Russia, anxious about her security in the Baltic, had already coerced three states – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania – to accept Soviet military control. Now international tension rose on Monday 13 November when negotiations between Finland and Russia broke down. On 16 November the first British civilian casualty of the war happened in a German air raid on Orkney.
A letter to the John o’Groat Journal this week (from “Caithnessman”) highlighted the fear of gas attacks from German air raids. Last week we saw how schools were supplied with gas masks for the children; but now the question of gas masks for babies was raised. “If an air raid cameupon Wick or Thurso, or indeed on any of the villages in Caithness for that matter, the mothers with young infants would find themselves in a very terrifying predicament.”
This gas mask was intended for babies up to two years old, and resembled an old-fashioned deep sea diving helmet. The infant was completely enclosed in the mask and strapped in rubber-coated canvas wrapping. Because it was airtight, an adult had to keep pumping air into the mask, which passed through an asbestos filter to remove any trace of poison gas.
Although with hindsight we know that Britain was never bombed with poison gas during the war, the fear at the time was very real and the authorities had to take precautions. On 16 November, Thurso Burgh Council approved plans to convert premises on Couper Street into a “decontamination centre”.
The ARP Controller also reported to the County Council that Mr Robert Scott, Science Master of Wick High School, had agreed to attend a course so he could act as the Gas Identification Officer for the county.
The County Council became involved in a dispute with the District ARP Commissioner at this time, since it “had undertaken to pay volunteer personnel while actively engaged on ARP work”. The Commissioner responded by saying that this was “a serious departure from the principle of voluntary effort”, and adding that the Council would “have to bear the cost without grant”.
The slaughter of livestock across farms meant that bacon was no longer plentifully available for the nation’s breakfasts. The Ministry of Food now began a campaign to encourage people to eat herring for breakfast, especially now that two-thirds of the herring catch, previously exported to Germany and Russia, was available for domestic use. The Queen therefore let it be known (“How the Queen likes her herring: example to the nation”) that she ate hers “filleted, coated with egg and breadcrumbs, fried in hot fat till it is golden brown, and served with mustard sauce.”
Finally, the John o’Groat Journal’s women’s page noted that women, because they were now outdoors in all weathers and doing manual labour, were suffering from dry skin and blisters. In an article entitled, “For England, Home and Beauty: watch your face and feet,” a number of tips were given for avoiding cracked lips and wrinkles, corns and bunions, along with other sensible advice (“And for our safety I think a fairly flat heel is advisable in the black-out”).
