Air Raid Sirens

I've waited a while before responding to this, however I can elaborate in that the sirens are still in existence in all parts of the UK. I was involved with the Warwick County Council Emergency Planning Dept. throughout the 1980's (a dept. which exists in all Local Authorities). Sirens used to be, and presumably still are, silent-tested on a weekly basis. The main one in Coventry was at Little Park Street Police HQ and the responsible person inadvertently 'pressed the wrong button' twice in the 80's resulting in the previous 'Telegraph' report on one occasion. The same happened in Warwick once. In answer to NeilsYard. The sirens are situated on the roofs of public buildings and schools, (even single storey and Primary) in the suburbs. That's about all I'd better say! Already mentioned on the 'Ministry of Pensions' fire topic were the 'secret' contents of the locked top floor but that's another story!

There used to be one of the roof of the EMEB offices in Sandy Lane. It was still there when I worked there in 1963 to 1972 as I remember it was tested. This building was the offices to the Daimler during the war, in fact I believe it was the part of the factory left standing after the Daimler was bombed. The building is now Harp Place. I have tried to look on Google maps to see if it is still there!

Hi Annewiggy, is it? Same with the old Armstrong Siddeley Works in Parkside, but they were disconnected in the 1970's.

Hello The Harp Place building today is used for Adult Education Courses running from Monday to Friday. The address is 2 Sandy Lane which I believe was the offices of EMEB.

There used to be one on the top of the Severn Trent pumping station in Alderminster Rd, off Broad Lane. I seem to remember hearing it when I was at Woodlands School, 59-64.

Photo from 2013

The Severn Trent pumping station in Alderminster Road

On the subject of air raid sirens... I am not sure if others have mentioned it but the Keresley Colliery ground shuddering, short warning bellows from their emergency hooter was in complete contrast to, and more nerve racking to me than the normal sirens' sceaming wails which were generally of similar sound. The open countryside between the two Keresleys did little to absorb the sound either and on occasions the big guns near the corner of Sandpits Lane let rip at the same time,which livened things up no end under my share of the kitchen table. In the morning the same continuous all clear bellow was music to our ears, got ready for school and was bussed out from my Keresley to New Keresley, to Newlands School, as it was considered too dangerous at our end. I've no idea where the school is/was in relation to the mine and it never went off in the time I was bussed out there during the day that l can remember. I am always reminded of that type of steam siren when films of the pre war Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and Normandie era are shown docking or sailing and blowing off that same sound.

The sound would have me in tears, that I would not be ashamed of. I think the real last one I heard was in March 45 when a V2 rocket hit Smithfield Market in London and killed over a hundred workers. No, never again for me.

Took my late mother to the Blitz exhibit at Flambards in Cornwall about 25 years ago. She was really interested in all the household items from her youth but when the air raid siren went off, the colour drained out of her and we had to leave. She was visibly shaking.