• Complaint about Local Defence Volunteers

Learning Objectives

• Understand how the Civil Defence may have been perceived at the time and why
• Appreciate how and why different interpretations of the past are formed and perpetuated

Suggested Activity

1. Show a clip from ‘Dad’s Army’ which shows the typical portrayal of the ARP and Home Guard as being made up of geriatrics. Discuss initial perceptions of them.
2. Examine Complaint about Local Defence Volunteers. Discuss: What does the letter say about the LDV? How do you think they may have been perceived as a result?
3. Read the Interview with Tom Downs (20 kb)  and look at the photo of Local Defence Volunteers LDV photo. Discuss: What different groups of people made up the LDV? How might this explain the actions of the LDV in the letter of complaint source? Is it a misperception and why?
4. Activity: respond to the letter as an LDV defending your case.

• Air Raid Precautions handbook

Learning Objectives

• Understand the role of the LDV and ARP during World War Two
• Recognise the link between local and national history

Suggested activity

1. Put pupils into groups. Issue one group with LDV proposed tactical exercise and the other with Air raid precautions handbook. Discuss in groups: (For the Proposed Tactical Exercise) What can we learn about the organisation and importance of the LDV? What was the point of carrying out this exercise? (For the Air Raid Warden’s Handbook) Who has issued this and why? What does this show about the organisation of the ARP?
2. Groups report back their findings. This could be done through hot seating with one students taking on the character of an LDV or ARP volunteer, and answering questions from the rest of the class about their work / role.
3. Discussion: Why were the LDV and ARP required during World War Two? Why were people willing to volunteer? What does this suggest about the national importance of the Civil Defence?

• ARP Warden's report forms

Learning Objectives

• Understand the work of the Civil Defence and why this was important.
• Appreciate how and why there are different interpretations of the past

Suggested activity

1. Pupils work in groups. Each group is given a different incident from the ARP Warden's report forms and /or ARP Warden's minute and log book. Each group has to devise a short role play that outlines their actions during the incident, the danger it presented to them and the importance of their role. Each group presents this to the rest of the class.
2. Discuss: What does this show about the role of the Civil Defence? Were they simple getting in the way or is this portrayal of them inaccurate?
3. Activity: Select resources from all activities and write a feature in a post-war newspaper/magazine on either the LDV or ARP. State how the group has been perceived and why. State to what extent this is true.