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Somerset County Herald and Taunton Courier. Saturday 27 May 1939
Page 6 Column 3
A.R.P. PROGRESS IN TAUNTON AREA
WHY MASK FITTING IS HELD UP
NO ASSEMBLING IN PEACE TIME
INTERESTING DEMONSTRATION
A resolution, urging the immediate assembling and issuing to the public of gas masks, was rejected by the Taunton Area Committee for air raid precautions, at their meeting on Monday afternoon. The Mayor, Councillor C. Harold GOODLAND, presided, supported by Lieut.-Colonel H. Cameron DUNBAR, the organiser, and Mr. L. ATWELL, secretary.
A letter was received from the County Council stating that Lt.-Colonel C. R. LYALL had been appointed sub-controller for the Taunton area.
DEPUTY SUB-CONTROLLERS.
The Mayor said they were asked to appoint two deputy sub-controllers. They had nominated Mr. B. J. C. ROBERTS, the borough treasurer, and Mr. P. O. COWLISHAW, clerk, to the Taunton Rural District Council, and the County Council had approved, but since then letters had been received stating that as these officials were engaged in other work, it might be undesirable for them to act.
It was decided to leave the matter of nominating two other sub-controllers to the sub-committee.
The Committee agreed to inform the County Council that they considered the proper manner for distributing notices to householders on the issue of gas-masks was through the post. They also decided to ask the County Council for payment of the cost.
STREETS WITHOUT WARDENS.
Dr ILES said there were still a large number of people who had not yet been fitted for gas masks. A list had been made of the streets which had not yet been canvassed. His own street was not on that list, and yet the residents had not been fitted.
Colonel DUNBAR said the wardens would be coming around to fit everyone. He presumed that Dr. ILES wanted to know the streets in the town that had not got wardens to fit gas-masks. He had tried to get out for that meeting the names of the streets that were without wardens, but he could not do so in the time at his disposal.
The Mayor: The important thing is not so much the fitting of gas-masks, but the getting of wardens for these streets. If an emergency arises I am perfectly certain that in some parts of the town there will be extra wardens standing still, and in other parts there will be no wardens at all.
Colonel DUNBAR: There is an organisation at present to deal, in the case of emergency with any streets that have not been fitted with gas-masks.
Dr. ILES suggested that the names of streets which had no wardens should be drawn up, and the advertisements put in the Press.
Colonel DUNBAR said he would provide the list.
TWO DAYS FOR MASKS
Replying to a question by the Rev. BLIGHT, Colonel DUNBAR said that with trained men it would take about two days to assemble the gas-masks for the area.
Mr. BLIGHT: That is rather a long time in an emergency.
Colonel DUNBAR said he was instructed by the County Council to assemble gas-masks to cover A.R.P. workers and their families only, and at the moment he had 9,000 assembled. If all the gas-masks were assembled a large number would deteriorate while in storage. Moreover, if they assembled and issued all the gas-masks, and people did not look after them properly they would perish. He believed the County Council were afraid of this.
The Rev. BLIGHT moved that in the opinion of the Committee, all gas-masks should be assembled and issued to the public, so that they could feel secure should an emergency come.
Mr. SMALL seconded.
The resolution was defeated by one vote.
FIRST-AID PROGRESS.
Colonel DUNBAR said that apart from the Taunton Borough, the organisation in the area, as far as wardens were concerned, would probably be complete in a couple of weeks. They had been getting wardens from other districts to help with the fitting of gas-masks in Taunton. Actually they wanted 40 more wardens in the town. Regarding first-aid, nearly all the personnel needed for the rural areas had been trained, and in the borough 91 women were commencing training. Six first-aid parties of men were being trained in Taunton, and there was a large reserve of these workers. Rescue and demolition parties, chosen by surveyors, were being instructed throughout the area.
Supt. FRY stated that the police were training squads of men in Taunton for de-contamination work, and they were doing very well indeed.
Ald. J. C. LANE suggested that the men in the Town Council Housing Maintenance department should be trained in parties which would cover the housing estates. The head of the department had taken an A.R.P. course.
The Mayor requested Alderman LANE and Colonel DUNBAR to discuss the matter
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A.R.P. DEMONSTRATION.
The County Organiser, Brig. C. T. Turner JONES conducted a demonstration of the working of an A.R.P. Report Centre, at the Taunton Report Centre, the School of Art, in the evening.
In the event of a raid, all messages from wardens reporting damage, will come direct to this centre, or through the Wellington Centre.
These were the first practical exercises of this kind which had been held, and members of the staff from the County Control Centre were present to see the system under which the work was carried through at the Taunton Centre.
The audience saw how messages were received over the telephone, how each incident was plotted on a map and discussed, and finally, how instructions were given to the appropriate services though its particular officer, to go to the scene of the trouble.
It was, of course, obvious at this state that the staff was far from efficient, but in a very short while it is hoped they will reach perfection. The public then need have no fear that assistance will not be available in the event of an emergency.