Summary

Small envelope containing four documents - one letter, one notice of meeting and two flyers - pertaining to the Civilian Air Raid Defence Association. The letter from 19 January 1942 invites the recipient to join the association. The notice of meeting announces the time and place of the first annual general meeting on 8 February 1942. The two flyers discuss the necessity of home-based air raid shelters.

The Civilian Air Raid Defence Association advocated for 'Bomb-proof Shelters (heavy reinforced concrete or deep underground tunnels) for industrial and public areas. At the time the Victorian Government was encouraging individual home owners to build back-yard shelters (such as the Anderson Shelter) rather than engaging in wide-spread building of, or reliance on, public shelters.

Physical Description

Envelope containing documents. Envelope is small and off-white. Recipient's address is typed on the obverse, which also bears a postmark and a cancelled stamp. Stamp is green, bears the picture of King George VI, is worth 1 1/2 d [pence] & is affixed upside down. Letter is folded vertically & horizontally into sixths. Letterhead is of The Civilian Air Raid Defence Association and bears the details of the association president, the honorary secretary and treasurer. Letter is typed and dated. Size: 204 mm wide x 255 mm high. Notice of meeting is folded into thirds for mailing and is fully typed. Size: 209 mm wide x 110 mm wide. First flyer is a single sheet, printed on both sides in black ink, folded both horizontally and vertically into quarters. Printed by Renown Press, Carnegie. Size: 145 mm wide x 222 mm high. Second flyer is a single off-white sheet, printed in black ink. It is folded into thirds for printing (six pages) and then folded again horizontally into thirds for mailing. Front features lettering and a hand-drawn map showing the location of Hawaii to the mainland of the United States. Subsequent pages feature columns of text, header and footer banners that continue across the folds and text laid out along the vertical axis. Note variation of organisation name on this flyer. Size: 377 mm wide x 203 mm high.

More Information

  • Collecting Areas

    Public Life & Institutions, Home & Community

  • Acquisition Information

    Donation from Rosalind Wallis, 10 Jan 2013

  • Date Inscribed

    19 Jan 1942

  • Addressed To

    Mrs Clive Turnbull

  • Person Named

    Mrs Margaret L. Milner - Civilian Air Raid Defence Association

  • Organisation Named

    Civilian Air Raid Defence Association

  • Person Named

    Dr Eric H. Burhop - Civilian Air Raid Defence Association

  • Person Named

    C. W. Joy - Civilian Air Raid Defence Association

  • Person Named

    Honourable William Slater MLA

  • Person Named

    Miss K. G. Stevenson

  • Printer

    Ruskin Press Pty. Ltd.

  • Printer

    Renown Press

  • Person Named

  • Person Named

  • Person Named

  • Organisation Named

  • Organisation Named

  • Organisation Named

  • Inscriptions

    Envelope: Postmark[Square]: 'MELBOURNE/ 20 JAN/1 20 PM/1942 /VICTORIA' Address: 'Mrs.Clive Turnbull,/18 Yarra Grove,/ [underlined] HAWTHORN.' Letter: 'THE CIVILIAN AIR RAID DEFENCE/ ASSOCIATION/ Honorary Secretary ..Mrs. M.L. Milner, 163 Flemington Road, Melbourne, N1/ President: Dr. E.H.S. Burhop/ Hon. Treasurer: C. Wallace Joy/A.M.I.E., Aus./. [typed]19th Jan., 1942/ Telephone: F5797/ Mrs Clive Turnbull/18 Yarra Grove/ HAWTHORN./ Dear Madam,/ On behalf of the Civilian Air Raid Defence Association I am writing to'/ [Extensive text follows]/ 'Yours truly,/Margaret L. Milner/ Honorary Secretary' Notice of Meeting: 'CIVILIAN AIR RAID DEFENCE ASSOCIATION/ The first Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held on Sunday/afternoon, February 8, at 3 p.m. in the Banquet Hall of the Victoria Palace,/ 215 Little Collins Street, Melbourne./ [Extensive text follows] Flyer 1: 'A.R.P. for All/SHELTERS/We are out to beat the Japanese. We know their ruthless treachery./Look at Manila. If we are to win civil work must go on. Maimed or dear/people can't give us the war production we need for victory.'/ [Extensive text follows] Flyer 2: 'DO WE WANT TO WIN?/ [map]/CAN WE WIN WITHOUT/ SHELTERS/?/ [underlined]REMEMBER.../[the following are at odd angles to the rest of the text] Rotterdam CoventryWarsaw Belgrade Crete/ Bristol Guernica London Barcelona Plymouth Pearl Harbour'/ [Extensive text follows on subsequent pages]/'Issued by the Civilians' Air Raid Defence Committee; Hon Sec., Mrs. M.L./Milner; Asst. Sec., Miss K.G. Stevenson, 2 Munro St., Armidale, S.E.3; Phone/ U1283; and printed by the Ruskin Press Pty.Ltd.,123., Melbourne.'

  • Classification

    Military history, Civilian life, Air raid precautions

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    History

  • Type of item

    Document

  • Overall Dimensions

    146 mm (Width), 90 mm (Height)
    Dimensions of external envelop. For contents see Physical Description.

  • References

    'Air raids on Australian mainland - Second World War,' Australian War Memorial, at: [Link 1] accessed: February 6, 2013 'Air Raids on the Australian Mainland,' Australian War Memorial, at: [Link 1]raids/ accessed: February 6, 2013 'Precautions for Air Raids: Victorian Cabinet Decision,' Barrier Miner (Broken Hill), 17 July 1940, p.3, via Trove, at: [Link 3] accessed: February 6, 2013 'First Complete Blackout' [referring to Melbourne]. (1941, December 15). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 7. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from [Link 4] 'In Case of Air Raids'. (1941, February 18). Advocate (Burnie, Tas. : 1890 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved February 7, 2013, from [Link 5] 'Let's Write A Letter,' Standard, Frankston, 28 Feb 1941, p.2, via Trove, at: [Link 6] raids victoria&searchLimits= accessed: February 6, 2013

  • Keywords

    World War II, 1939-1945, Air Raid Precautions, Publications, Emergency Services, Municipal Government