Individual results

1. Correspondence, April - December 1954
Correspondence leading up to the formal decision taken by the Council on 12 July 1954, that the Civil Defence be suspended, April 1954;
Letter from Charles Barratt, Town Clerk, to the Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, requesting that the Home Secretary receive a deputation from Coventry Council, to find out "what steps, if any, can be taken in defence against the hydrogen bomb." 5 May 1954;
Statement by Home Secretary, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, on the subject of Civil Defence, delivered in the House of Commons in response to a question by Mr Ian Harvey, 27 May 1954;
Town Clerk's Notes of Meeting between Council's Representatives and the Home Secretary. The Council's delegation consisted of Alderman Stringer, Alderman Hodgkinson, Councillor Callow, Councillor Loosley, Councillor McGarry and Councillor Roberts, accompanied by the City's three MPs, Miss E Burton, Mr M Edelman, and Mr RHS Crossman, together with the Town Clerk, Mr Charles Barratt. (The notes are marked "Private and Confidential", with instructions that they are not to be released to the Press before 7 p.m., Monday, 12 July), 28 June 1954;
Letter from the Town Clerk to RHS Crossman, MP, detailing his views on the nature of civil defence action in the event of an attack. 3 July 1954;
Letter from Charles Barratt to M Lindsay Taylor, Town Clerk of the Borough of Tottenham, requesting guidance on the issue of suspending Civil Defence, 9 July 1954;
Leaflet from the Town Clerk summoning a Special Meeting of the City Council, nd [July, 1954];
Statement by Coventry City Council proposed by Alderman S Stringer and seconded by Alderman G Hodgkinson, in which the Council resolved to disband the civil defence corps in Coventry. The resolution was taken in response to reports of the effects of the hydrogen bomb, and the Council's belief that no local authority could deal with the effects of such an attack. The Council suggested that Civil Defence should be mobile and organized on a national basis and as part of the Armed Services. Clause 3 states: "We therefore resolve that the Home Secretary and the Minister of Health be informed that the City Council are no longer willing to discharge their functions of organizing the Coventry Division of the Civil Defence Corps nor to discharge those of their Civil Defence functions which have been placed upon them with the intention that they shall be carried out primarily by members of the Civil Defence Corps; and that the Civil Defence Committee be disbanded." 12 July 1954;
Extract from Statutory Instruments 1953, No. 1777, Civil Defence, detailing the circumstances under which a Minister may withhold grants payable to Councils under the Civil Defence (Grant) Regulations, nd [1954];
Letter from the City Treasurer to Councillor AJ Waugh, detailing the Home Secretary's options after the City Council suspended its civil defence responsibilities, 14 July 1954;
Statistics on Coventry's civil defence: strength of Corps, salaries of paid staff, premises (social, training, headquarters), Warden Posts, Rescue Depots, Garages, Control Centres, Vehicles, assistance available from other Corporation Departments, 22 July 1954;
List of Civil Defence Acts and Regulations, 22 July 1954;
Order made by David Maxwell Fyfe, stating that, as Coventry Council "has refused properly to discharge" its civil defence obligations, he has appointed Air Vice Marshal Sir Geoffrey Bromet, Major General JB Dalison and Miss Mary Elizabeth Gray, to do so "in the name and at the expense of the (said) Council." 24 July 1954;
Order made by the Secretary of State, withholding Exchequer grants otherwise payable to the Council for carrying out civil defence functions. A similar order was made by various Ministers, 24 July 1954;
Press statement following the first meeting between the Civil Defence Commissioners and the Policy Advisory Committee, acting for Coventry Council, 28 July 1954;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the Under Secretary of State, expressing the protests of the Policy Advisory Committee at the decision to withhold Exchequer grants, and that the decision amounts to the "imposition of a sanction because they (the Council) have carried to its logical conclusion their contention that Civil Defence can only be effectively organized on a national basis," 28 July 1954;
Letter from FA Newsam, Home Office, to the Town Clerk, stating that the remuneration for each of the Civil Defence Commissioners appointed will be £750 per annum, together with travel and subsistence expenses, for which the Council will be invoiced quarterly, 7 August 1954;
Correspondence from the Town Clerk to various Ministers, expressing the view that the local authority finds it difficult to distinguish between the Commissioners and those Government Departments threatening to withhold grants, 10 August 1954;
Letter from the Office of the Commissioners for Civil Defence to the Town Clerk, detailing requests relating to staff, premises, equipment and records, 11 August 1954;
List detailing premises used for Civil Defence purposes, nd [August, 1954];
Letter from the Town Clerk to AP Marshall, QC, requesting his opinion on the Council's dispute with the Government over civil defence expenditure, 12 August 1954;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the Commissioners for Civil Defence, making available premises, with a letter to the Under-Secretary of State, informing him of the fact that this was done without prejudice to the Council's "expressed intention of challenging any attempt to impose on the rate payers the whole cost of civil defence," 23 August 1954;
