PARISH INVASION COMMITTEES

A PIONEER SCHEME

The military operations which led up to the fall of France in 1940 showed the importance of preventing refugees getting on the roads and impeding military movements. It set a problem which was solved - at least in theory - by a scheme in which the Eastern Regional played the part of a pioneer.

During the summer of 1940 and the winter of 1940-1, the ‘stand firm’ policy was pressed by every possible means. This was a matter of special importance in the Eastern Region, with its long and vulnerable coastline. It was clear that the civilian population could not be expected to stand firm unless some official provision was made for looking after them, and during the same period plans were prepared for the distribution of special reserves of food, dealing with casualties, maintenance of water supplies, etc. It was during this period that the Home Guard was recruited, its role at that time being mainly to hold strong points established in the villages where the men lived. Early in 1941 Major General E.M. Steward, C.B.E., C.S.I., Zone Commander Mid-Norfolk Home Guard, realised from his Home Guard experience that some point of contact was necessary between the local Home Guard Commander and the heads of the various civil services in his village and, after consultations with the A.R.P. Controller, Police and various Local Authorities in his Zone, started informal Invasion Committees in parishes. This scheme was taken up in other Home Guard Zones in Norfolk and was brought to the notice of the Regional Commissioner in April 1941. In May 1941 the latter, after consultation with the G.O.C.-in-C. Eastern Command, who strongly supported the proposals, addressed a letter to Chairmen of County Emergency Committees, urging the setting up of Invasion Committees both in rural parishes and in towns. The Regional M.O.I. officers, together with members of all emergency services, were active in helping to bring these schemes into operation.

In both rural areas and towns the same provision for the civilian population had to be made, but in the towns the preparations of necessity had to be more complicated. The primary duty of civilians was stressed as being to help the Military Authorities defending the area:

(a) actively - by doing whatsoever was required of them in the

way of improvising defence works, looking after casualties etc. and

(b) passively - by ensuring that those who could not help actively should keep out of the way and off the roads.

So far as (a) was concerned, plans had to be prepared to provide labour for the erection of defence works for the clearing of roads which might be needed for reinforcements; to accommodate persons whose houses might be needed as strong points or were within the field of fire of established defensive positions etc. Since in the majority of cases the only military forces available were Home Guard, with little on the administrative side, arrangements had to be made to feed them, evacuate and care for their casualties, etc.,.

So far as (b) was concerned, plans were prepared for emergency rationing of food supplies (both human and animal), provision of emergency water supplies, housing of persons rendered homeless, dealing with casualties, etc. etc. Special provision for these latter had to be made in isolated parishes where, after a good deal of opposition, morphia was issued to Police and District Nurses in 1942.

In towns, i.e. Boroughs and Urban Districts, Local Authorities had set up Emergency Committees who were in general already responsible for a good many of the functions which would naturally fall to the Invasion Committee. It was round the Emergency Committees of the Council, therefore, that the Invasion Committee Was built up, to the Emergency Committee being added the local Military Commander, those responsible for Police Civil Defence and Fire Services and for the various public services involved - water, gas, electric light, Post Office, hospital, [illegible] Executive Officer, Manager of Labour Exchange, and so on. One major advantage to the soldiers was that 216 - 18 -the Chairmen of the Committees acted as the channel of communication between the Military Commander and the various Civil Services and as the Military Commander's adviser as to his best method of obtaining assistance from civil sources.

In rural parishes, Parish Invasion Committees consisted of representatives of the various services in the parish, and where such did not already exist, e.g., of Ministry of Food, special representatives, e.g., Parish Food Organisers, were appointed. Again the Chairman of the Committee acted as the channel of communication between the Local Military Commander.

Over 1800 Invasion Committees were formed in the Region. All, with the exception of those in Boroughs and Urban Districts which are Scheme-making Authorities, were placed under the supervision of the County A.R.P. Controllers. At the request of the Controllers in five counties in the Region five special officers of whom some were voluntary, were appointed to advise and supervise Invasion Committees in those counties. Throughout the Region, however, the initial organisation and the continued supervision of Committees, a task of considerable magnitude, was carried through mainly by the County A.R.P. staff. Assistance in drawing up Combined Civil and Military Defence Schemes, the planning of combined exercises of various kinds and the attendance at innumerable meetings, mostly in more or less remote places and held on winter evenings, were some of the ways in which the Committees were fostered.

As might be expected where such a large body of voluntary effort was concerned, the standards reached were variable, but a large proportion of the Committees reached a high state of efficiency.