determine the final price as it went for a Buy It Now figure and this is not shown, but the seller's asking price was £145). This is a particularly rusted example which would take quite a lot effort to reproduce. It does look like it could have been standing on the corroded end for some time. I cannot guarantee this is original but it does appear, on the surface, to look period. However, with all similar items, it's caveat emptor. Interested to know the thoughts of visitors, so drop me an email.  Green Air Raid Wardens' Post Sign - Original?
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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 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 As interesting Air Raid Warden sign that recently sold on the tat bazaar. Not one I've seen and the general look and manufacture make me believe it could be a genuine wartime item. Not a large sign, I'd estimate several inches wide.  Metal ARP Air Raid Warden Sign A very rare window sign for a "WVS Civil Defence House". According to the WVS Report on Ten Years Work, WVS Aid Houses were, when requested by the authorities, earmarked for the emergency reception and treatment for casualties, and staffed by WVS under qualified supervision. There were a large number of such houses in the coastal towns. The last sentence suggests they were needed in those coastal towns which suffered "tip and run" raids where lone or small groups of Luftwaffe fighter bombers attacked British towns. I am indebted to a long-time contributor for the details above.  WVS House Civil Defence Window Sign |
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