Personnel for the nursing staff required were being trained by the St. John Ambulance and about 60 had received lectures from the A.R.P. Officer.

2. Report Centre:- The staff were receiving Lectures from the A.R.P. Officer.

3. De-contamination and Rescue Squads:- Eighty two volunteers for this work had been obtained and the tools required, as set out in the sub-committee's report, provided.

4. Fire Brigade:- Twenty-six recruits had been enrolled to act as Auxiliary firemen and were being trained by the Chief Officer of the Brigade.

5. Air Raid Shelters:- A small demonstration trench had been dug in the vacant land abutting College Street by the Council's workmen under the  supervision of the A.R.P. Officer and a length of trench dug in Spencer Park. As hostilities were unlikely when these were completed publicity was not given to them except at the meeting of employers held on the 29th September.

A meeting of employers, recommended in the report of the sub-committee, was held on Thursday the 29th September, under the Chairmanship of Mr. T. W. Cox (Chairman of the A.R.P. Sub-committee) when directions were given to all employers concerning the construction of Trenches, Shelters, etc., for their employees for use during air raids in working hours. Warning systems, fire precautions and general arrangements were explained.

On the advice of the Home Office it is proposed to complete the training or all personnel, the cellar census and plans for public shelters in order to be prepared for any future emergency.

It was recommended that the Council be requested to provide a suitable store at their Depot, Newton Road, and that arrangements be made for the following tools to be kept in readiness there :- 30 Picks, 20 Shovels, 20 Spades, 20 Brushes, 8 Crowbars, Pulley Blocks, Chains etc., and a quantity of Chloride of lime.

6. Cellar Accommodation:- The local Air Raid Precautions Officer reported that arrangements had been made with the Police for a note to be made of the existence of cellars at all dwelling-houses when the Respirator Census was being taken by the Air Raid Wardens. Cellars available at other buildings would be visited separately and when a complete list had been obtained they would be measured up, structural alterations that were found to be necessary noted, and their general suitability as air raid shelters considered with the number of persons each would accommodate.

7. Air Raid Shelters:- The question of the advisability of providing concrete shelters for the inhabitants was considered but the sub-committee were of the opinion, mainly on account of   the very heavy cost, that the provision or such shelters was not practicable. They recommended the digging of trenches in all available spaces, particularly in the back gardens, where suitable,   of houses, according to an approved design, where all persons in the event of an air raid could find refuge with as little delay as possible. It was decided that demonstration trenches be dug at once at one or two points in the town, one of the places suggested being near to the Bandstand in Spencer Park.

It was also decided that a meeting of all employers of ten of more persons in one building in the town be convened to consider the construction of trenches as near to such buildings as possible.

I have to inform you that, following the procedure which was adopted last year, the appropriate Committee of the County Council have noe approved the statement of anticipated expenditure during the current financial year 1939-40 and the estimates of expenditure during the ensuing financial year 1940-41 in respect of the County A.R.P. (General)  Scheme recently submitted to the County Treasurer on behalf of your Authority, as expenditure which may be incurred by your Authority without further reference to the County Council provided that, if it is subsequently anticipated that any individual amount under the various headings shall be  obtained to the additional expenditure.

As you will appreciate, the reimbursement by the County Council of all expenditure by your Authority will be subject to your production of satisfactory vouchers.

I  accordingly enclose herewith a statement of the amounts of anticipated expenditure during the ensuing year as submitted by your council and approved by the appropriate committee of the County Council.

An additional copy of this letter and the accompanying statement is enclosed for the information of your Chief Finance Officer.

A.R.P. MEASURES
Long reports from the Air Raid Precautions Sub-Committee described activities during the last few months.

It was stated that the Alfred-street Schools have been partly equipped as a first-aid post and that the arrangements for staffing and running the post are in order.

On October 27 the committee learned that 13,900 respirators reserved for Rushden had arrived at the Irthlingborough depot, and it was decided that they should remain there.

The Boot and Shoe School in Victoria-road is to be used as a report centre.

Mr. W J A Peck, of Messrs P.X. Transport, Ltd., has been appointed Chief Transport Officer.

Four first-aid parties are being organised, requiring a personnel of 48. Three are to be based on the Alfred-street Schools and one on a cleansing station proposed to be erected on the depot site in Station-road at a cost of £1,000.

Moor-road appears to be first in the field at Rushden with a street scheme to organise an emergency fire service.

One or two residents have taken the initiative, and the eastern part of the street now has eleven “firemen” who have been promised early A.R.P. training by Chief Officer A. P. Timpson, of the town Fire Brigade.

