Blackout Collection

LMS coach no. 6204 converted to an ambulance train car, 1939
This official photograph of an ambulance train car was taken on behalf of the Swindon Works Drawing Office in October 1939

WW2 birthday card, Postman with black kittens
Birthday card, Postman with black kittens, and a reference to blackout regulations. circa 1940s

An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London
WORLD WAR II: AIR RAIDS. An air raid warden setting a blackout time clock indicator at an Air Raid Precautions post on the outskirts of London, England, following the outbreak of World War II, 1939

Swindon Works employees manouvering a wheel set by crane, c. 1940
In this photograph a female crane operator is working alongside two male colleagues, manoeuvring a locomotive wheel set into place

Kent authorities have speeded up the traffic marking signs on all secondary roads to aid drivers should there be a general black out enforced

Locomotive 4096, Highclere Castle with its wartime black out screen, c. 1940
A train speeding through the countryside at night was a prime target for the German Luftwaffe. The glow from the locomotive firebox

Salford Town Hall a42_02127
Town Hall, Bexley Square, Salford. An exterior view of the Town Hall in 1942, showing the south facade with two contemporary cars in the foreground

A man walks in a building during power outage in Karachi, Pakistan April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Palestinian man walks at Shatti (beach) refugee camp during power cut, in Gaza City
A Palestinian man walks at Shatti (beach) refugee camp during power cut, in Gaza City July 23, 2015. Palestinian Energy officials said residents of Gaza, home to 1.8 million people

Single light illuminates a room during a blackout at a residential building in
A single light illuminates a room during a blackout at a residential building in Yevpatoriya, Crimea, December 2, 2015. Ukraines government has asked Tatar activists to allow repairs to

A Palestinian man ignites a fire at his makeshift shelter during a power cut in the northern Gaza Strip November 11, 2013

People use light from a phone while they walk on the staircase of a parking garage during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

WW2 - Death In The Blackout
An illustrated front cover for a WW2 story book, Death In The Blackout, written by Anthony Gilbert. The image shows a skeleton pulling down his window blind during a blackout. Date: circa 1946

WW2 Greetings Card, Blackout Dog
A WW2 greetings card, the illustration shows the barely visible form of a happy dog during a blackout. The card has a red, white and blue ribbon attached, along with a springy Union Jack flag

WW2 Blackout Birthday Card
A WW2 birthday greetings card, It's impossible to black-out my greetings. The image shows a smiling moon looking down at a snow covered countryside home. Date: circa 1940s

WW2 Birthday Card, Blackout The Blues
A WW2 birthday greetings card, with imagery symbolic of good fortune including the presence of black cats and a horseshoe

WW2 Birthday Card, Who Said Blackout?
A WW2 birthday greetings card, Who said black-out? The image shows two cats wearing colourful clothes and soldier tin hats. Date: circa 1940s

WW2 Greetings Card, Blackout
An illustrated WW2 greetings card, Black-out that light please. The image shows the silhouetted forms of a mouse and children amongst mushroom houses under a night sky, during a blackout

WW2 Christmas Greetings Card
A WW2 Christmas greetings card containing some quite minimalistic illustrations showing various scenes of Britain's home defence, including figures experiencing the holidays during a blackout

Advert for anglepoise lamp
Advert for Terry's Anglepoise lamp, ideal for use during blackouts. Date: 1940

You Can't Be Too Careful!
Cartoon showing an over-enthusiastic ARP warden at a pantomime. He appears to be indulging in some unexpected audience participation. Date: 1940

Put out those dress shirts
Cartoon by Mel highlighting the risks run by gentlemen in immaculate eveningwear during the Blitz. Date: 1939

Lucile Mazurek, age 29, ex-housewife, husband going into... Heil and Co. Milwaukee, Wisc. 1943. Creator: Howard Hollem
Lucile Mazurek, age 29, ex-housewife, husband going into the service, working on black-out lamps to be used on the gasoline trailers in the Air Force, Heil and Co. Milwaukee, Wisc

Activity in the Santa Fe R. R. yard, Los Angeles, Calif. 1943. Creator: Jack Delano
Activity in the Santa Fe R.R. yard, Los Angeles, Calif. Due to blackout regulations, flood lights, switch lights, locomotive headlights

WW2 - Black-out - Couple driving, with only their dipped headlight beams. Date: circa 1941

Comic postcard, Conversation in the blackout, WW2 Date: 1940s

Comic postcard, Conversation in the blackout, WW2 Date: 1940s

Comic postcard, Couple in the blackout, WW2. Aren t you afraid to sit here and hold my hand in the blackout? - No - I should be afraid to leave go of it!! Date: 1940s

