Britain’s Greatest Air Raid Test

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 160, 10 July 1939, Page 7

Britain’s Greatest Air Raid Test

FIFTEEN COUNTIES PLUNGED IN DARKNESS Received Sunday, 11.40 pjn. LONDON, July 9. Britain’s greatest air raid defence test was staged from midnight to 4 a.m. when fifteen counties, excluding London, wire plunged in complete darkness. The area of 16,000 square miles embraced the whole of Southern England. Hundreds of thousands of A.R.P. volunteers participated.

The nerve centres of the defence areas were working to strict wartime conditions and real high explosive bombs detonated constantly and lit up the darkened countryside. Special buildings were set on fire to test the fire-fighting apparatus and gas warnings were given in order to force squads wearing masks and special clothing to carry out rescues “from the wreckage of bombed premises."

A test was carried out in conjunction with the Air Force preparatory to vast exercises in August when London will be attacked. The complete air raid rehearsal in Kent and Sussex covered 250 miles of vital coastline and nineteen “bombs" were dropped in the centre of Folkestone where the test was the severest. Ambulances raced without lights. The entire resources of one district rushed to cope 4 * with a major disaster. ’ ’ Policemen operated in several towns wearing capes treated with luminous paint showing up when the rays of shielded carlights fall on them. Trains ran with minimum lights. The Port of London Authority conducted a separate test overnight. Vital stretches of the Thames were blacked out and dozens of patrolboats demonstrated the use of luminous paint and invisible ultraviolet beams on the landing stages picked out painted discs on the boats enabling them to berth in the darkness. All craft using the Thames are being fitted with this equipment.