CO129-580-9 Air Raid precautions- supply of equipment 14-2-1939 - 24-11-1939 — Page 24

Enclosure No.2.

24

When the Budget for 1939 was introduced

last year it was indicated that the exact measures to be taken in the sphere of air raid precautions were still under consideration.

A full survey of the

requirements was then being made and on its

completion a programe covering the essential minimuma was submitted to the Secretary of State and his expert

advisers.

2.

The necessary measures include the

provision of sandbags for the protection of public

buildings and structural alterations to such buildings, the addition of supplementary fire

appliances and reserve medical stores and the acquisition of respirators for issue to essential services and of protective clothing and equipment for decontamination squads. In addition it is proposed to make grants, on a basis to be agreed, to assist public utility companies for safeguarding essential services. Plans have also been prepared for other measures, including the digging of trenches, which will not be actually put in hand until an emergency

arises.

3.

After careful consideration the conclusion has been reached that apart from the enormous expense entailed it is not practicable to attempt any large scale schemes of protection for the general public such as tunnels, steel shelters and the like. Tunnels or other underground shelters could of course be constructed but the configuration of the land renders it impossible to place them so that access could be gained to them from the centres of dense population within the few minutes period of warning which is all that can be expected.

The