- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd (21 July 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0750922109
- ISBN-13: 978-0750922104
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 17.2 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 600,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
Civil Defence was a grouping of civilian emergency services that included the National Fire Service, the police and a whole range of support services that were part of Air Raid Precautions (more commonly referred to as the ARP). Collectively they played a vital role in providing a controlled response to the effects of German bombing raids on British cities. The ARP was managed by report and control staff, incident officers and messenger services. Casualties were dealt with by the Medical Officer of Health staff via casualty clearing zones and depots. The ARP services that were actually on the front line down among the exploding bombs and collapsing buildings included the wardens, rescue services, first aid and stretcher parties, gas identification and decontamination services, roof spotters, fire watchers and fire guards. This study of Britain's wartime Civil Defence services includes details of who did what, how, where and when, interspersed with some personal accounts from fo civil defenders.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
This book really is essential reading if you are interested in the British Home Front. Despite the rather amateur impression we have today of the wartime ARP services (largely courtesy of Dad's Army's Chief Warden Hodges) as Mike Brown shows, there was a broad spectrum of Civil Defence services to protect the public, not just the Wardens service.
These included (deep breath - here we go): The Report and Control Service, First Aid Parties and Posts, Stretcher Parties, Rescue Parties (Light and Heavy), Decontamination Squads, Food Treatment Squads, Gas Identification Officers, Ambulance service, Messenger service, Bomb Reconnaissance Officers, Incident Officers, Civil Defence Reserve and Regional Columns, Auxiliary Fire Service (later National Fire Service), Street Fire Parties and Fire Watchers (later the Fire Guard), the Police (War Reserves, Special Constables, Police Auxiliary Messenger Service, Women's Auxiliary Police Corps), Rest Centre staff, ARP Depots and last but most definitely not least the Women's Voluntary Service! (Gasp, pant!)
The book is clearly and concisely written. As shown there were a plethora of ARP services each with different and complicated organisational structures and ranks and the author manages to clearly explain them. Indeed, this book is like a potted version of the now practically unobtainable and expensive 1955 Official HMSO History of Civil Defence. Nonetheless, it still manages to go into some detail about the peculiaries and rank structures of the services. The text is interspersed with first hand memories from former ARP personnel, and usefully, their memories are detailed rather than the usual vague recollections.
The book is well illustrated with rare photos of the various services, showing interesting uniform detail. If there is a minor criticism, many of the newspaper quotes and photographs are very parochial to the author's neck of the woods (South London) but the photo details generally override this.
All in all, a very good and all encompassing book (which can be obtained at a very friendly price) that will clearly explain to the reader basically all the main details and organisation structure of the various ARP services. (For more specific detail of the various insignia and badges of the ARP services, this book should be read in conjunction with any of the privately published ARP/CD books by Jon Mills).
These included (deep breath - here we go): The Report and Control Service, First Aid Parties and Posts, Stretcher Parties, Rescue Parties (Light and Heavy), Decontamination Squads, Food Treatment Squads, Gas Identification Officers, Ambulance service, Messenger service, Bomb Reconnaissance Officers, Incident Officers, Civil Defence Reserve and Regional Columns, Auxiliary Fire Service (later National Fire Service), Street Fire Parties and Fire Watchers (later the Fire Guard), the Police (War Reserves, Special Constables, Police Auxiliary Messenger Service, Women's Auxiliary Police Corps), Rest Centre staff, ARP Depots and last but most definitely not least the Women's Voluntary Service! (Gasp, pant!)
The book is clearly and concisely written. As shown there were a plethora of ARP services each with different and complicated organisational structures and ranks and the author manages to clearly explain them. Indeed, this book is like a potted version of the now practically unobtainable and expensive 1955 Official HMSO History of Civil Defence. Nonetheless, it still manages to go into some detail about the peculiaries and rank structures of the services. The text is interspersed with first hand memories from former ARP personnel, and usefully, their memories are detailed rather than the usual vague recollections.
The book is well illustrated with rare photos of the various services, showing interesting uniform detail. If there is a minor criticism, many of the newspaper quotes and photographs are very parochial to the author's neck of the woods (South London) but the photo details generally override this.
All in all, a very good and all encompassing book (which can be obtained at a very friendly price) that will clearly explain to the reader basically all the main details and organisation structure of the various ARP services. (For more specific detail of the various insignia and badges of the ARP services, this book should be read in conjunction with any of the privately published ARP/CD books by Jon Mills).
very good on detail, book that can be used if doing research on the ARP
easy to read with exciting personal accounts and archive photographs
a must for living history groups
easy to read with exciting personal accounts and archive photographs
a must for living history groups
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