Civil defence and protective services in South Africa during World War Two, 1939–1945
Date
2019-11
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Historical Association of South Africa
Abstract
During World War Two, South Africa inaugurated the Civilian Protective Services
organisation as a civil defence effort to deal with, inter alia, the preventive and
protective measures in defence of the civilian population against attack from the air
and the sea, and against the dangers arising from sabotage and sudden emergency.
Between 1940 and 1945, about 80 000 civilians volunteered for service in the air raid
precautions and the civilian guard sections of the Civilian Protective Services, to
contribute towards a national defence effort of the Union of South Africa. This article
examines the origin of the Civilian Protective Services and its development during
World War Two, within the context of South Africa’s political and internal security
challenges. It contends that the institution of the Civilian Protective Services was a
vital element in South Africa’s effort to enhance internal security, to assuage public
anxieties and to sustain morale as well as to maintain public support for its war
policy.
Description
CITATION: Monama, F. L. 2019. Civil defence and protective services in South Africa during World War Two, 1939–1945. Historia, 64(2):82-108, doi:10.17159/2309-8392/2019/v64n2a4.
The original publication is available at https://hgsa.co.za
The original publication is available at https://hgsa.co.za
Keywords
World War, 1939-1945 -- Civil defense -- South Africa, Civil defense -- South Africa -- History, Civil Protective Services -- South Africa
Citation
Monama, F. L. 2019. Civil defence and protective services in South Africa during World War Two, 1939–1945. Historia, 64(2):82-108, doi:10.17159/2309-8392/2019/v64n2a4.