Comic postcard, two cats on a roof, WW2 - it happened in the blackout Date: 1940s

Comic postcard, man and policeman in blackout, WW2 - the mans red glowing nose is too bright! Date: circa 1940s

Comic postcard, woman and ARP man in blackout, WW2. Date: circa 1940s

Comic postcard, woman takes wrong turning in blackout, WW2 - Gents toilet! Date: circa 1940s

Driving under blackout conditions, 1939
Driving under blackout conditions, article by the Earl of Cardigan in Britannia & Eve, November 1939. Date: 1939

Road painters carrying broken white line stencil, Sept 1939
Road painters carrying the " blackout stencil" which enabled workmen to paint broken white lines down the centre of roads with ease, in order to reduce accidents when driving in blackouts

Huge blinds used to camouflage a factory, Sept 1939
Huge dark blinds used to camouflage an entire factory on an A-road just outside of London. Blackout regulations were imposed two days before the outbreak of war to make the factory less visible to

Women painting kerbside for blackouts, September 1939
Women of the Voluntary Ambulance Service painting the kerbside between their headquarters and the first-aid post to allow them to find their way in a blackout. Date: 1939

Man and woman in reflective clothing, September 1939
Man and woman in reflective clothing, suitable for wear in a blackout, The Sphere describes this as " a humorous effort towards a safe night-walking garb" but wearing white or high-vis was

The West End in blackout, September 1939
Photograph of the West End in blackout, shortly after the outbreak of war in September 1939. The Sphere describes the sight as " extraordinarily eerie". 1939

Woman crossing road in the dark in white coat, Sept 1939
Female pedestrian crossing road in front of a car, using her white coat and a newspaper to be seen in the dark, as well as carrying a gas mask

Poster, Lookout for the Platform, WW2
Poster, Lookout for the Platform -- before alighting in the blackout, make sure the train is in the station, make sure you are on the platform side of the train. 1941

War Searchlights over Westminster Bridge, WW1
War Searchlights over Westminster Bridge, First World War. Pastel by Robert Randoll. 1917

Blackout, meal by candlelight, 1949
Once again the victims of an unofficial strike: the long-suffering public. Recalling the inconveniences of the long wartime blackout

Blackout. Fuel-crisis shopping in London, 1947
The Candlelights of London: business as usual in the capital. Fuel-crisis shopping with department store lighting - modern style

The self fitting ARP blind invented by Mr Geoffrey Mortimer, being placed into position on the windows of a residential house. The window on the right has already been blacked out

Blackout restrictions are lifted towards the end of the Second World War. A scene looking into well lit cafe on Oxford Street, Central London. 23rd April 1945

Motorist seen here inspecting a newly installed blackout hood on the headlights of his car in Cardiff. 7th September 1939

A family posing outside their home in Cab; e Street, Mile End London during a dim-out. September 1944

An artistic blackout in a Brixton house during the Second World War, 16th November 1939

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"Blackout: A Journey through Darkness and Resilience" As the night fell, the skyline of lower Manhattan plunged into an eerie darkness. Only a solitary beacon illuminated the city - the iconic Goldman Sachs building, standing tall amidst the blackout. In 1939, amidst uncertainty and fear, a glimmer of hope emerged as LMS coach no. 6204 was converted into an ambulance train car. This remarkable transformation symbolized humanity's resilience in times of crisis. At Swindon Works, employees showcased their strength and skill as they maneuvered a wheel set by crane during World War II. Their dedication ensured that essential services continued to operate even in moments of blackout. Air raid wardens became guardians of safety during those tumultuous times. Setting blackout time clock indicators at Air Raid Precautions posts on London's outskirts, they meticulously planned for protection against enemy attacks. Amidst chaos and destruction, heartwarming scenes unfolded. A WW2 birthday card depicted a postman surrounded by black kittens - a reminder that love and compassion can thrive even in the darkest hours. Kent authorities responded swiftly to ensure public safety during blackouts by speeding up traffic marking signs on secondary roads. These measures aimed to guide people through treacherous paths while maintaining order amid uncertainty. However, not all stories had happy endings; "Death In The Blackout" served as a haunting reminder of lives lost due to wartime circumstances beyond anyone's control. It highlighted the tragic consequences that could occur when light vanished from our lives. Yet amidst adversity, humor found its way into everyday life with cards like "Blackout Dog. " These lighthearted greetings brought smiles to faces amid challenging times – proof that laughter can be medicine for weary souls. Birthdays were celebrated even under dimmed lights with cards like "Blackout The Blues" and "Who Said Blackout?" They reminded us that joy could still be found within ourselves despite external circumstances.