LONDON IN WARTIME

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 132, 4 May 1940, Page 8

LONDON IN WARTIME

AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS. HUGE ORGANISATION. Some indication of the scope and thoroughness of air raid precautions in London is given by the executive of a large jewellery firm in a letter to a Palmerston North resident. “As to the evidence of war here in London you see things on every hand to remind you that at any moment you may have to take cover,” lie writes. “There is the gas mask which you carry with you wherever you go, sandbag shelters in the streets, also firstaid. stations built of sandbags, and where space will allow there are huge iron tanks full of water, the size of a small swimming bath, to be used in case of emergency should the mains be blown up. All telephone and police boxes in the streets are sandbagged and all statues and monuments are boarded and sandbagged. “Many businesses have all the windows boarded up and business is carried on inside entirely by artificial light. All large firms have their own staff fire squads and first-aid squads. At my office each floor has a marshal -appointed whose duty is to get his staff together at an air raid warning. Each member of the staff takes charge of certain books, papers, correspondence, etc., everyone fiaving his own particular duty. All proceed in line to the strongrooms and basements, which iare fitted out as shelters. “We have room for about 400 people in our underground shelters. In the showroom every assistant has certain trays of jewellery to look after and take with him to a place of safety. We have arranged for all the staff, and valuables and books, etc., to be moved to safety inside seven minutes from the time we get the warning. Many firms, such as banks and insurance offices, are running their businesses in duplicate so that in case of fire at any branch records of that branch’s business are in existence somewhere else. Of course, the cost of all this is enormous, lor every house and business has to be equipped with fire appliances, medical material and dressings in case of need.” CONTINUOUS DUTIES. The correspondent added that air wardens patrolled the streets at night to ensure the black-out was observed. These officials were on duty night and day. Business jieople took it m turn to sleep on the premises. Schools and public bads all over London had been taken over by the councils and established as air raid precaution posts, with staffs there day and night. The branch posts were in telephonic communication with their nearest air raid precautions centre. In the event of a raid the warden would telephone the centre informing it of the damage and the centre would send squads to give immediate help. Thousands of vans, lorries and private cars had been taken over by the London County Council and were lined up near the centres ready for instant action. , Many private houses had hinged board shutters made lor their windows whereas others had strips of strong, brown paper across the glass to strengthen it in case of bomb explosions. Many people had set aside one room which could be sealed against gas and in which people could stay for several hours. These rooms were generally oil the ground floor and were strengthened with stout timber posts supporting cross-beams to prevent the ceiling from collapsing. Of course, it was necessary to keep pick-axes and shovels in these rooms so that those inside could dig their "way out if the house fell down. The writer gives details of a dugout in his own garden. Millions of people were engaged in air raid precaution work; some were paid but most were volunteers. In Finchley alone air ra.id precautions were costing ov T er £2OOO weekly, which meant £IOO.OOO per annum on local rates. As a rate of Id produced £3OOO, an addition of 3s in the £ in rates was expected for air raid precautions alone. Last year’s estimates would be quite inadequate. Gas was up to 5s per 1000 cubic feet and electric light was up to Od a unit, while the cost of fuels was increased enormously.