Tocsin-Bang Archive

This archive consists of documents held on the Tocsin-Bang server, unless otherwise stated. Three formats are used, for text documents it is .pdf, for audio it is .mp3, and for video .mp4. These file-types have been chosen for compatibility with the majority of modern browsers. The majority of users will already have software installed to use the files as is. Due to the multiplicity of operating systems in use today, I will leave you to choose your own methods of opening files. You may download the files by right clicking and then download as...

UK National Archives lists

The following lists are of UK documents that have generally not been digitised and cannot therefore be downloaded, however they may be obtained in most cases, from the National Archives by ordering. Those that have been digitised may be downloaded, but you will need to search the National Archives. They may also be viewed by visiting in person. You do need to be aware that some files are "closed", in other words they are not available to the public, in some cases for many years yet to come. The year indicated at the end of each entry is the last year in which material was added to the file. Generally speaking files prior to 1945 are not listed. Some files only contain material covering a very short period - in some cases only days - in other cases material covers a period of years. As there are many thousands of documents listed they have been split among a number of pages. Each page represents a file series, the initial part of the reference indicates the originating department or ministry, as follows:

ADM - Admiralty and Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence
AIR - Air Ministry and Air Department of the Ministry of Defence
HO - Home Office
MAF - Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
MH - Ministry of Health
OS - Ordnance Survey

