WW2 Air Raid Warning and Message Colours - Yellow, Red, Green & White

6/6/2018

This confidential early-war memo issued to Air Raid Wardens covered the various coloured warnings that were used during the second world war:

Air Raid Message - Yellow: wardens to gather at their posts (public not informed)
Air Raid Warning - Red: air raid imminent - wardens dash out into their their sectors blowing short blasts on their whistles
Air Raid Message - Green: raiders passed - wardens walk their sectors blowing long blasts on their whistle
Air Raid Message - White: All clear sent to wardens' posts (public would be informed by 'All Clear' siren)

Later in the war the 'Air Raid Message - Green' was abolished. A separate 'Air Raid Message - Purple' was introduced

Air Raid Message Yellow and Air Raid Warning Red

Air Raid Messages Green and White

2 Comments

WILLIAM DOLCE

5/23/2025 11:06:27

DURING WW2 MY GRANDFATHER WAS IN AN A.R.P. UNIT IN BOOTLE NEAR LIVERPOOL, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND. YEARS LATER I USE TO PLAY WITH A NAZI INCENDIARY BOMB IN HIS BACKYARD SHED. I DID NOT KNOW IF IT WAS LIVE OR DEFUSED WHEN I PLAYED WITH IT.
I CAN ONLY THINK THAT DURING HIS DUTY HE PICKED UP AN INCENDIARY BOMB AND TOOK IT HOME..... WAS IT LEGAL FOR HIM TO DO SO?
ALSO WOULD HE HAVE KNOWN IF THE BOMB WAS LIVE OR A DUD.
THANKS FOR ANY ASSISTANCE.

Website owner

5/24/2025 19:26:23

The incendiary bomb was almost certainly defused. Being part of the ARP, your grandfather probably asked for a defused IB as a memento. There are quite a few defused examples in collections.

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WW2 Air Raid Warning and Message Colours - Yellow, Red, Green & White

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