Second World War

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

Second World War

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

Coloured illustrations showing a civilian respirator being worn, demonstrating how to adjust and remove a civilian respirator, and showing a civilian duty respirator being worn.

Sourced from The National Archives (UK), this volume contains documents on civil defence during the Second World War. Fearing that aerial bombing could force Britain’s surrender before a shot was fired, the government established the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) service to enforce blackouts, build shelters, and oversee fire-watching.

This volume explores this extensive civil defence effort, which included shelter construction, recruitment of wardens and post-raid helpers, as well as major propaganda campaigns. Public information leaflets such as "Some Things You Should Know If War Should Come" (HO 186/114), “Evacuation, Why and How” (HO 186/116), and "Your Food in Wartime" (HO 186/117), were produced to keep the public informed on how to handle difficult situations. A range of films and pamphlets likewise instructed people on what to do when they heard an air raid siren (HO 186/1064, HO 186/1219, and HO 186/1216) and how to use gas masks (INF 6/315, HO 186/115).

Documents such as HO 205/230, HO 205/231, and HO 205/233 contain public letters, police statements, and reports on the tragic Bethnal Green Tube Station disaster of 3 March 1943, which claimed 173 lives. This volume also includes records that shed light on the Imperial War Museum’s efforts to preserve wartime civil defence material and so record a turbulent period of history as it unfolded (e.g. HO 186/2097 and HO 186/2681).

Women played a vital role in civil defence, many joined the Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS). Documents such as HO 186/572, HO 199/401, HO 199/452, and HO 186/1654 allow you to explore the essential duties of the WVS in more detail, while HO 186/1471 and HO 199/401 highlight gender-based pay disparities in civil defence work. By capturing not just government policy, but also the lived experiences of ordinary people, the sources in this volume paint a holistic picture of civil defence during the Second World War.

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