Below is the original 1951 preface to Jordans Dictionary of Civil Defence.
Preface
This dictionary is designed to be of value not only to members of the Civil Defence services, but also to everyone concerned with the protection of families and property in a time of war.
It has been said that any defence against modern methods of warfare is impossible, and that it is a waste of time trying to do anything about it. That assertion is simply not true, and it is hoped that this dictionary will help to refute it.
The information contained in the pages which follow is arranged in alphabetical order; hence individual items may be turned up readily. In cases where the reader wishes to refer to the principal material of an entire subject, a glance at the Group Index, printed on the endpapers, will give him a quick survey of associated headings.
Present members of Civil Defence organisations are already aware of probable new forms of air attack. Discussion of these matters has taken place as part of their training. Nevertheless, a few notes here upon the subject will not be superfluous, for they will serve to give members of the general public a picture of how dangers which can beset a civil population may be minimised in their effects.
In this connection one of the great lessons learnt during the war of 1939-45 was the importance of post-raid procedure. It was a procedure which was built up piecemeal from hard experience, and it quickly became an essential ingredient of morale and the restoration of normal community life. Almost everyone took some part in it, for within its framework came common neighbourliness and a willingness to do what one could for those who had suffered.
A knowledge of Civil Defence, as outlined in this book, is thus desirable for everyone, whether the reader be a member of a CD organisation or not. Following a raid, everybody can do something. It will be much more valuable if what is done is an informed something.
Outstanding amongst new forms of attack is the atomic bomb. It is in connection with this weapon that most people outside the CD organisations feel that little or nothing can be done.
A close second in terms of possible damage is that form of attack which the RAF and the USAAF developed with such effect—the saturation or "crash" raid. Within this category may well be included that form of attack which is carried out intensively with pilotless missiles (guided and free-flying) or long-range rockets.
Then there is the new gas which was discovered in large quantities in Eastern Germany in 1945—the nerve gas. This, if let loose against an uninstructed population, can be a disastrous weapon. On the other hand, if a population has been well informed upon defence against gas in general, the nerve variety takes its place amongst the others and becomes deadly only to the careless.
And finally there is that type of warfare which has euphemistically been grouped under the general heading "biological". It can be said at once that this type of warfare will be less effective against populations which are normally healthy and reasonably hygienic in their habits.
Knowledge of these new forms of warfare, combined with knowledge of the old, must convince most people that the first line of personal defence is the respirator. This simple device, kept in good condition and carefully fitted, will give its wearer eye and lung protection against airborne products of atomic explosion and agents of biological warfare as well as against all known war gases.
The second, and equally important, line of personal defence is the habit of taking cover when attack is imminent. The desirability of even the poorest cover will be appreciated after a perusal of the heading "Taking Cover" on page 136. The fact that good cover can be effective even against the dreaded atomic bomb is made clear on pages 119 (Shelter) and 155 (Standards of Protection).
Intensive raiding is bound to result in a great number of people requiring speedy aid, and it is with this in mind that the modern Civil Defence Corps (see pages 34 and 151) has been specially organised, trained and equipped. As before, local forces (popularly referred to as "the Wardens") are immediately available in a stricken area, but with the difference that they are now more mobile and more effectively equipped with rescue appliances and first-aid facilities.
But—and here is an entirely new development—should the local forces find themselves overwhelmed and in need of assistance, they have at their disposal powerful self-contained reserve columns which will be maintained intact well outside target areas and which are in readiness to move into any area of damage on call.
Such is the bare outline of present-day Civil Defence in Britain. Fuller details, together with descriptions of much practical work, are contained in the pages which follow.