27th July 1908. In Chelmsford, Essex, a girl was born to Ettie and John Coombe (a prison warder). Cora’s middle name was Ettie after her mother. Thirty-one years later, she was a buyer for a ladies’ glove department. At this time she was also an ARP Warden. She never married.
The duties of an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden at the start of the war included enforcing the blackout. Later on, this would include giving first aid, evacuation and putting out small fires after bombing raids. In 1941 the name changed to the Civil Defence Service.
Read more about my ‘ordinary people’ project here. Read the previous post in the series here.
Image of ARP Wardens from Imperial War Museum via Wikipedia (public domain).
Cora Coombes what a great name!
Isn’t it? 🙂
Fascinating to hear of all these regular people 😊
Glad you like to hear about them 🙂