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When not wearing a helmet, all wardens and members of the Civil Defence Services were issued with either a beret or ski cap as part of their uniform (there was also a felt hat issued in the early part of the war). Many wartime photographs show the wearing of private purchase sidecaps; some are piped in yellow and others are unpiped. The below shows a black wool sidecap the piping to just the upper part of the sidecap and features the embroidered CD badge. The front closure features two unmarked buttons.  Civil Defence Yellow-Piped Sidecap  Civil Defence Yellow-Piped Sidecap (Right)
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One of the more scarce items of clothing issued was the ARP Pattern 61 Waterproof (Mackintosh) Cape. A few examples have been seen and one was previously posted on this blog. The one below has "CITY FIRE GUARD" stamped to the rear and there is a snippet below - Protective Clothing for certain Fire Guards - regarding capes being issued. Images courtesy of Nick Wall.
 ARP Pattern 61 Waterproof (Mackintosh) Cape Rear Inside
 Protective Clothing for certain Fire Guards This interesting photo shows six members of the Civil Defence Service posing for the camera. Five of the six are wearing the austerity pattern (ARP Pattern 57A) battledress blouses with exposed buttons. Only one appears to have a beret badge (it looks to be the silver ARP badge). Apart from the standard CD breast badge, the only other additions are first world war ribbon bars and lanyards. No shoulder titles, rank chevrons, area titles or war service chevrons can be seen. It's possible the photo was taken after the issue of new uniforms (probably around the middle of 1943).  Six second world war Civil Defence members pose for the camera For female members of the Civil Defence Services, ARP Pattern 70 Overcoats were issued in thick dark blue wool. The front closure had several silver-coloured ARP buttons. The example below, by JS Thomson Ltd, does not have a rear belt. The maker's mark has a date of 1941 but the acceptance mark is an O for 1942 so the overcoat was probably delivered in the new year to stores.
An interesting photo from Coltishall in north-east Norfolk. Possibly a stand-down photo (going by the five war service chevrons in evidence), the chap in the centre appears to have "D.A.O" on his white helmet with single black bar. He also has the three chevrons and a star which would denote a Depot Superintendent. He's with several ambulance personnel so perhaps DAO is Deputy Ambulance Officer or Depot Ambulance Officer; quite a rare helmet designation. He and a few of the Rescue men also have a single six-pointed star on the left sleeve. I'm unaware of the meaning of this. The stars look the same size as those that would appear above rank chevrons. A local-specific award by the look. Image courtesy of John Parnell.  Coltishall Ambulance and Rescue Squad Group Photo |
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