UK revives WW1 warfare handbook to arrange Britain for battle and emergency plans
War book first produced in WW1 to be reproduced with modern plans for schools, rations, hospitals and national resilience amid rising threats
A wartime manual from WWI designed to prepare the nation for conflict is poised to make a comeback(Image: PA)
A wartime manual from WWI designed to prepare the nation for conflict is poised to make a comeback, according to the head of the armed forces.
The handbook was created during the First World War and was among the earliest ‘government war books’ developed.
It was published until the early 2000s, before being scrapped due to expense.
Now, amidst ongoing global tensions, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton has announced the book will be republished to help citizens prepare for warfare.
He explained that the manual would incorporate lessons from the Cold War but “in a modern context, with a modern society, with modern infrastructure.”, reports the Mirror.
The publication outlined procedures that were regularly practised, overseen by the Cabinet Office, and is thought to have strengthened national preparedness.
A contemporary version of the guidance would cover similar ground to previous editions, including how to close schools, distribute food supplies, evacuate hospitals and safeguard national treasures.
It would also encompass strategies to deploy military forces and civilians.
The decision to reintroduce an updated version of the handbook follows warnings from opposition politicians and specialists that the UK is unprepared for warfare.
The defence chief stated: “NATO describes the transition to conflict as a military component, but it also has a civilian component.”
The UK has experienced peace for decades but Sir Richard Knighton observed that Brits must recognise growing dangers to this stability. “That requires us to educate ourselves and help the population understand some of those threats and help them understand what they can do to support the nation and potentially support the armed forces,” he added.
He stated: “I talked before Christmas of the need for – when we think about renewing our water infrastructure or electricity or transport infrastructure – thinking about the threat of action from an adversary that is above the threshold of war, not just a hybrid threat.
‘”And think about how we build in that resilience as we renew it and that requires making some different choices and different priorities and that work that the Cabinet Office is doing across the whole of government is something that I really welcome.”
