Civil Defence Mobile Column

Purpose built ruins for training purposes at Kiln Lane
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum

At the height of the Cold War fears of nuclear attack were very high and the Government wanted to prepare for the worst.  So in January 1953 the Home Secretary opened a Civil Defence Mobile Column Depot in Kiln Lane, Epsom.   One hundred and fifty military personnel (100 from the Army and 50 from the RAF), were seconded to the new depot to develop and train experimental mobile columns for rescue work in both the Civil Defence and the Auxiliary Fire Service.

The theory was that the columns would go to major incidents to assist local Fire Brigades and Civil Defence units.   Each column would have their own specially equipped vehicles and some motorcycle dispatch riders, part of whose duties were to travel ahead to signpost and clear the columns route.

A rescue under way from a damaged building.
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum

During 1954 the Civil Defence Mobile Columns toured the UK from Cornwall to the north of Scotland carrying out exercises to demonstrate their rescue skills in numerous simulated disaster scenarios.  The columns were generally well received but there was some vocal opposition and in December 1954, just two short years after being set up the Experimental Mobile Columns were disbanded.  The Kiln Lane site continued as a Civil Defence training ground till 1968 when the main Civil Defence structure was disbanded.

The training ground set up for night training exercises.
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum

Civil Defence Corps Mobile Column No. 1 Epsom 5 October 1953.
Image courtesy of Robin Reid via Bourne Hall Museum

Mobile Column Nurses
Image courtesy of Robin Reid via Bourne Hall Museum

Group photo of dispatch riders at Woking 5 May 1954
Image courtesy of Bourne Hall Museum

A book called “We Blazed the Trail” (ISBN 1-84683-049-4) edited by Robin G. Reid & Malcolm Bidder was published a few years ago and gives full details of the unit.  It can be purchased direct from the publishers, Woodfield Publishing Ltd.