Congratulations, you have just survived your first air raid!  But as you emerge from the dust and rubble you realize that your world has changed forever.  Few people know how to survive an air raid and even fewer know what to do in the precious minutes once the bombing subsides.  The decisions that you make will be the difference between life and death.

In my last post I shared some advice from my 1943 copy of the NZ Civil Defence Warden’s Handbook.  Today I’m going to share some more original wartime tips, this time on how to cope with the aftermath of an aerial bombardment.  Specifically, I’m going to cover some of the dangers that you might face and the immediate precautions you should take.

Here are some of the dangers you should watch out for after an air raid:

Unexploded Bombs (Known as UXB’s) – Enemy bombs or our own anti-aircraft shells may fall without exploding.  All these are removed or destroyed by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Army, members of which wear on the right cuff a badge with a flaming bomb on a blue background.  Red flags are displayed on this Unit’s vehicles.  Personnel and the vehicles must be given unhindered passage.

The signs of an unexploded bomb are – Continue reading →