Documents detailing the case for the opinion of counsel, and the opinion rendered by AP Marshall, QC, 24 August 1954 (NOTE: THESE DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN COLLECTED SEPARATELY AS PART 2, (a) - (d));
Memo from Town Clerk to the City Treasurer, stating the opinion of Counsel: that the Government is within its powers to withhold the grants for Civil Defence, and that such executive actions are not subject to the control of the Courts. A possible compromise is suggested in the memo: that the Corporation may have to bear the full cost of the work carried out by the Commissioners, insofar as it exceeds the costs the Corporation would have incurred had they undertaken the work themselves, 30 August 1954;
Letter from the Home Office to the Town Clerk, indicating that as of 1 November 1954, Major General Dalison, as a Coventry Civil Defence Commissioner, is entitled to remuneration of £750 per annum, 29 October 1954;
Letter of reply to the Home Office from the Town Clerk, stating that the Council does not accept the Home Secretary's decision that this expenditure [the appointment of Major General Dalison as a Commissioner] will not rank for payment of grant, 1 November 1954;
Letter from the Town Clerk to Messrs. Sharpe, Pritchard and Company, requesting the likely fee for counsel's opinion on the Corporation's dispute over Exchequer grants, 8 December 1954;
Letter from the Office of the Commissioners for Civil Defence to the Town Clerk, regarding the use of Fletchamstead Hall Farm as a training site, 22 December 1954;
2. (a) - 2 (d) Document (including 2 copies) entitled "Civil Defence Act, 1948, Grant - Case for the Opinion of Counsel" and one document, containing the opinion rendered by AP Marshall QC, 24 August 1954;
3. Correspondence, January - October 1955
Letter from the Town Clerk to Messrs. Sharpe, Pritchard and Company, requesting the opinion of Mr Michael Rowe in the matter of Coventry's entitlement to Civil Defence grants, 17 January 1955;
Letter from the Office of the Commissioners for Civil Defence to the Town Clerk, regarding the rescue training ground in London Road and a possible site at Hylands Nursing Home, St Nicholas Street, 26 January 1955;
Statement of (estimated) expenses from the Home Office to the Town Clerk, relating to the Civil Defence Commissioners' salaries, etcetera, 31 January 1955;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the Coventry Civil Defence Commissioners, indicating that the proposed site at Hylands Nursing Home, St Nicholas Street is part of the City's Development Plan and earmarked for future residential purposes, 1 February 1955;
Document containing the opinion rendered by Michael Rowe, on the matter of Coventry's entitlement to Civil Defence grants, February 1955;
Statement of expenses from the Home Office, Civil Defence Department, to the Town Clerk, for the cost of Coventry's Civil Defence Commissioners, 24 July - 31 December 1954, 11 March 1955;
Statement of expenses from the Home Office, Civil Defence Department, to the Town Clerk, for the cost of Coventry's Civil Defence Commissioners, 1 January - 31 March 1955, nd [1955];
Statement by the Policy Advisory Committee, detailing the Council's estimated and actual expenditure on Civil Defence, 1954 - 1956, 18 April 1955;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, stating that the Policy Advisory Committee does not consider the Corporation liable for any expenses incurred for Civil Defence, 23 April 1955;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, requesting that the Minister meet with three members of the Council to discuss accounts rendered and the general issue of grant, 22 June 1955;
Letter from the Town Clerk to the City Estates Surveyor, regarding the proposed training ground at Fletchamstead Hall Farm, 1 July 1955;
Association of Municipal Corporations, Agenda for the Meeting of the Council, 7 July 1955;
Notes to the meeting between the Policy Advisory Committee and the Home Secretary, relating to Civil Defence expenditure and the Council's liability for debt, 7 July 1955;
Letter from the Town Clerk to The Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, stating that the Policy Advisory Committee has recommended to the Council, that it resume in full the carrying out of its civil defence functions, 20 July 1955;
Letters from the Home Office and other departments, revoking from 8 August 1955, the Order authorising the Commissioners to carry out Coventry Corporation's civil defence functions, and all expenditure after that date to rank for Exchequer grant, 28 July 1955;
Memorandum by the Civil Defence Commissioners, entitled "Civil Defence In Coventry", for the period 24 July 1954 - 7 August 1955, 5 August 1955;
Notes on meeting between representatives of Coventry Corporation and Sir Frank Newsam, Home Office, relating to Civil Defence expenditure and Coventry's financial liability, 11 August 1955;
Report by the District Valuer on the use of Fletchamstead Hall Farm for civil defence purposes. Includes plan, 24 August 1955;
Letter from the Home Office to the Town Clerk, indicating that the Secretary of State is prepared to reduce the Corporation's liability for Civil Defence expenditure. Attached to the letter is statement of expenses incurred for the period 24 July 1954 - 7 August 1955, 2 September 1955;
4. Correspondence, March 1956 - May 1957
5. (a) - 5 (i) Other Documents, 1949 - 1955
Copies of the following statutory instruments: The Civil Defence (General) Regulations, 1949; The Civil Defence Corps Regulations, 1949; The Civil Defence (Ambulance) Regulations 1949; The Civil Defence (Grant) Regulations 1953; Copy of "Newsweek" Magazine, 19 April 1954; Copy of the "Municipal Review" April 1955; "Municipal Review" Supplement April 1955, "Municipal Review" Supplement June 1955;
6. Handwritten drafts and notes, nd [c1950s]