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The role of the Civil Defence Services was to aid the regular emergency services and to help prepare the civilian population for the possibility of attack. The Civil Defence Services of the Merseyside Area were established in late 1937. Each town in Merseyside had its own Civil Defence Controller, and the Town Clerk of Liverpool acted as Group Controller in the Civil Defence Control Centre, to co-ordinate the combined efforts of each Service when necessary.

The Civil Defence Services were made up of several volunteer organisations including the Auxiliary Fire Service and the Women’s Volunteer Service. The largest group of Civil Defence volunteers was the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Wardens. In September 1939, Liverpool had 2560 full-time, paid ARP Wardens and 15,740 part-time volunteer Wardens. When war broke out, many part-time volunteers became full-time volunteers and thousands more enrolled as part-time volunteers.

During the ‘blitz’, Civil Defence volunteers helped to get people to air raid shelters and Emergency Relief Accomodation. The Civil Defence Services also helped the emergency services in fighting fires, clearing roads of debris and rubble, and provided food, blankets and comfort to those left homeless in the air raids. The Civil Defence Services played an important role in the upkeep of the morale of the people of Merseyside during the difficult war years

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