Anti-gas personnel from the Arragon Road Depot, East Ham.

Repro ID: H2851

Description: London Air Raid Precautions (ARP) personnel were trained to handle gas attacks. The Decontamination Service was trained to clean roads, buildings and materials contaminated by liquid or jelly gases. These would have been dealt with by using a neutralizing agent. Depots were established on the ratio of six per 100,000 people, with two decontamination squadrons per depot, each squadron consisting of six men with their equipment. There was also a Cleansing Service that used vans and lorries containing showers to decontaminate people who had been exposed to gas.

Creator: Unknown

Date: c. 1940

Credit line: Newham Archives and Local Studies Library collection.