Civil defence requirements occupied a great deal of attention in
the run up to the Second World War, and attack by hostile bomber
aircraft was the prime concern. The already existing Air Raid
Precautions Sub-committee (ARP) had been formed in 1924 by the
Committee of Imperial Defence. The most obvious results of civil
defence measures taken during the war were the evacuation of
children to the countryside, the blackout, gas masks for
everyone, and air raid wardens for every community. The decision
was taken to introduce identity cards through a scheme of
national registration on 6 October 1939, but the date was
brought forward to 29 September 1939. The government took
sweeping measures to control all aspects of civil life under the
Emergency Powers Act of 1939. The act was renewed in May 1940 as
a result of the swift military collapse of France. As a result,
the threat of invasion compelled the cabinet to issue more
controls. Some of the measures taken to control the civil
population outlived the war; for exa