Exercises at Chelsea to Test Defences London, June 19.
Seven thousand persons took part in the Air Raid Protection exercises in Chelsea this morning, -seeking safety in real or sham bomb-proof shelters when the sirens sounded.
Civilian Defence Minister Sir John Anderson declared himself satisfied with the manner in which the A.R.P. authorities organized the exercises, and the discipline displayed by the people, although a few pedestrians refused to enter the shelters merely because they wanted to watch the proceedings.
Five thousand children from Chelsea schools alsó took part in the demonstration, their share being the orderly evacuation from their schools.
At 9 am. the population started assembling in groups in various parts of Chelsea, being directed towards the four underground-railway stations, carrying the required equipment and foodstuffs.
The alarm was then sounded, all vehicles stopping for fifteen minutes while exercises got under way.
Today's proved to be the most spectacular A.R.P. demonstration to take place in Britain so far, and was held in the presence of Sir Samuel Hoare, the Home Secretary, Sir John Anderson, and two hundred ARP. observers.
The height of the proceedings arrived when the sirens announced the arrival of the "enemy" planes. Trafic was completely halted in King's Road, one of the most animated arteries in London, 'A slight incident took place when a group of women paraded with banners on which were inscribed their demands for the construction of deep air-raid shelters—Havas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.