First World War

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Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989

First World War

Collection: Britain Under Threat: Civil Defence in the Era of Total War, 1914–1989 Volumes First World War

Poster titled Public Warning, featuring solid black silhouettes of German airships and aeroplanes on the left and solid black silhouettes of British airships and aeroplanes on the right.

Sourced from The National Archives (UK), this volume explores British civil defence during the First World War, the first major conflict to feature aerial warfare. German air raids led the government to develop protective measures, marking the origins of modern civil defence.

Civil defence relied not only on the government, but also on civilians safeguarding their homes and communities. The documents in this volume highlight these collective efforts, showcasing a range of materials on air raid precautions. For example, AIR 1/498/15/316 includes a poster designed to help the public identify hostile enemy aircraft, as well as those that were friendly. The documents demonstrate how civil defence authorities believed that cultivating awareness and preparedness amongst Britain’s population was crucial for national defence.

Documents such as AIR 1/537/16/12/143 and AIR 1/308/15/226/185 contain reports on the organisation of air raid warnings. These reports detail the system for communicating warnings and contain maps depicting warning districts. Documents such as HO 45/10789/300000 and HO 45/10794/302000 discuss wartime lighting restrictions that were put in place in towns, villages, and in London. HO 45/10899/371825 contains correspondence on the relaxation of these restrictions post-Armistice. Together, these records provide insights into the challenges faced by civil defence in response to aerial warfare, and how, over time, civil defence strategies evolved to overcome this threat.

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