It looks as if this video clip is not available online yet.
Use the enquiry button on the right and we’ll get back to you to discuss the quickest way for you to view it.
Following the main title a caption appears: "An Appeal by the Lord Mayor Councillor E. R. Canning, J. P. to you to join the Air Raids Precautions Services for the city".
Councillor Canning sits behind a desk in an office and speaks directly to the camera.
After thanking the Cinema Exhibitors Association he goes on to explain that the city council has the duty of administering the act of parliament (Air Raid Precautions Act 1937) for provisions to be made to protect persons and property in the event of hostile air attack.
He adds that the new service will be purely civilian and that Birmingham is a special area in that there is every likelihood that if war broke out it would be one of the first parts of the country to be attacked.
Councillor Canning divides the new service into three areas: Air Wardens; the Auxiliary Fire Service; and the Medical Service. For each area he gives figures for the number of volunteers required in Birmingham.
The film ends with a caption asking volunteers to apply to The Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham.
No credits specified
This film would have been shown in local cinemas and was prompted by the 1937 Air Raid Precautions Act which assigned responsibility for introducing air raid measures at the local authority level.