Civil Defence Corps Films

Civil Defence Corps films were made for a number of purposes, primarily for recruitment and training, but also to provide information for the public.

Civil Defence Corps

A 1950 Civil Defence recruitment film this was shown in local cinemas for some years. © British Pathe

The Waking Point

A 1951 Civil Defence recruitment film: Joe Mercer, played by John Slater, leaves a cinema showing a film on the horrors of communism and is accosted by a Civil Defence Corps recruiter in the foyer. He claims he hasn't got the time and in any case he did it all "the last time". Later his son gets trapped in a tunnel in the old quarry and is rescued with the help of the local Civil Defence training unit. The next local civil defence meeting now includes Slater - various training activities are shown. Slater is offered a full-time position as a rescue training officer and is despatched to the Civil Defence School at Easingwold, Yorkshire. After a day's hard training he falls asleep in his room and dreams that the war has started, with a mass of panicking, untrained civilians fighting to reach air raid shelters. He wakes up to find that, "It hasn't happened - there is still time." The film was shown with other shorts at the Cannes Film Festival, the US authorities were sufficiently impressed to ensure that it was also shown in the USA.

Atom Exercise

Movietone News showing the UK's first major Civil Defence Training Exercise in 1951. The radiation measuring instrument is a dummy, when this film was made the Corps did not have any radiac equipment! © Movietone News

Bristol Trains to Beat the A-Bomb

Pathe's reporting of the same exercise. © British Pathe

Sheffield Calling

A Civil Defence Exercise believed to be from 1953/4.

Other People

A Civil Defence Corps recruitment film made by the Wanstead and Woodford Civil Defence Committee in 1953/4. Local Civil Defence Authorities were permitted to make their own recruitment films, throughout their existence. Few did so apparently. Although some of the badges are pre 1953, the film refers to the East Coast floods that occurred in January 1953.

Norwich Civil Defence Exercise

A couple of clips from a film made by Norwich City Council for their Civic Week in 1955, showing a part of a Civil Defence Corps Exercise. The Rescue and Ambulance Sections only are shown.

Civil Defence Gets New Gear

1955 film showing the introduction of the Rescue Man Pack. The Man Pack contained hand tools and ropes, to increase the flexibility of the Rescue Squads of the Civil Defence Corps. © Pathe News

700 Practice Civil Defence

Newsreel film of a large exercise, probably from the mid 1960s, and shot at the Home Office training ground at Bully Fen, which later became part of the London 2012 Olympic Park.

Catterick Camp Civil Defence

Selection of amateur film clips of Civil Defence Rescue Section training at Catterick Army Camp in 1960/1.

Rescue & Relief

1963 newsreel footage of a Civil Defence Corps training exercise, made at the Home Office training ground at Epsom in Surrey. The webmaster was one of the casualties on this exercise, and it sparked his interest in joining the Civil Defence Corps, which he did the following year.

The Warden, His Duties and Training.

1961 training film for the Warden Section of the Civil Defence Corps.

The Warden and the Householder

A Civil Defence Corps training film for the Warden Section of the Corps, made in 1961 by the UK Home Office. Includes archive footage of Hiroshima.

Civil Defence in Action - Headquarters Section

A 1962 training film made by the Middlesex Division of the Civil Defence Corps, showing how the section and its sub-sections would work in the event of nuclear attack.

Civil Defence in Action - The Rest Centre

A 1962 training film made by the Middlesex Division of the Civil Defence Corps,  showing the Welfare Section running a Rest Centre, such as would be set up in time of war. Amongst the personnel, in addition to regular Corps members are members of the Womens Voluntary Service (WVS), and volunteers wearing arm bands rather than uniforms, these latter were to have been recruited in the last days leading up to war.

Care of the Homeless

1965 training film for the Welfare Section of the Civil Defence Corps, based on the response to a 2 megaton device exploded in the region of Bristol, and based on a Rest Centre in Bath. The WVS (Women's Voluntary Service) take a prominent role, note some of the women wearing a different badge, the WVS continues as the WRVS even today), some people who would have been emergency recruits in the last few days leading up to the start of the war can be identified by their armbands.

Civil Defence Bulletins Nos. 1-7 and introduction.

In the early 1960s this series of short Civil Defence Bulletins was made, but not broadcast. It was the intention of the government to show these films during the lead-up to any threatened nuclear war. The Civil Defence Corps was shown the films in the format you see here. The booklet 'Advising the Householder on Protection Against Nuclear Attack' (see below) was a short training document for the civil defence organisations, it was not intended for general publication, but was available through Her Majesty's Stationery Office. I saw this format in 1964/65 as part of my training in the Civil Defence Corps. Despite various suggestions I have seen, there was no part 8!

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