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A interesting hooded torch built especially for ARP personnel.
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A nice portrait of a member of the Civil Defence in her standard issue uniform of felt hat worn with ARP Pattern 71 Jacket and ARP Patter 72 Skirt.  WW2 Civil Defence ARP Pattern 71 Serge Jacket & Pattern 72 Skirt An interesting leaflet issued to most homes in October 1939 advising the home owner how to ensure that if a bomb landed nearby how they could avoid injury.   A fabulous photo of an ARP mobile canteen belonging to E District in Northern Ireland. Photograph © PRONI Reference: CAB/3/G/15/14  An exceedingly well sandbagged WW2 Air Raid Precautions (ARP) office on Yarmouth Road in North Walsham, Norfolk. Photograph from North Walsham & District Community Archive.  ARP Offices in North Walsham, Norfolk This photo clearly shows the awful reality of the impact of a bombing incident. Survivors make their way through the rubble of their homes as an ARP warden guides them. Alas, there was little information about this actual incident. Given the day time setting I would imagine it is either from a V1 or V2 incident later in the war.  Survivors of a bombing raid are escorted by an ARP warden to safety. As the dark clouds of war drew closer towards the end of 1939, the HMSO produced the pamphlet "AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS FOR ANIMALS". It was a guide to looking after pets during raids. On the back of the pamphlet was an advert for the CASH Captive Bolt gun. Used by vets to kill animals. Prior to and in the beginning months of the war it is estimated over 7500,00 were killed by pet owners.  1939 Pamphlet - Air Raid Precautions For Animals A nice photograph of a member of the Home Guard with a local Air Raid Warden. Probably early in the war given the unofficial overalls on the warden.  A couple of nice items from Beckenham in south east London. An enamel wardens' post sign and an original local area marking for the bluette overalls. Another sign cropped up on eBay in October 2019.  Borough of Beckenham ARP Wardens' Post Number 35 Enamel Sign With many men in reserved occupations or in the forces it fell on women to fill positions in some services. Ambulance drivers was one such role and was extremely dangerous. Travelling during the blackout and during raids the drivers ferried casualties from incidents to first aid posts and hospitals.  WW2 Ambulance Driver Recruitment Poster With the outbreak of war in September '39, a large number of men and women volunteered to join the ARP and CD services. To become a warden, a person would have to attend classes and those successfully completing the course would be given a certificate like the one below.  WW2 ARP Course Certificate - Southend-on-Sea An erly war photograph showing Doris Waddington wearing a warden's helmet outside a wardens' post. The interesting aspect is the large "ARP WARDEN" sign affixed to the wall.  Large WW2 "ARP Warden" Sign An interesting small badge for the Birmingham Socialist ARP Canteen Fund. Alas, it's proved extremely difficult to find more information about this group.  WW2 Birmingham Socialist ARP Canteen Fund Tin Lapel Badge One of the duties of an air raid warden was to ensure everyone in his area od responsibility both had and knew how to use their gas mask.  WW2 ARP Warden Issuing A Gas Mask A bath designed to protect the user when the siren goes...  Heath Robinson ARP Bath An interesting photograph showing a large number of despatch riders. Their helmets feature the "DR" for their role within the CD services.  WW2 Civil Defence Despatch Riders This wonderful photograph of nurses also shows a scarce ARP chaplain's helmet. A similar armband was also issued.  WW2 ARP Chaplain's Helmet This photo shows a member of the Civil Defence Service taking a call at an underground facility somewhere in London. The most curious aspect of the photo is the special breast badge that has the CD emblem combined with "NEW TUBE SHELTERS". This is something I have not come across before, If you have any further information please leave a reply.  New Tube Shelters - A Most Curious WW2 Civil Defence Breast Badge It's rare to see Civil Defence officers wearing peaked caps. This photo showing a CD group from Nuneaton has two officers wearing them. What service they originally came from is hard to determine. The man to the left has affixed his ARP badge to the cap. No piping can be seen so possibly the caps were police issue.  Unusual Peaked Caps for Civil Defence Officers A very nice condition 1939-dated WW2 ARP Chief Warden's helmet. This particular item was sold on eBay for £165 (September 2018). The German SD2 (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2Kg) butterfly bomb was a small 2 kg anti-personnel device capable of killing or causing serious injury. The early cluster bomb was used extensively on the Eastern Front but only a relatively small number were dropped on British towns and cities in East Anglia and the North East. They were first dropped on Ipswich in 1940, and later dropped on Kingston upon Hull, Grimsby and Cleethorpes in June 1943, amongst various other targets in the United Kingdom. One of the hardest hit towns was Grimsby and the local area where approximately 3,000 were dropped and about 100 people were killed. More information about butterfly bombs  Butterfly Bomb Sign Six photographs showing how to deal with an incendiary device using a Redhill scoop and a container, A couple of staged photos showing the new ARP Pattern 71 serge jacket that was being issued in the Summer/Autumn of 1941. One photo shows the slacks (ARP Pattern 73) and the other the skirt (ARP Pattern 72)  ARP Pattern 71 Serge Uniform Portraits |
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