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When the war began they started the ARP (Air Raid Precaution)at the Grammar School at Chipping Sodbury. The pupils were not old enough to join, but they could be messengers for each Post. Pupils came from Winterbourne and Watley's End, and I was one of these messengers. Eventually we got uniforms, but it took a long time.

We had to go on a course, which was run by a Mr Turner, whose parents had a shop near to the Grammar School at Chipping Sodbury. We were addressed by Colonel Walker, who put the proposal to us for making this group. He was an elderly gentleman who wore pince-nez glasses, which kept falling off.

Two of the masters of the school were also in the course; they lodged at The Grapes at the top of Bowling Hill, and took the course the same as us. We were taught kitting out, putting on a gas-mask, checking for gas, and so on. After everyone had been issued with their gas masks they brought out another filter, and two of us went round people's houses helping to put the extension on. If there was an air raid warning you rode around blowing a whistle - long blasts for the Warning, and short blasts for All Clear.

From time to time there were Exercises in the Sodbury/Winterbourne area. We had exercises down at Hambrook when the Area Representative (Civil Defence) First Aid pretended to have various injuries and so forth. Messengers ran from one post to another. In the end we had our exam; we got through Civil Defence. Afterwards he said, 'the boys knew it very well; I wish I could say the same of the teachers!

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