Forgotten Friday – The ARP Warden
Today we are delving into the history of the ARP Warden. Why is this important and how were Wardens identified?
A man or woman wearing a helmet with a big ‘W’ painted on it was instantly recognisable. Air Raid Precautions, (ARP for short), were a measure set up in 1935 by the British government in response to the prediction of massive casualties that would be caused by German bombing in the event of war. The Air Raid Wardens’ Service was created in 1937, and while by mid-1938, it had grown to 200,000 strong, the Munich crisis saw another 500,000 join the service too.
A lot of Wardens had other jobs and duties when being a part-time volunteer in the service. The ARP Wardens wore overalls with an armband, and a black steel helmet with a W in white lettering. Chief Wardens wore white helmets with a black ‘W’. Later in the war, all ARP Wardens wore blue serge battledress.
Contrary to government and public expectation, there were no large raids in the first 11 months of the Second World War. One of the reasons for this was the fact that the Luftwaffe was incapable of providing fighter escorts for its bomber force all the way from Germany to Britain. Although, this became possible only after airfields In France became available in June 1940.
Without any air raids, there was little for the ARP Wardens to do in the early months other than enforce the blackout regulations, which led to the image of the Warden as a self-important busybody of the kind portrayed by Chief Air Raid Warden Hodges in Dads Army.
However, during the Blitz in 1940-1941, along with other Civil Defence Casually Service and Fire Service men and women, the ARP Wardens performed devotedly and were heroes.
In London, ARP Wardens were based at local posts placed at about ten to a square mile. They patrolled regularly reporting the locations of bombs as they fell. If it was an incendiary bomb, they would attempt to smother it with sandbags. They also supervised the public shelters and were in effect the ‘eyes and ears’ of Civil Defence. Rescue teams summoned to bomb-damaged areas included stretcher-bearers and heavy rescue men, most of the latter were building workers familiar with house construction.
While patrolling the streets ARP Wardens ensured that no light was visible from any of the buildings in their ‘patch’. On seeing a light, they would call out, ‘put out that light’ and regular offenders were reported to the police. They helped to police bomb-damaged locations and gave immediate assistance to bomb victims. They were trained in firefighting and first aid and attempted to keep a situation under control until the rescue services arrived.
Two ARP Wardens were awarded the George Cross for gallantry during the Second World War, the awards went to, ARP Warden Thomas Alderson and ARP Warden Leonard Miles.
