'A Place for Everyone, and Everyone Must Find the Right Place': Recruitment to British Civil Defence, 1937-44

This chapter analyses the recruitment techniques employed by Britain’s civil defence services before and during the Second World War. Recruitment depended upon a combination of national and local efforts, with formal publicity campaigns complemented by more informal methods such as pressure from family and friends. Using a diverse range of sources – recruiting materials, local and national government records, newspaper reports, civil defence magazines, and personal testimony – the chapter analyses the development of recruitment strategies while also exploring some of the motivations for enlistment described by volunteers. It argues that while national and local publicity was crucial for developing an understanding of civil defence roles and duties, it was often personal persuasion or international events that pushed individuals to volunteer.