Interesting group of A.R.P. booklets

[leon21]

Here's a group of ARP booklets that belonged to a farmer and ARP warden from No 12 West Pelton post near Beamish

Co Durham. What I like about these booklets is that he has added some of his own comments and has amended others

as the war as gone on. He was involved in the aftermath of the bombing of the Beamish Marshaling yards and village in

1942.

No 1 booklet dated 1939.

No 8 booklet dated 1938.

No 9 booklet dated 1939.

No 14 booklet dated 1942.

and a single sheet notice dated 1942.

It was discovered when the farmer died by his relatives that he was a member of Churchill's secret army, they called in

the police to remove his sniper rifle and ammunition found under his bed when they were clearing out. The person I got

these from knew the farmer and got these from his relatives with other items I'm hoping to get as well.

 

here's some photo's.

[leon21]

Here's an A.R.P. Illustrated Practical Guide booklet, I've scanned a few pages you may find of interest.

The chapter on Domestic Surface Shelters I can relate to personally.

When we moved to Skegness we bought a Semi-Detached house build in the late 1930s, this was in 2002 which still had

one of these shelters still standing in the rear garden build of brick and had a concrete roof of at least 5 inches thick, it was

a type F as depicted in this booklet and stood about 8 feet away from the house. Next door had demolished their half of it

and as far as I know was the only one left standing on the street, there was not much room in side them you could get two

people sitting down or four people standing. they were about the size of a small tool shed and that's what I used it for.

How practical they would have been during the war I don't know, but if the house had been hit with a 500lb bomb I think

the blast would have took the shelter with it. As far as I know it's still there.it was in 2010 when we moved up North.