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After completion of training ARP volunteers were issued a sterling silver badge. These were issued from December 1937 until 1943 when manufacture ceased. From 1940 they were made in a white metal. From 1941, when in uniform, they were allowed to be worn as a cap badge.Two types were issued, one with a stud fixing for men and another with a pin fixing for women.Wearers complained that these badges were too large and commercial manufacturers soon issued a range of smaller badges, some of which had enamel colouring. Three are illustrated below.
The first ARP uniforms were issued around October 1939. These early uniforms were overalls for men and Macintosh type overcoats for women both in dark blue 'bluette', a type of denim. On these uniforms was a cloth breast badge consisting of the letters ARP in red, surrounded by a red oval. The overalls were fastened with white metal buttons.
From February 1941 a heavy battledress uniform began to be issued. This uniform consisted of blouse, trousers, greatcoat and beret, with the options of skirt, ski cap or felt hat for female volunteers.
During 1941, the phrase ARP began to be phased out in favour of Civil Defence (CD) General Services, the main change to uniform was the replacement of the red ARP breast badge with a yellow CD one.
The buttons of the blouse and greatcoat were initially made of a white metal, but were later replaced by black plastic buttons as an economy measure.
No new lapel badge was issued, as most volunteers were by now in some form of uniform, but commercial badge manufacturers revised existing designs to reflect the change. The badge illustrated bears a striking resembelence to the Home Guard lapel bage.
However in January 1942 the government authorised the issue of 4 new instructors badges, these were all of a similar design. The badge illustrated is for an Instructor, Local Air Raid Precautions.
Some personnel were never issued with a uniform. Instead they received a Civil Defence armband bearing the words CIVIL DEFENCE in an arc, flanked with curved lines and surmounted with a crown.
Civil Defence General Services were wound up on 2 May 1945.
By 1947, it became clear that a war with the Soviet Union was a real and nuclear possibility. With the re-emergence of civil defence in the early 1950s, volunteers were again called upon to be trained in the event of war.Again a heavy battledress uniform was issued. This uniform consisted of blouse, trousers, greatcoat and beret, with the option of a skirt for female volunteers.
Two cloth badges were issued for use as breast and cap badges one was for use by the Civil Defence Corps (Scotland) and the other for use in the rest of the UK.
Several small badges, some of which had enamel colouring, have also been commercially manufactured. Three are illustrated below.
Copyright © 2002 Peter N. Risbey.