ADM 1 Admiralty and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files. Only files related to UK civil defence of the Cold War period are included.
AIR 2 Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Registered Files. Only files related to the Royal Observer Corps, UKWMO and RAF Fylingdales are included in this list. The series comprises policy, case, committee and miscellaneous papers and reports. With the unification of the Ministry of Defence in 1964, the Air Ministry became the Air Department of the Ministry of Defence, its registered files are generally to be found thereafter in DEFE 71, but there is some overlap with the series. None of the contents of DEFE 71 relate to the ROC or UKWMO.
AIR 28 Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Operations Record Books, RAF Fylingdales.
HO 225 Home Office: Scientific Adviser's Branch: Reports (originally identified as the CD/SA Series. This series of reports is concerned with scientific aspects of the possible threat to the civil population posed by a future war using atomic or thermonuclear weapons, and the consideration of measures that might be employed to mitigate the effects of enemy attack. The earlier papers presuppose a major threat from atomic weapons of the kind used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, whereas those of later date deal with the more serious threat arising from thermonuclear weapons. These reports do not at any point define government policy on the subjects discussed. They formed part of the input of the Scientific Adviser's Branch to the policy-making process, and/or suggested areas where further research was necessary.
HO 226 Home Office: Scientific Adviser's Branch: Reports (originally identified as the R and M Series). The R and M series reports are primarily concerned with the possible threat to the civil population posed by a future war, and the consideration of measures that might be employed to mitigate the effects of enemy attack. They are mainly the work of individual scientists.
HO 227 Home Office: Scientific Adviser's Branch and successors: Reports (originally identified as the SA/PR Series). Reports dealing with the protection of civilians from the effects of a possible nuclear war. Topics studied include casualty assessment, the effects of radio-active fallout, shelter survival requirements, and Fire Service equipment and organisation. The series also includes notes of discussions with allied civil defence authorities. This series of reports, dating from 1950, deals with the protection of the civil population against the effects of a possible nuclear war. Topics studied include casualty assessment in a variety of circumstances; the effects of radioactive fallout and possible counter-measures; shelter survival requirements; and Fire Service equipment and organisation. The series also contains notes of discussions with civil defence authorities in the USA, Canada, and the Federal German Republic.
HO 228 Home Office: Scientific Adviser's Branch: Reports (originally identified as the Z Series). The Z series of reports deals with the effects of a possible nuclear war on the civil population and measures intended to mitigate those effects. The majority of the pieces are, in fact, collections of papers given to Civil Defence Regional Scientific Advisers at their annual conferences or at other meetings called to discuss specific topics.
HO 229 Fission Fragments: Journal of Home Office Scientific Advisers's Branch and successors. The Journal Fission Fragments was produced for distribution to volunteer local authority scientific advisers, originally called 'Scientific Intelligence Officers'. It contains articles on all aspects of civil defence against conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. The journal Fission Fragments was first published by the Scientific Adviser's Branch in 1961, and continues to be produced today by the present Scientific Research and Development Branch, for distribution to the volunteer local authority scientific advisers, originally called 'scientific intelligence officers'. Articles in the journal are written mainly by members of the branch, but have also been contributed by local authority scientific advisers and by the former Civil Defence Department of the Home Office: they range across all aspects of civil defence against conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological warfare. Publication was at irregular intervals, depending upon the availability of material and the importance of its early circulation.
HO 284 Home Office: Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland (CIM Symbol Series) Files. Files from the Home Office CIM (Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland) series. They relate to constitutional and other matters respecting the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland. Only files related to civil defence matters are included here.
HO 312 Home Office: Civil Defence Circulars. Circulars issued by the Home Office as successor to the Ministry of Home Security, to local authorities and Civil Defence officers, concerning civil defence. The HSC series of Home Security Circulars ( HO 208/3 -7) was then continued as Civil Defence Circulars having the reference CDC, and the HSR series of Home Security Regional Circulars ( HO 204/1 -5) was continued as Civil Defence Regional Circulars with the reference CDR. When the Ministry of Home Security was dissolved in May 1945, the Home Secretary took over the responsibilities of the Minister for Home Security. Civil Defence Circulars were issued to the responsible officers in local authorities, the police and the civil defence corps. Civil Defence Regional Circulars were issued to principal officers at Regional Civil Defence Headquarters until 1955, and thereafter to Regional Directors. The circulars dealt with the dismantling and disposal of shelters, the de-requisitioning of property, gratuities and other personnel matters, and similar post-war actions. From 1971, circulars concerning civil defence matters were retitled Emergency Services Circulars.
HO 322 Home Office: Civil Defence (Various Symbol Series) Files. This series contains files of the Civil Defence Department from the following file series: CDA: Civil Defence Administration CDI: Civil Defence Intelligence CDP: Civil Defence Planning CDS: Civil Defence Shelters CDT: Civil Defence Training CEM: Civil Emergencies ECE: Civil Defence Equipment: Policy ECO: Civil Defence: Co-ordination of Equipment and Transport ECT: Civil Defence Transport. They also deal with regional organisation (including minutes of the conferences of regional directors) and the Civil Defence Corps.
HO 338 Home Office: Scientific Adviser's Branch and successors: OSA, SAC, SAF, SAG, SAN and SC Symbol Series Files. Registered files of the Scientific Adviser's Branch and its successors relating to the provision of scientific advice within the Home Office and to other Departments involved in civil defence, the sponsoring of scientific research, the training of scientific intelligence officers, the development of computer projects for scientific research, and liaison with civil defence regional scientific advisers. Subjects covered include the effects of radiation and bomb blasts, and equipment for fire fighting. Reports of the Branch are in HO 225 - HO 229.
HO 353 Home Office: Police, War Emergency Matters (WEM Symbol Series) Files. Files from the Home Office WEM (War Emergency Matters) symbol series, dealing with police involvement in civil defence arrangements and war planning. From 1947, responsibilities for the matters dealt with in this series lay with various 'F' Divisions in the Home Office Police Department. In 1970, the responsibilities were assumed by F6 Division: that Division became part of the Fire and Emergency Planning Department in 1984, and in July 1989 was re-named EP Division.
HO 357 Home Office: Civil Defence Joint Planning Staff: Papers. Minutes and papers of the Civil Defence Joint Planning Staff and its working parties on civil defence policy and planning. The Civil Defence Joint Planning Staff was established in 1948 as an inter-departmental body, administered by the Home Office and reporting to the Cabinet Civil Defence Committee. Its terms of reference were: "Subject to the general direction and guidance of the Civil Defence Committee, (a) to examine and report on matters of civil defence policy, (b) to co-ordinate the preparation of detailed civil defence plans." In 1955, the CDJPS was reconstituted as the Civil Defence Planning Committee, which operated within the Cabinet Committee structure.
HO 393 Home Office: UK Warning and Monitoring Organisation (WMO Symbol Series) Files. This series contains files regarding the UK Warning and Monitoring Organisation.
MAF 355 Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Emergency Services Division: Registered Files: Agricultural Defence Planning (Z Series). This series contains records produced by the various divisions of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerned with defence planning for agricultural produce.
MH 131 Ministry of Health: Civil Defence, Registered Files (P(H) and CD(H) Series). This series contains files covering the whole range of the Ministry of Health's civil defence activities, in particular the National Hospital Service Reserve. Section 1 of the Civil Defence Act 1948 made it 'part of the functions of designated Ministers to take such steps as appear from time to time to be necessary or expedient for civil defence purposes.' This included the National Hospital Service Reserve which was established by the minister to provide a trained and organised body of men and women available to meet the needs of an expanded hospital service in the event of war.
OS 69 Ordnance Survey: Trigonometrical and Levelling Divisions: Triangulation Stations, files. The records in this series relate to the retriangulation of Great Britain begun in 1935, and constantly updated since, until finally superseded in the late 1990s. The series contains the triangulation station files. A limited number of ROC posts were co-sited with Triangulation Stations, the files listed relate to such situations.

