Web Page No 2690

29th May 2020

1st Picture. Civil Defence rule booklet

 2nd Picture. Civil Defence pin badge

 3rd Picture. Portsmouth Civil Defence Shoulder flashes

4th Picture. Fort Widley used a CD base.

Civil Defence Corps

The Civil Defence Corps (CDC) was something that I vaguely remember from my childhood days but never understood what they did and as far as I know never knew anyone who was a member.

It was  a civilian volunteer organisation established in 1949 to mobilise and take local control of the affected area in the aftermath of a major national emergency, principally envisaged as being a Cold War nuclear attack. By March 1956, the Civil Defence Corps had 330,000 personnel and was an organisation that existed for over 30 years, it was stood down in 1968, although one Civil Defence Corps still operates within the British Isles, namely the Isle of Man Civil Defence Corps.

Although under the authority of the Home Office, with a centralised administrative establishment, the corps was administered locally by Corps Authorities. In general, every county was a Corps Authority, as were most county boroughs in England and Wales and large burghs in Scotland. The CDC was never established in Northern Ireland. Each Corps Authority established its own Division of the corps.

Each division was divided into several sections:

Headquarters Section, responsible for staffing control centres and divided into three sub-sections.

Intelligence and Operations Sub-Section, responsible for recording and analysing information and preparing instructions.

Signal Sub-Section, responsible for installing, operating and maintaining communications systems.

Scientific and Reconnaissance Sub-Section, responsible for advising controllers on scientific and technical aspects of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, and providing reconnaissance parties (especially to monitor nuclear fallout).

Warden Section, responsible for local reconnaissance and reporting, and leadership, organisation, guidance and control of the public.

Rescue Section, responsible for rescue operations, demolition and debris clearance.

Ambulance and First Aid Section, built around peacetime local ambulance services.

Ambulance Sub-Section, responsible for the operation of ambulances to transport casualties to Forward Medical Aid Units.

First Aid Sub-Section, responsible for basic first aid at the scene and the removal of casualties by stretcher to ambulances.

Welfare Section, responsible for the welfare of those rendered homeless and/or deprived of normal facilities, including evacuation, accommodation, feeding, sanitation, clothing, nursing, information etc.

From 1949 to 1968, the Civil Defence Corps Training School was at Taymouth Castle in Scotland. The Castle was also one of the sites for PYTHON, the plan for continuity of government in the event of nuclear war.

Members of the corps were issued with dark blue battledress and berets. A system of horizontal bars and point-down chevrons was used to indicate rank.

                               

The Civil Defence Corps initially inherited vehicles and equipment that had been stored from the end of the Second World War. However, it was realised that a nuclear attack demanded a different kind of response from the war time experience, potentially wiping out any local emergency response and communications in the affected area, so from 1954 there was a new approach to training and equipment to reflect this.This included a new rescue ManPack, and the purchase of new vehicles.

The headquarters sections were equipped with mobile control centres, despatch riders, and Land Rovers equipped for reconnaissance (e.g. to measure radiation levels, damage, and road accessibility). These were fitted with radio to communicate back to base, and could carry a second radio for forward communication to personnel on foot. To repair or establish communication, there were also field cable party Land Rovers towing trailers for cable laying.

A reconnaissance detachment comprised four Land Rovers, each with a crew of four (driver, leader/navigator, radiac operator, wireless operator), which would be sent in on three parallel paths towards an area affected by a nuclear strike (with one vehicle spare). The radio operator would be in touch with area control at a base station, which could be a mobile station based in a Ford Thames signal office vehicle, or could be in a local town hall. The wireless equipment was Pye or BCC which were 12 volt powered, using the vehicle supply or batteries. A second 5-channel radio operating was fitted between the driver and navigator and could be used to communicate with personnel on foot. These vehicles were fitted with hard tops with side windows. The Radiac operator would gather radiation level measurements that would be analysed together with wind patterns by the intelligence section.

The field cable party Land Rovers were soft-tops towing trailers with both cable and poles, so that cables could be carried over roads. Establishment of communications was one of the first priorities. Other vehicles included rescue trucks, equipped with a wide range of rescue equipment and trained staff with Rescue Manpacks, and welfare vehicles, as well as ambulances.

All this was going on in Cosham and Fort Widley and apart from being vaguely aware of its existence I had no idea of what their role in life was.

Stay in touch

Peter

grseditor@gmail.com

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News and Views:

On this day 29th May 1960-1965

On 29/05/1960 the number one single was Cathy's Clown - Everly Brothers and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Wagon Train (ITV) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1961 the number one single was You're Driving Me Crazy - The Temperance Seven and the number one album was GI Blues - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1962 the number one single was Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Panic on Wall Street.

On 29/05/1963 the number one single was From Me To You - The Beatles and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Conservative Party Political Broadcast (all channels) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1964 the number one single was Juliet - Four Pennies and the number one album was Rolling Stones - The Rolling Stones. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 29/05/1965 the number one single was Where Are You Now (My Love) - Jackie Trent and the number one album was Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.