Home Secretary Speaks On Civil Defence (1952)

London. LS. Empty chair. Various shots of the Home Secretary, Conservative MP for West Derby, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, sitting at desk speaking into camera - natural sound. He is saying: “I expect most of you know that recruits are wanted for Civil Defence. But do you know why? I want to tell you because it is important to you. The free nations are trying to preserve peace by building up their defences against aggression. Civil Defence is vital to this effort. Without Civil Defence the community - that’s you and I - couldn’t keep going in war, because there would not be enough men and women to fight fires, to rescue those who are trapped, to tend the wounded and comfort the homeless, or do any of the hundred and one other jobs that can only be done by trained Civil Defence Services. This effort in the cause of peace cannot be complete until the Civil Defence Corps, the Auxiliary Fire Service and the National Hospital Service Reserve, are very much stronger than they are now. In these services there’s a job