USA Documents

Cuba Missile Crisis

Treaties and other International Documents

Films (All in .mp4 format)

AFS Bikini Drill - Flint AFS (1963) (7m:17s)

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. (2m:22s)

A.F.S. Exercise - at the Home Office training ground at Moreton-in-Marsh (1959) (7m:17s)

AFS recruitment film (1950) (0m:55s)

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 (1m:03s)

Big Leeds AFS Exercise Part of the recruitment drive for the Civil Defence services (1952) (1m:29s)

Bristol Trains to Beat the A-Bomb Pathe Newsreel showing the UK's first major Civil Defence Training Exercise in 1951. © Pathe (1m:07s)

Catterick Camp Civil Defence - Selection of amateur film clips of Civil Defence Rescue Section training at Catterick Army Camp in 1960/1. (12m:47s)

Civil Defence Corps (1950) - A Civil Defence Corps recruitment film this was shown in local cinemas for some years. © British Pathe (0m:55s)

Civil Defence Gets New Gear - The introduction of the Rescue Section individual manpack (1955) (2m:43s)

Civil Defence in Action - Headquarters Section A 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. (1962) (15m:10s)

Civil Defence in Action - The Rest Centre A 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. (1962) (9m:57s)

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! (33m:12s)

Care of the Homeless - 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. (1965) (21m:07s

Duck and Cover American civil defense animated live-action. It was widely distributed to United States schoolchildren in the 1950s, and teaches students what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion. (1952) (9m:20s)

Gruinard Island Base X Experiments (1942-1943) (0m:59s)

The Lyme Bay Trials (1966)

Martin Luther King - I have a Dream Speech - August 28th 1963

Mobile Fire Column - First Exercise - AFS, (1956) (1m:21s)
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.(1m:35s)
Nuclear Test Film - Trinity Shot - 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945

Operation Cauldron (1952)

Operation Hurricane - the first UK atomic device on 3 October 1952

Operation IVY - Mike shot in Operation IVY (1952)

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. (13m:08s)

Project Tower 1945 - Short US Air Force film about the technical problems in capturing film of the first atomic bomb blasts.

