A.R.P. PRACTICE IN EGYPT

Camp News (Northern Command), Volume 1, Issue 7, 14 June 1940, Page 3

A.R.P. PRACTICE IN EGYPT

$ Night Exercises For New Zealanders b ■(’ New Zealand troops in Egypt have i"recently been put through a series of air raid precaution exercises, mock !; alarms being sounded at unexpected [( times to make the men familiar with „ the routine The following description is by an official observer: — i "In the daylight or darkness, in the e , middle of a meal or during a parade, the alarm put us to the test at unexpected moments. We, shared with 'the whole of Egypt, civilian and miliI. tary population alike, the experience ,of a week of mock air raid and black''out exercises. ' “In the New Zealand camp realism was achieved by strict observance of I black-out rules and anti-gas pre- . cautions. Active defence sections, U special pickets and decontamination squads were trained in their duties. I Umpires went their rounds to note and correct faults and to mark out .pretended gas-contaminated areas. .Friendly aircraft played the role of ' enemy raiders. . "The striving after realism reached its height on the last night, when,the. shattering detonation of ‘bombs,’ ex--1 ploded throughout the camp, shook us out of our beds. The rattle of gas ‘•alarms followed. ■ . “Each tent was required to attend jto .its own olack-out after dark, while , vehicles travelled with lights shield- , ed by blue-painted glass. Chinks of [•light through walls of wooden buildrings were carefully obscured. Mecha-nically-minded members of my own unit devised switches which threw [(rooms lit by electricity into compara hive darkness when outside doors were opened. “The authorities pronounced the eblack-out exercises a success,' for the mpedple of Cairo and of every other city and town in Egypt were quick to their responsibilities. From a high-flying plane only the silver rib_bon of the Nile was visible in the .Cairo area. Air raid warnings were jobeyed more and more promptly and psmoothly. In the city they were the (signal to t.ake cover, and people streamed into shelters and other I places of safety, leaving footpaths deserted and traffic at a standstill.”