PREPARING FOR EMERGENCY

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXII, Issue 14, 21 February 1941, Page 3

PREPARING FOR EMERGENCY

THE ELLESMERE SCHEME

DELEGATES FOR CONFERENCE

WITH HOME GUARD

The relationship between the Home Guard and the emergency precautions organisation, were discussed at a meeting of the controlling committee of the Ellesmere Precautions Scheme held on Tuesday evening at Leeston, at which delegates were appointed to attend the conference with Home Guard Committee delegates fixed for Thursday evening.

Pleasure at the comprehensive scheme evolved for the district was expressed in a letter which the assistant Minister for National Service (Hon. D. Wilson) wrote when acknowledging the receipt of the committee's plan and the report of the controller.

"I have read the details of the scheme with a great deal of interest and I should be glad if you would convey to the chairman and members of the central executive an assurance of the Government's appreciation of the comprehensiveness and completeness of the organisation," wrote the minister. "When consideration has been given to the matters referred to in the excellent report of the controller, the district will have a scheme which should meet requirements in any emergency."

Members present at the meeting were Messrs A. Anderson (chairman), J. Scott, R. T. McMillan, J. H. Jbhes, T. J. Ramsey, D. Marshall, H. D. Jones, T. W. Felton, W. H. Cartwright, Dr. S. R. Cattell and J. Sewell (secretary).

The following were appointed delegates to confer with the representatives of the Home Guard* Messrs Anderson, Scott, Cartwright, Felton and Dr. Cattell.

A further meeting of the committee is to be held on Tuesday next at 9 p.m. to receive the report of the delegates.

A letter was read from Mr B. Brown resigning his position as of the accommodation

convener

committee

It was left to the controller to make an appointment to the

vacancy,

Conveners of committees are to be notified, after the conference, to reviise the personnel of their organisations and to bring them up-to-date.

While the members of the committee favoured all the emergency precautions personnel enrolling in the Emergency. Reserve Corps and drilling as separate units with the Home Guard,, no recommendation was made, this matter being deferred until after the conference. It was pointed out that it was necessary for the emergency precautions personnel to enrol in the Emergency Reserve Corps. General recognition was made of the advisability of co-operating and coordinating with the Home Guard and of so organising the units of both divisions that, should a call be made, the men would move in their units to their stations without any confusion or delay. The conference was expected to finalise many matters on which underStanding was not at present clear. One of these was a revision of personnel of both divisions, so that any duplication- would be eliminated, and if necessary, transfers made. Another matter which it was suggested required straightening 'out, was the provision of "adequate transport for both the Home Guard and the emergency precautions personnel. Members considered that the more the two schemes could be made to fit in with each other without any overlapping of personnel or functions, the better it would be for the district as a whole. The opinion was also given that it would be only a matter of time before both organisations would be placed on a national basis Under one control.

While it was agreed that the emergency precautions scheme was a good one on paper, members considered that it was necessary that it should be tried out in order to test its practicability and to give the personnel some experience .:n its operation. Training was necessary for the various sub-organisa-tions so that they would know what to do if a call came.