Image ID: 09922

Civil Defence Gas Decontamination Squad in Training, Newark, 1938

Courtesy of Newark Advertiser Co.Ltd

Queen's Road
Newark on Trent
England

In training at the Borough Council's Queen's Road depot. Following the use of poison gas during the First World War, it was feared that in any future conflict, it coud be deployed against civilian populations via aerial bombardment. It was this fear that prompted the government to issue gas masks (personal respirators) to every man, woman and child in the country - and make it a law that they be carried at all times. Should poison gas be used, it was the job of the district decontamination squads (seen here) to deal with it. Two such squads were based in Newark, a unit of sixty Ransome & Marles employees based at their factory on Northern Road, and the town squad (seen here) with a purpose-built premises on Queen's Road. Both squads were trained how to clean buildings, cordoning off an affected area and spreading a paste made from chloride of lime (bleach) and water. This had the effect of neutralising the gas which could then be hosed off with water and flushed down the town's draining system. They were also trained in the treatment of people who might become contaminated by poison gas.

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KeywordsgasmasksdefenceunittrainingvanprotectiveclothingvehiclewarcontaminationsquadwarVE11

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