"Air Raid Precautions" -- 1942 American Women's Voluntary Services Booklet
The AWVS was founded in 1940 by social service organizer Alice Throckmorton McLean (1886-1968), and modeled on the Royal Voluntary Service in Great Britain. The AWVS aimed to prepare the United States for war via services such as message delivery, emergency kitchens and canteens, the sale of war bonds, transportation, and more. Prominent members included Mamie Eisenhower, Joan Crawford, Hattie McDaniel, and Betty White. Despite criticism from some people (mostly men) who didn't want women to work, it was wildly successful and continued after the war was over with community volunteer work (everything from veteran support to running youth programs, vocational training, supporting the blind, and transportation services).
New York, New York: American Women's Voluntary Services, 1942. An early 1940s printed guide to air raid precautions for American housewives, published by the American Women's Voluntary Services (AWVS). The content of this booklet includes: simple fire precautions; protection of home against bombs; specific information about each kind of bomb, including diagrams; water and chemical extinguishers; description of aerial attacks; classification of war gases, with a chart detailing proper first aid responses; how to gas-proof a shelter and wear a gas mask; an organizational chart detailing civilian protection groups and their interrelationships (e.g. air wardens, fire dept., public works, medical providers); warnings systems and blackout; what to do in an air raid; and a map of different AWVS regions. This copy has been annotated/corrected with pen and pencil, including extensive pencil annotations to the civil defense organizational chart. Single vol. (11" by 8.25"), pp. 41, [1], illus., in original photo illus. wrps with photo of AWVS member on front printed in blue. Good to very good. Light toning, dust soiling, some staining including coffee ring to upper wrapper, rust staining from staples.Price: $225.00
Item #26001731