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WWII: Preparing for London’s Civil Defence

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Ernest Gowers

Part of the book series: Understanding Governance series ((TRG))

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Abstract

Gowers had spent the First World War working in utmost secrecy. His role in the Second World War was, by contrast, highly visible. Shortly before the war he was appointed Regional Commissioner for Civil Defence, London Region, reporting to a Senior Regional Commissioner. Then in January 1941, he was promoted to Senior Regional Commissioner, a position he held for the rest of the war.

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Notes

  1. W. Fisher (1948) ‘The Beginnings of Civil Defence’, Public Administration, XXVI/4, Winter, 211–17, p. 214.

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  2. T. H. O’Brien (1955) Civil Defence — History of the Second World War (London: HMSO). O’Brien gives a comprehensive overview of the build-up of civil defence.

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  3. Hennessy describes Scott as regional commissioner, ‘supremo’, or ‘Mr Civil Defence’. See P. Hennessy (1993) Never Again: Britain 1945–1951 (London: Vintage), pp. 15 and 29.

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  4. H. Scott (1959) Your Obedient Servant (London: Andre Deutsch), p. 107.

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  5. A. Calder (1969) The People’s War: Britain 1939–45 (London: Jonathan Cape), p. 199.

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  6. P. Ziegler (1995) London at War 1939–1945 (NY: Alfred A. Knopf), p. 28.

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  7. P. Young (1966) World War 1939–45 (London: Arthur Barker), p. 74.

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  8. Mountevans (1946) Adventurous Life (London: Hutchinson), p. 225.

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  9. Wallace diary, August-October 1940, f. 94. Morale had been a concern to authorities since before the war. See R. Mackay (2002) Half the Battle: Civilian Morale in Britain During the Second World War (Manchester and NY: Manchester University Press).

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  10. B. Donoughue and G. W. Jones (1973) Herbert Morrison: Portrait of a Politician (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson), p. 282.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Australia

    Ann Scott (Adjunct Professor)

Authors
  1. Ann Scott
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© 2009 Ann Scott

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Scott, A. (2009). WWII: Preparing for London’s Civil Defence. In: Ernest Gowers. Understanding Governance series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230244306_8

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