'BABIES SATISFACTORILY BORN'

In July 16th 1945, the President of the United States of America,
Harry S. Truman, received information on the successful testing of an atomic tomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The code message said 'Babies satisfactorily born'. August 6th 1945, a United States Air Force B-29 plane, the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and again in Nagasaki. The two cities were piles of rubble. World War Two formally ended on September 2nd.

In Ireland, the Defence Forces began discharging those who had answered the call during ' The Emergency'. Local Authorities were abandoning emergency planning and demobilising the voluntary ARP organisation. Some of its personnel had been part of the Local Security Force (LSF), that later, in 1947, became absorbed in a new Second Line Reserve, An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil (FCA).

Soon the Cold War conflicts became know and nations began fearing it could lead to a situation signalling Doomsday. But Ireland's general population did not care much as life went on as normal for them.

Also England was dropping Atomic bombs with America, in places like Monte Bello islands and Eniwetok. The Korean War of 1950-3 was then in progress. So a maelstrom of situations involving superpowers armed with super bombs was filling nations with trepidation.

 

TAKING NOTE

During all this time, the Irish Government was taking note. Caring for a community after any major disaster would demand teams skilled in first aid, fire fighting, rescue, evacuation and catering procedures. An added nuclear factor would demand new skills. A competent Civil Defence organisation, trained for dealing with a nuclear situation in particular, was a basic requirement.

As early as December 20th 1950, at the request of the Minister for Defence, T.F. O'Higgins T.D., City and County Managers attended a meeting at Department of Defence headquarters in Dublin. The Minister issued a statement instructing Managers to prepare plans for a wartime situation. He pointed out that the provisions in the Air Raid Precautions Acts of 1939 and 1946 were not just temporary emergency measures; they formed part of the national permanent defence structure. They empowered the establishment of Civil Defence services.

 

REQUIREMENTS

The Minister's statement required each Local Authority to appoint a Civil Defence Officer (CDO). He would undertake the task of reconstituting and adapting the defunct ARP organisation. Emphasis would be on rescue and casualty treatment and, as history would verify, a welfare service would be of the utmost importance. Each County Medical Officer of Health, County Engineer and Chief Fire Officer would take on casualty, rescue and AFS leadership roles within Civil Defence. Two other staff members would act as Chief County Warden and Community Welfare Officer.

 

THE SCHOOL

Meanwhile, selected personnel were occupying Ratra House in the Phoenix Park. These included newly appointed Technical Officers for future staffing of a Civil Defence School. Some had to rush their turkey dinner at Christmas and forfeit celebrating the eve of the half-century. They began a course at The Civil Defence College, Easingwold, Yorkshire on January 1st 1951. Things were moving at a fast pace.

By summer, the Civil Defence School was ready to welcome its first students. Twenty-six newly appointed CDOs attended the first course, opened on June 18th 1951 by Oscar Traynor T.D., Minister for Defence in a five-day-old Government.

The course would train CDOs to:

  1. Establish Civil Defence in specified towns.

  2. Select premises that were adequately protected and suitable for occupation by the Local Authority in the event of the outbreak of war.

  3. Be responsible for their furnishing and equipment at short notice.

  4. Organise stockpiling of ample quantities of articles required by each of the five services, all to be available at short notice. The Civil Defence School would purchase some items and distribute them; the CDO would acquire the remainder locally.

As soon as the course ended, they returned home and began recruiting. Two volunteers per thousand people in large centres of population and units of about thirty elsewhere were the targets. Candidates for Instructor courses at the Civil Defence School emerged and by the end of March 1952, over 100 had qualified. These began imparting instruction locally, establishing core groups capable of expanding rapidly in an emergency.

The Department of Defence began purchasing fire pumps, rescue vehicles, protective clothing, footwear and equipment for catering rest centres and local training. Such expenditure in a stagnant economy when emigration had reached its highest level in half a century bore testimony to serious security fears.