Each household has contributed half-a-crown for the purchase of equipment. One stirrup pump has been purchased and rakes and shovels have been improvised for dealing with incendiary bombs. Other equipment, including another stirrup pump, asbestos coats and eye protectors, is on order.

On Monday night a load of sand was divided between the householders, who are also requested always to keep at least two buckets of water on the upper floor.

Air-raid shelters for the use of the public and sand for the use of householders in dealing with fires formed the main subject of discussion at the Rushden Council’s monthly meeting on Wednesday. The four 50-person shelters with which the town is being provided will be completed very shortly, it was stated, but school shelters are forbidden to the public for the present.

It was reported by the A.R.P. and War Emergency Committee that after consultations with Home Office and civil defence authorities a letter had been received from the Senior Regional Officer for Civil Defence approving the proposal of the Council to erect four B.C.F. 50-person shelters. The letter stated that it was agreed that the work be carried out by direct labour at the Surveyor’s estimate of £723, and that reasonable expenditure not exceeding that amount would rank for grant. Immediately upon receipt of this letter the work of construction of the shelters had been commenced.

Dr. Davis asked how long it would be before the public shelters would be completed.

The Surveyor (Mr. J.W. Lloyd) replied that two would be completed this week and the next two about ten days from then.

The Chairman (Councillor J. Allen, J.P.) observed that that was quite satisfactory.

Councillor Richardson said that the school authorities had shelters for the children but at night they were locked up. He asked whether it would be possible to have the shelters unlocked.

Councillor Mrs. Muxlow said she asked the clerk of the School Managers the same question and was answered with an emphatic “No.”

Councillor Allebone said the matter would be brought up at the next County Council meeting and he didn’t think it worth discussing before then.

Councillor Bailey enquired whether steps could be taken for the protection of air-raid wardens’ posts numbers 5 and 6. Number 5 post, he said, was in a very bad state; sandbags were falling down and there was a danger of the doorway being blocked.

The chairman of the War Emergency Committee (Councillor W. E. Capon) said that the matter would be brought up at the next committee meeting.

Councillor Spencer asked whether the committee had considered distributing sand to householders for A.R.P. purposes, Councillor Capon replying that that too would be considered at the committee’s next meeting.

Councillor Green said that sand had been delivered to houses in Queen-street and they were well organised to deal with fire.

Councillor Weale said that streets were now organising parties to provide sand, stirrup pumps, etc., and he hoped Wellingborough-road (where Councillor Spencer resides) would follow suit.

Councillor Allebone said that at a recent meeting of the Fire Brigade sub-committee a question was asked as to whether the Council could provide all households with a bucket of sand, because they were providing sand to all those living in Council property. The Housing Committee had a reason for doing this but there was a feeling that if the Council could provide sand for their own tenants they ought to give the same to all householders.

Councillor Richardson asked whether the Council would deliver sand if the streets were prepared to pay for it.

The Chairman said he thought the Committee would come to some reasonable solution. The Council, being the owners of certain houses, were like any ordinary owner and were concerned about their own property. That was why they provided their tenants with sand and stirrup pumps.

Councillor Capon said he wished to pay a very warm compliment to all those who turned out on the two occasions when they had the air-raid warnings. He thought that the speed with which the A.R.P. workers arrived at their posts would have put the fire Brigade to shame.

The Council learned that approval had been given by the Senior Regional Officer of the Ministry of Health, subject to audit, and to provisions of the Air Raid Precautions (Approval of Expenditure) provisional Regulations, 1938, to expenditure not exceeding £232 in respect of works of adaptation for purposes of an emergency mortuary and the provision of equipment for the same.

Tenders had been invited for the erection of the buildings and the adaptation of the cemetery chapel in accordance with the scheme approved by the Council. Two tenders were received and considered, and it was resolved that that of Messrs. Whittington and Tomlin, at £139, the lowest, be accepted and the work put in hand.

An offer was received by the A.R.P. and War Emergency Committee from Messrs. Strong and Fisher, Ltd., of Irchester-road, to allow the shelter erected for the use of their employees during the day-time to be used by the general public at all times, day or night, when their works were closed. The committee had resolved to accept the offer with thanks, and the Surveyor had been instructed to cause notices to be placed at or near to the entrance of the shelter.

The Surveyor had also been instructed to treat the whole of the windows at the Council Buildings, Fire Station and Library with a cellulose solution so as to prevent the damage of these windows from splinter due to enemy action.

[This is part of a longer council report - see Wartime in Rushden July 1940 for the full report]