The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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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.
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Overview
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.
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