Coventry Civil Defence Exercise

H-Bomb civil defence exercise goes ahead in Coventry against the wishes of the council who well remember the destructive force of bombing.

In April 1954 the Labour controlled Coventry City Council led by Sidney Stringer voted to withdraw funding for civil defence work arguing that there was no effective defence against the new H Bomb. On 30 May the Midlands region civil defence went ahead against their wishes and organised an exercise in the city. Amateur cameraman Len Bass was on hand to film events which include mock casualties and scenes of Stringer protesting on the street with a loudspeaker.