The Second World War brought a new kind of attack to Europe -
the air raid . The Luftwaffe and the RAF took the battle to the
skies, bombing strategic and industrial targets with the
intention of weakening the enemy. The problem for both sides was
that industrial sites were frequently located very near to, or
even in the midst of, residential areas, which meant that homes
and civilian lives were at risk. Minimising the human loss meant
that the population took to their shelters to preserve their
lives, and warning was given as early as possible by the ARP
wardens, most frequently using the 'Moaning Minnie' siren. This
device consisted of a fan, which blew air across a number of
pipes, producing a multi-tone wailing. The sound ranged across a
range of freqencies designed to be heard both at a distance, and
was capable of penetrating buildings. The siren was freqently
powered by electricity, but were most often hand-powered, driven
by a crank. Pity the poor warden, who would stand behind or
beside the beast, pu