There were numerous unofficial publications on the subject of A.R.P., not all of which were welcomed by the Air Raid Precautions Department.
The most notable handbooks were those written by S. Evelyn Thomas, a Head Warden and A.R.P. enthusiast. He was responsible for at least six publications, two of which (A Practical Guide to A.R.P. and Tactical Training in A.R.P.) are seen at right.
Thomas's Practical Guide was particularly problematic for the authorities; published at his own expense, the handbook became very popular with A.R.P. wardens and local authorities up and down the country because it consolidated and summarised the advice given in several A.R.P. Handbooks.
Thomas wrote to Sir John Anderson, offering his Guide to be taken on as an official publication. His request was repeatedly turned down, being told in November 1938 that "it cannot be agreed that unauthorised brochures, booklets, etc. are an effective replacement for official literature issued on the subject of air raid precautions." [1]
The Government had produced numerous handbooks in order to ensure that should experience highlight a particular subject area that needed updating, only those handbooks concerned would need amending, not necesarily the entire series. Thomas' problem was that every time official information was updated, his entire book was out-dated, and even by 1939, it had run into 8 editions!
A letter from the Home Office to the Stationery Office stated that
The Lord Privy Seal has given an undertaking in the House of Commons that when a more static condition is reached he will consider the question of re-issuing certain air raid precautions publications in consolidated form, but we do not feel that the time has yet arrived when such a task could be usefully embarked upon. [2]
However, the value of a single-volume handbook such as the Practical Guide was obviously recognised by the A.R.P. Department; in February 1940 Air Raid Precautions Training Manual No.1 was issued. Entitled Basic Training in Air Raid Precautions, it effectively covered the same procedures and information as the Practical Guide. Whether sales of Thomas's book dropped as a result is not known; but the release of Training Manual No.1 was quickly followed up in June 1940 by a popular edition specifically aimed at the civilian population, entitled Air Raids: What you must know - What you must do. Sales of this booklet were high; 1,100,000 copies had been sold by March 1941 [3], probably helped by the fact that the Ministry of Home Security had access to paper supplies and the 3d cost was half that of Thomas's Practical Guide!
References
- A.R.P. Department to Thomas, 29 November 1938. HO 186/676
- Home Office to Stationery Office, June 1939. HO 186/676.
- HO 186/491