![]() Guards could be recognised by their white armbands with the NARPAC logo and would also have a notice outside their homes. Beyond this Guards were to aid animal owners in finding their nearest veterinary post but were not expected to perform any treatment on animals. Guards were also given a collection tin for donations, including from those households without animals. As an initial step the Guards were to go door to door encouraging registration and distributing discs. These Guards would be responsible for overseeing the registration scheme in their area, with each guard assigned responsibility for around one hundred households. Thirdly, NARPAC created the post of National Animal Guards, staffed by volunteers from the local community. There was also a specific appeal to horse owners, given that a distressed horse could bolt for miles and could cause danger for itself and others. This meant that animal lost during air raids could be identified and reunited with their owner. By registering their animals, owners would be provided with a registration disc to attach to the animal’s collar, containing a unique reference number and the owner’s contact details. Secondly, NARPAC created a registration scheme for pets, livestock and working animals. NARPAC worked to ensure all posts were suitably resourced with equipment and staff, many of whom would be volunteers. These posts were also intended to be mobile, able to go out into the streets or people’s homes to treat injured animals. As well as existing veterinary surgeries, dispensaries and animal shelters, it was hoped more posts would be created utilising empty shops or housed within larger shops. Firstly, the creation of a network of first-aid veterinary posts across the UK to return the focus on treating injured animals, not destroying them. NARPAC’s plan centred on three new initiatives. ![]() The result was a new focus on community-based activities in line with other Air Raid Precaution measures. ![]() He requested that NARPAC create new measures to reassure the public and to stop the animal slaughter. In October 1939 the Labour MP Herbert Morrison was appointed Minister for Home Security as part of the Wartime Coalition Government. ![]() Nevertheless, something had to be done to stop these drastic actions. The tone of the pamphlet must have made many consider it their patriotic duty to have their animals destroyed. During these terrifying, uncertain days many owners must have feared their pets would be killed or injured by bomb blast, as well as concern as to how to feed their animals if food became scarce. This horrific number of animal deaths must be viewed within the context of a period of escalating insecurity. One Home Office publication featured a prominent advert for a Captive Bolt Pistol which was, it claimed, “The standard instrument for the humane destruction of domestic animals.” Veterinary surgeries faced a deluge of requests from owners to have their animals put to sleep. It’s thought that within a week of the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 between 400,000 and 750,000 pets were killed. Alternatively, it suggested “If you cannot place them in the care of neighbours, it really is kindest to have them destroyed.” In addition to the widely distributed pamphlet, this advice also appeared in many national newspapers. ![]() NARPAC initially produced the pamphlet Advice to Animal Owners which suggested rehoming animals in the country, in a manner similar to the evacuation of children from towns and cities into rural locations. It did not get off to the best of starts. Its aim was to create a strategy for the management of pets, livestock and working animals during war time, and to disseminate information and initiatives to the public. The Committee was composed of representatives from the Home Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, the police, the veterinary profession, and animal welfare societies. The National Air Raid Precautions for Animals Committee (NARPAC) was formed in the Summer of 1939, one of a number of protection initiatives established by the Home Office at a time when war with Hitler’s Germany was becoming inevitable. ![]()
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