Since we didn't have a Nuclear War,
what did the Civil Defence Corps actually do?
This list shows some of the many peace time uses of British CD services that happened between 1949 and 1968:
1950
13th-15th May Ironbridge, Shropshire.
Factory explosion – assistance given in evacuation of homes considered dangerous, feeding people who were dispossessed, opening emergency centre and clearance of debris. (source 1)
1951
10th Sept. Southend.
RAF Meteor crashed doing damage to three rows of houses and causing two deaths. Rescue Section rendered help in releasing six casualties. (source 1)
1952
9th Oct. Harrow.
Assistance at railway disaster. (source 1)
15th -16th Aug. Lynmouth.
Help given by CD and WVS during and after flood disaster. (source 1)
1953
1st Feb. East Coast - Newcastle to Thames.
All regions rendered assistance to areas affected by the floods. (source 1)
28th April Swinton, Manchester.
Rescue Section gave assistance after some houses collapsed into a railway tunnel. (source 1)
8th Dec. Smethwick.
Assisted in recovering bodies of men buried when a building being demolished collapsed. (source 1)
1954
15th Jan. Morley, Yorkshire.
Aid given when roof and two floors of a mill collapsed. (source 1)
27th May Watergate, Bolton.
Searched for casualties, removed debris, salvaged property when three houses collapsed. (source 1)
1955
23rd Jan. Sutton Coldfield
Assistance at train derailment (source 2)
20th Nov. Didcot.
Helped at scene of train crash, nine killed and about eighty injured. (source 1)
22nd Dec. Luton.
Rescue party and WVS Welfare team attended train crash at Luton station. (source 1)
1956
2nd - 4th March Sheffield.
Rescue Section assist with emergency repairs to house and buildings after serious damage caused by gales. (source 1)
28th - 29th Aug. Cornwall.
Weekend gale. WVS and CD volunteers opened 16 emergency rest and feeding centres. 1,530 blankets distributed to homeless holiday makers. (source 1)
1957
14th March. Manchester Airport.
Gave assistance when a aircraft crashed. More information here. (source 1)
6th Nov. Downend, Bristol.
Bristol Britannia aircraft crashed on housing estate. CD and Industial CD combined in rescue and first aid tasks, while WVS and Welfare provided refreshments. (source 1)
29th Nov. Maidstone.
Rescue workers assisted when the tower of Oakwood Hospital collapsed. (source 1)
4th Dec. Lewisham.
Rescue workers assisted at railway disaster, WVS prepare food for rescue workers. (source 1)
1958
30th Jan. Dagenham.
Assisted in rescue operations after railway disaster. (source 1)
2nd Sept. Southall.
CD and Industial CD workers assisted in rescue when a Viking aircraft crashed on houses. Seven killed and eight injured. (source 1)
23rd Nov. Croyden.
Houses shored up and crashed lorry removed from wall by Rescue Section. (source 1)
1959
10th March Wolverhampton.
Rescue operation when building collapsed. Two killed and others trapped. (source 1)
3rd Sept. Preston.
Rescue team shored up buildings which threatened to collapse after collision. (source 1)
1960
30th Sept to 3rd Oct, . Devon
Floods – CD workers and WVS provided tea and emergency meals for the homeless and staffed rest centres. Rescue by 'Bikini' transportable water units and dinghy from floods and collapsed houses. More information here (source 1)
7th - 11th Oct. Horncastle, Lincolnshire.
Floods – Wireless communications set up 24 hour watch on key points of rivers. Call sections played their part in rescue operations.More information here (source 1 & 5)
27th - 28th Oct. Exeter and Taunton.
CD volunteers helped in worst floods of the century. Three rest centres opened and emergency feeding operations put in hand. More information here (source 1 & 6)
7th / 14th / 21st Nov. Heston, Middlesex.
For three weekends, CD volunteers helped in search for missing 12 year old, Brenda Nash. On 14th, 1,500 volunteers equipped with portable radios, searched 15 square miles of countryside, reservoirs and gravel pits. (source 1)
3rd - 5th Dec. Hereford.
Floods - more information here (source 1)
3rd - 11th Dec, Newtown, Montgomeryshire.
Floods - more information here (source 4).
4th Dec. Derbyshire.
Floods - more information here (source 4)
4th - 5th Dec. Cardiff & South Wales.
Floods - more information here (source 1)
1961
27th Jan. Derby
Ritz Cinema site. Collapse of trench, three men recovered. (source 1)
26th Feb. Elan Valley, Radnorshire, Wales
CD workers help in search for boy missing whilst doing his Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Sadly, he was found dead on 28th Feb. (source 8)
1962
17th Jan. Egremont, Cumberland.
Storm damage to 26 houses rendered 55 people homeless. The Welfare section set up a rest centre which cared for 9 people and arranged meals for 100 workers employed at the scene. (source 8)
7th Feb. Lorry explosion at West Bromwich.
CD volunteers from West Bromwich, Birmingham and Walsall and a CD team from ICI Whitton were at the scene of the explosion within 40 minutes of the CD call for "Catastrophe procedure" to be put in operation. (source 8)
16th Feb. Sheffield.
