Civil Defence Service

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To protect the population against the ill effects of air attack, the Civil Defence Service was initiated in Great Britain by the Home Office in 1935. A department was formed called Air Raid Precautions, from which, in 1938, the ARP was organized.

The ARP services included:

Report & control of incidents;
Messenger & Warden service; Rescue,
repair & demolition;
Anti-gas service;
Casualty

(including First Aid Parties, ambulance, Emergency Mortuary) services.

A support service was founded also in 1938 called WVS (Women's Voluntary Service), and in 1941 the Fire Guard service (intended to report fires and deal with individual incendiary bombs) was set up. The WVS had many functions but was best known for its work in running and operating the Mobile Canteens and Rest Centres.

Associated with the ARP, but independent in organisation were:

the Police, including the Auxiliary Police;
the Fire Services, both National Fire Service (NFS) and Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS):
the Health Services.

Initially members of the ARP were supplied with arm bands and a steel helmet, but by 1941 most member had a blue battledress, or overalls. Branch and rank were painted on the steel helmet, usually by letters and rings ("W" for warden, "R" for Rescue).