 Pre-War Recruitment Drive For The Civil Nursing Reserve
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Here's an interesting piece of home front history. From The News we have an advert for the Gas Mask Ball at the Lacarno dance hall on Streatham Hill. The event was also filmed. One shilling and threepence does seem a tad expensive, though...  Locarno Gas Mask Ball  Locarno, Streatham Hill Interesting portrait of an air raid warden from the London borough of Lambeth in his bluette overalls. He appears to be wearing a single red rank insignia on his sleeve, minus the usual red diamond. He has his white helmet slung under his arm, so we cannot see the full details of the markings. A single red bar in London could be either a Head Warden or Post Warden (perhaps with the lack of the diamond, he is the latter).  Lambeth ARP Warden Wearing Bluette Overalls A photograph of CD members with the interesting double area title on the battledress blouses of the two gents on the far right. Although no definitive documentary evidence has yet come to light, the reasoning for the wearing of two area titles is that the warden worked in two areas. A call was made for wardens to assist in certain London boroughs following the German V-weapon campaign against the capital and south-east England from June 1944. The wardens would already wear their local area title, and would add the location of the area they assisted with below this. This may have taken place outside of London, but photographic evidence is quite scarce, and I cannot make out the area markings in the photo shown.  Double Civil Defence Area Titles The vast majority of brass ARP handbells appear to be from just two manufacturers. The initials of 'JB' over '39' and 'G&J' over '1939' are cast or stamped into the brass bell, and very occasionally, 'JB 39' impressed their initials into the wooden handle (see below). To date, the full names for either of these businesses remain unknown to me. If you happen to know either, please let me know. UPDATE: 'JB' may be James Barwell Ltd. of Birmingham. They were makers of engineers' and plumbers' brasswork, plus church, hanging, and handle bells. The trademark "Fiddian" also belonged to them, which is often associated with handbells. 'G&J' may be Gillett & Johnston, a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon.
 "J.B. 39" initials impressed into the handle of a brass ARP handbell |
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