Sunday, July 6, 2014

Blitz Scouts

I almost lost this photo. I had been looking at a photo album of my Uncles that was passed down to me from my Dad. It must have fallen out without my noticing and I found it later face down and thought it must have been a piece of scrap paper.


I had never heard of Blitz Scouts. With a bit of a search I discovered in WWII the Boy Scouts were often called upon to assist at hospitals as staff were overwhelmed with casualties and Air Raid Precaution duties. The duties they carried out are too many to mention but they ranged from stretcher bearers to messengers on bicycles notifying next of kin about relatives with serious injuries. This was in the middle of air raids. They were trained in fire fighting and the older ones would go in towers above the hospitals to watch for incendiary bombs.
I don't know where in England this photo was taken and I am guessing Uncle Peter took it so he could tell his little brother (my Dad) how interesting it was to be a Boy Scout there.

I got this info from the preview of a book called "Blitz Kids-The Childrens War Against Hitler" by Sean Longden