CD worker helped in roof-repairing, flood-lighting building work and repairing collapsed buildings in the gale disaster. (source 8)
4th June. Lincoln station.
CD Volunteers give assistance following express train crash. (source 8)
19th Oct. Cheltenham.
CD volunteers at scene of road crash when eleven people were killed. (source 8)
31st Dec. Cheshire.
Rescue teams assisted County Fire Brigade in Hyde and Macclesfield in dealing with damage to property caused by hurricane. (source 8)
1963
Jan/Feb. Across whole of the UK.
Severe snowfall and freezing weather required much assistance from CD volunteers. Work included using wireless equipped vehicles to locate lost livestock on Dartmoor; Delivering water, coal, and bedding; Providing hot food and beverages to teams working on snow clearance; The provision of Ambulance Control in Bristol when the peacetime control was put out of action by flooding; Setting up emergency rest centres around the country to care for stranded travellers; and CD signals provided communications for Police engaged in traffic control and for local authority employees snow-clearing operations. (source 8)
Feb. CD East Suffolk Division.
Over three weeks, CDC Headquarters arranged a water supply to a Research Station and over 15,000 dwelling houses. Over 400,000 gallons were supplied. (source 8)
7th March. Northumberland.
Sandbags provided and filled. CD Rescue teamhelped save about 50 old people and 300 schoolchildren from the rising waters of the Morpeth Floods. Emergency reception and feeding centres were established. Field Cable Party laid line to re-establish communications between County Police Headquarters and CD Divisional Headquarters. (source 8)
June. Shropshire.
Collape of cellar during the demolition at Old Market Hall. Help given by Rescue Officer and Industrial CD unit. (source 8)
July. Shropshire.
Trench collapsed during archaeological excation. Help given by Rescue section. (source 8).
12th - 14th Aug. Carlisle.
CD volunteers assisted in search for missing girl. Unfortunately she was subsequently found murdered. (source 8)
1964
March. Brighton.
CD volunteers assist in search for missing boy. Welfare section proved hot soup, tea etc for searchers. (source 8)
19th July. Rising Bridge, Lancashire.
CD volunteers helped flood victims following storms in the early morning. WVS volunteers from Ramsbottom, Middleton, Rawtenstall and Bacup helped in providing tea and food for both helpers and victims and assisted in drying out house furnishings. The greatest need was for clothing which was supplied from the Rawtenstall centre. (source 8)
26th July. Sedgewick.
Emergency feeding and Signals teams of Westmorland Division of the CDC took part in the search for a missing boy. (source 8)
26th Oct. Birkenhead.
Nearly 200 CD volunteers assisted the Police in their search of woodland, parks and lakes for a missing six year old girl. (source 8)
1965
11th Jan. Shrewsbury.
CD volunteers opened Rest Centre for flood victims. Provided food for men on flood duty. (source 8)
29th March. Romford
Passenger train derailed. CD Rescue and First Aid section first on scene. Local training class gave assistance and flood-lights provided. (source 8)
10th Dec. Derby
CD volunteers open Rest Centre for flood victims. (source 8)
10th Dec. Bangor-on-Dee
CD volunteers assisted in flood emergency at Bangor-on-Dee and various places in Montgomeryshire. (source 8)
17th Dec. Glamorgan.
CD staff set up a flood control centre and provided Rescue and Welfare teams when valleys flooded. (source 8)
24th Dec. Barwell, Leicestershire
CD Scientific and Reconnaissance sub-section aclled out to investigate the Barwell Meteorite. (source 3)
1966
12th Feb. Brecon Beacons.
CD / Police Mountain Rescue teams searched for and located crashed Vulcan bomber. (source 8)
21st Oct. Aberfan
The Aberfan school disaster. More information here (source 2 & 7)
15th Nov. Leicester.
CD Corps requested to assist, mainly for making houses safe for occupants and the evacuation and removal of furniture a a result of a whirlwind which caused severe damage during the afternoon. (source 8)
1967
18th March. Torrey Canyon disaster.
Over 200 CD volunteers assisted in beach cleaning operations when the oil slick hit beaches in SW England. Welfare section set up emergency feeding and rest centres and reconnaissance organised beach watches to report new pollution. Rescue teams set up flood-lights to extend to the working period. (source 8)
4th June. Stockport
19 CD volunteers gave assistance when an aircraft crashed into a factory. They helped in the unpleasant task of recovering bodies, stretcher-bearing, debris clearing and searching the wrteckage. (source 8)
Sources:
- Civil Defence Volunteers Pocket Book, printed by the Middlesex Division, 1962.
- A Brief History of Civil Defence. Ed. Tim Essex-Lopresti, Civil Defence Association,2005
- Leicestershire Civil Defence Journal, 1966
- Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.2 February 1961
- Civil Defence magazine Vol. 13 No.1 January 1961
- Civil Defence magazine Vol. 12 No.12 December 1960
- Civil Defence magazine Vol.12 No.11 November 1966.
- Civil Defence diary, 1968.
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