Protect and Survive - 1. Nuclear Explosions Explained (1m:35s)

Protect and Survive - 2. The Warnings (2m:53s)

Protect and Survive - 3. What To Do When the Warnings Sound (2m:28s)

Protect and Survive - 4. Stay at Home (1m:40s)

Protect and Survive - 5. Choosing a Fall-Out Room (2m:06s)

Protect and Survive - 6. Refuges (3m:54s)

Protect and Survive - 7. Materials To Use For Your Fall-out Room And Refuge (1m:55s)

Protect and Survive - 8. Make Your Fall-out Room and Refuge Now (4m:42s)

Protect and Survive - 9. What To Put In Your Fall-out Room (3m:03s)

Protect and Survive - 10. Action After Warnings (4m:13s)

Protect and Survive - 11. Water and Food (2m:41s)

Protect and Survive - 12. Sanitation (1m:33s)

Protect and Survive - 13. Fire Precautions (2m:02s)

Protect and Survive - 14. The Importance Of Your Radio (1m:20s)

Protect and Survive - 15. Life Under Fall-Out Conditions (2m:51s)

Protect and Survive - 16. What To Do After An Attack (2m:29s)

Protect and Survive - 17. Sanitation Care (2m:40s)

Protect and Survive - 18. Water Consumption (1m:28s)

Protect and Survive - 19. Food Consumption (1m:40s)

Protect and Survive - 20. Casualties (1m:27s)

The Waking Point (1951) A 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. (19m:06s)

Rescue & Relief - 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. (1963) (1m:13s)

Sheffield Calling A Civil Defence Exercise believed to be from 1953/4. (6m:47s)

Tsar Bomba (Царь-бомба) - October 30, 1961

The Warden, His Duties and Training. Training film for the Warden Section of the Civil Defence Corps. (1961) (13m:35s)

The Warden and the Householder A Civil Defence Corps training film for the Warden Section of the Corps, made by the UK Home Office. Includes archive footage of Hiroshima. (1961) (29m:27s)

WVS/Civil Defence Cooker (1961) (1m:04s)

Audio (All in .mp3 format)

Abdication speech by HRH Edward VIII (BBC) (11th December 1936) (6m:42s)
Air-raid-siren (0m:57s)
Anthony Eden radio broadcast announcing the formation of the Local Defence Volunteers (Later to be known as the Home Guard) (14th May, 1940) (1m:5s)
"Come if ye Dare" March of the Civil Defence Corps (2m:34s)
Dr Martin Luther King I Have a Dream speech (28th August 1963) (16m:38s)
Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address warning of the growing influence of a "military-industrial complex" (17th January, 1961) (2m:11s)
HRH George VI radio speech to the nation on the outbreak of WWII (6pm, 3rd September, 1939) ( 5m:45s)
President Dwight D. Eisenhower Farewell Address to the Nation (17th January 1961) (2m:11s)
President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address - (20th January 1961) (15m:36s)
John F Kennedy "We choose to go to the moon" - (25th May 1961) (2m:02s)
John F. Kennedy Cuba address" - (22nd October 1961) (75:34s)
John F. Kennedy - "Ich Bin Ein Berliner Speech" (26th June 1963)(5m:55s)
Neville Chamberlain piece of paper speech (September 30, 1938) (0m:34s)
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announces the outbreak of WWII (11.15am. 3rd September, 1939) (2m:54s)
Ronald Reagan State of the Union Address - (1985) (36m:02s)
Ronald Reagan "...we begin bombing in five minutes" - (11th August 1984) (0m:21s)
Ronald Reagan, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (The Berlin Wall) - (12th June 1987) (2m:03s)
"Skywatch": March of the Royal Observer Corps (2m:16s)
Sputnik signal - (1957) (1m:34s)
"The Eagle Has Landed" Apollo 11 landing - (20th July 1969) (1m:17s)
WB400 Attack Warning Red (includes confidence tick) (1m:24s)
Winston Churchill: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat". 13th May 1940 (5m:11s)
Winston Churchill: "...arm yourselves..." (BBC)19th May 1940 (10m:10s)
Winston Churchill : Sinews of peace speech, aka iron curtain speech (44m:32s)

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