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Air Raid Wardens And Police

Very sorry, dwjones - have looked it up but no mention there of a Hibell. There may of course be descriptions of incidents in which he would have been involved, but we can't really know.

Is there any further information about your grandfather's work in the ARP? I'm sure other members would like to hear it, if there is.

Chris
 
Thanks for trying Chris. Unfortunately my mother doesn't have any other information. In 1940 he was listed as being a coal merchant and they lived at 141 Moor End Lane, Erdington, and by 1945 they were at 470 College Rd, Erdington. Not very helpful!
Regards
David
 
My grandfather was an ARP Warden in Aston, Brimingham. His name was Francis William Robbins, aka Frank Robbins. There is a note in the 1939 England and Wales Census which confirms him as an ARW Superintendent at Lichfield Road. He lived at 94 Prestbury Road at the time.

I have attached two photographs of him and his ARP companions which I believe was taken in the playground at Albert Road School, Aston. My grandfather, Francis W. Robbins, is seated in the middle row, wearing a civilian suit and a hat. I am posting it in the hope that someone else's grandfather is also shown here and that they could maybe give me some more details about their activities. I'm sure this snippet of history is important to someone out there and I look forward to reading your responses.
 

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My Dad "God Bles him" was an Air raid warden and I still have his whistle and a model of a Stuka bomber that they used for id exercises.
 
In the 1939 census my uncle, Herbert James Mills (Jim) has a note on the return; Air Raid Precautions - Decontamination. Age 50, he had served as a Lewis Gunner in the Coldstream Guards, during the Great War, becoming an instructor at the Hythe School of Musketry until 1920. What did surprise me was that he lived in very rural Warwickshire, at Northend. I think that the decontamination squads had helmets, gas masks, rubber suits and gloves with Wellington boots. In the early days gas and biological weapons were expected. Does anyone know if the decontamination squads existed in rural areas with a sparse population, or basically everywhere? Or could this be something preparing for the defence of Central Ammunition Depot, Kineton - which did not open until 1941, but would need time to construct. Any information about the decontamination squads is welcome.
 
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A decontamination squad demonstrating their role in Harborne. This appeared in the Evening Despatch on 8/9/1939, There was understandably anxiety about possible gas attacks at the start of war. Viv.

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Source: British Newspaper Archive
 
This account of the role and background to the squads appeared in the Birmingham Gazette in 1938 - preparations and training exercises for decontamination squads were already in hand. Viv.



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Thank you Vivienne! I can see that Jim's peace time job making and repairing roads would make him ideal too. He kept his Coldstream memorabilia all his life, but there was nothing about ARP decontamination.
 
A few more from a demonstration at Lucas’s, Great King Street. A nice display of equipment used too. Viv. 9095DF26-A234-4717-836A-E764F57FFD0B.jpeg2F312C51-4811-4255-9F5A-CE3D0DAC7659.jpegC43843A1-B851-4A5F-B771-2329B2CDFB98.jpegSource: British Newspaper Archive
 
Not WW2, as OKF registrations were not issued until 1953. Probably Civil Defence during the Cold War period.
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