London, E.18
Sir, in January of this veal. I became the proud owner of my first car, a 1934 Singer 9-11.p. sports, and now that the " neW I Oy " atmosphere…
Up to now, the driving of A.R.P. vehicles has not called for any particular degree of skill, nor have conditions prevailing at many depots been such as to encourage the keen sports-car owner and other experienced fast-car drivers to volunteer for part or whole-time service. However, some interest attaches to the announcement that in a case of emergency inter-town exercises may be put into operation, demolition and. first-aid squads, etc., being rushed to heavily bombed areas. On January 21st a rally of some 300 A.R.P. vehicles was held at Chatham, and many cars came from as far afield as the London area. Drivers and personnel have been issued with kit-bags containing blankets and cutlery, apparently with the need for transference of headquarters in mind. While we doubt whether this news will induce enthusiasts to enrol for service, it does make paid A.R.P. duties of rather more interest to expert drivers whose jobs in the motor trade may have been sacrificed by war conditions. And certainly for real efficiency in long-distance A.R.P. transportation such drivers are the folk who should have the jobs—in preference to the present largely untested, frequently family-car style of drivers we find at London’s biggest depots—not forgetting the ingenious persons who, in the beginning, got themselves enrolled as drivers although they did not hold a driver’s licence!