Title: The Political Genesis of Air Raid Precautions and the York Raid of 1942
Abstract: ON THE EARLY MORNING of 29 April 1942 the city of York endured its only large-scale air raid of World War Two, one of the 'Baedeker' series aimed at English cultural centres. The sounding of sirens and the first fall of bombs occurred simultaneously at 2.42 a.m., and the undefended city was then subjected to a harrowing night of violence in which 100 people were killed and as many more seriously injured. This was a heavy toll, comparable to assaults on larger population centres. But the raid was also a grim audit of the political and budgetary conflicts which had shaped Air Raid Precautions CARP) before the War. The impact of these formative troubles was particularly evident in York. The ancient city was a county borough, responsible for its own ARP, and this, coupled, with its openness to assault provides almost a laboratory example of the effects of pre-war British policy in civil defence. In that sense, the experience of York tells much of the political culture of a nation pushed reluctantly towards war.
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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