UK Parliamentary Archives

• Held At: Parliamentary Archives: GB-061
• Catalogue Reference: HL/PO/3
• Former Archival Reference: ARP/1-18
• Ref No: HL/PO/3
• Date: 1931-1945
• Level: Series
• Extent: 18 files and a tin hat
• Creator Name: Air Raid Precautions Committee, 1937-1945
• Administrative or Biographical History: The Air Raid Precautions Act was passed in 1937, but there was little response to it until after the invasion of Czechoslovakia. In November 1938, a small committee summoned by the Lord Great Chamberlain began making ARP preparations for the Palace, with the main consideration that danger would come from poison gas and high explosive bombs. Accordingly internal gas-proof shelters were constructed, a control centre established, a warning system worked out and preparations made for blackout. A secret scheme for the evacuation of Parliament to Stratford upon Avon was planned in the Spring of 1939. In the meantime an ARP Committee had been convened under the chairmanship of Lord Esme Gordon-Lennox, Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain, with the Deputy and Assistant Serjeants-at-Arms and a representative from the Office of Works. This was a non-parliamentary committee representing the authorities responsible for the building.
  
  In its early days the ARP Committee made two important decisions: that Parliament should be treated as single unit in matters of defence, wherever they should meet, and that a permanent expert staff was required for firefighting. This staff should obviously be trained in putting out fires, but also in managing the complicated engineering appliances in the Palace and given a thorough knowledge of the labyrinthine corridors and passages of the Palace. The internal fire brigade was drawn from the Custodians of the Palace, a group of retired policemen and ex-service men from the First World War led by Superintendent Martin who became Chief Fire Warden.
  
  When War broke out the ARP Committee was extended to include all Heads of Departments. Chairmanship was taken over by Colonel Clifton-Brown, and Colonel Waters became part-time Secretary. They set about organising more shelters, first-aid provision by Red Cross volunteers under the direction of Mrs Alan Thompson, and the evacuation of books and documents from the Victoria Tower and the libraries. With the creation of the Local Defence Volunteers or Home Guard, a special detachment recruited from amongst members and staff of both houses was given the specific duty of defending the Palace.
  
  During the Blitz of Autumn 1940 the real possibility of the Palace being burned to the ground was addressed and Church House was commandered as an alternative meeting place for Parliament. The Palace took several direct hits during Autumn 1940 [see HC/CL/CH/2/1 for full details]. In 1941 the Defence (Palace of Westminster Fire Prevention) Regulations were drawn up, requiring that from 30 May 1941 all British male subjects employed at the Palace of Westminster perform fire-prevention duties. Firewatching started on 17 March 1941 and continued until 18 January 1945. For accountancy reasons firewatching expenses were paid by the Lords and Home Guard allowances by the Commons.
  
  By March 1943 more than 400 people were employed in the Civil Defence of the Palace. The ARP Committee arranged a special system of passes to control movement within the Palace as security was a central issue in defending the Palace, the Members and the Government.
  
  Air raids began again in January 1944 when the north end of the Palace was hit by a shower of incendiaries. The roof of Westminster Hall once again caught fire, but more serious was a blaze over the Grand Committee Room which was not successfully tackled until members of the Ministry of Works Palace depot arrived. With the advent of V-Bombs the ARP Committee prepared a detailed scheme for the evacuation of Parliament to Church House, the Cabinet War Rooms and the Park Lane Hotel in Piccadilly. This involved extensive planning of security arrangements and training in local geography and disaster response techniques.
  
  The ARP Committee met for the last time on 10 May 1945 to wind up the Civil Defence of the Palace of Westminster.
• Acquisition: Pre-1971 (in Bond Guide)
• Description: War-time administrative papers concerning air-raid precautions, evacuation plans, access to the Palace and notices.
• Terms:
  • Bombing of the Palace of Westminster, 1940s,
  • Fire Protection,
  • Second World War (1939-1945),
• System of Arrangement: The papers were assigned a running number on accession and this has been retained.
• Related Material: LGC/10/3; see also HC/CL/CH/2/1/1 for report by Victor Goodman; HC/CL/CH/3 for Home Guard papers; HL/PO/2 and HL/PO/4 for Second World War defence records
• Related Record:
  • HC/SA/SJ/13,
  • HC/CL/CH/3,
  • LGC/10/3,
  • VGO/2/2,
  • VGO/2/3,
  • HC/CL/CH/4,
• Access Status: Open
• Physical Description: This collection was declipped and conserved by NADFAS volunteers in 2005.
• Publication Notes: J Tanfield "In Parliament, 1939-1950" (House of Commons Library Document 20, 1991)

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