This wonderful poster entitled "Sleep To Gather Strength For The Morning" was created by the Polish artist Feliks Topolski who was an official war artist during the war. The quote was taken from the end of a broadcast made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the French people at the end of October 1940: "Good night then: sleep to gather strength for the morning. For the morning will come. Brightly will it shine on the brave and true, kindly upon all who suffer for the cause, glorious upon the tombs of heroes. Thus will shine the dawn." Also on the poster is "It all depends on me and I depend on God". The "It All Depends On Me" was a commonly used phrase during the second world war.
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Nicely done colourisation of a well-known photo of a couple of early-war ARP Wardens. Nothing on the helmets and one has the silver ARP badge and the other the Civil Defence 'rainbow' armband introduced in mid-1940.
Some remarkable prices have recently been achieved for London Underground shelter tickets; see this example for Piccadilly Circus. There is clearly an avid collectors market for this type of paper ephemera. The below ticket for Camden Town features the "New Tube Shelters" name and was sold on eBay for £210.
A previous blog detailed the background of a similar shelter in Clapham. See also the unique badge issued to wardens working in the New Tube Shelters. 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. A similar design of helmet carrier has previously appeared on this blog but this one is in much better condition. This has additional loops for a shoulder strap to the rear but also maintains the leather cross strap for attaching the carrier to a respirator haversack. A Zuckerman helmet appears to fit in the carrier exactly.
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