Blackout Collection (#2)

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

Hornsey Borough Council workers bringing in burners and clocks into their worskhop to add to the collection of the hundreds of street gas lamps which are being maintained and overhauled

Mr Mack, the Lighting Inspector for Hornsey Borough Council, with some of the hundreds of street gas lamps being maintained and overhauled at the Boroughs depot

Night ploughing at the farm of Mr De Grey, a seaman of Kings Lynn. Ploughing is done by 3am throughout the 24 hrs. September 1940 P004358

World War II: Blackout. Woman fitting blackout shields to the headlamps of her car. October 1939 P012350

Here is the news about power cuts. Radio newsreader Alan Rogers tells listeners about the power crisis - with candles lighting his studio

Lit-Up Liberty
The Statue of Liberty in New York, lit up for the first time since the attack on Pearl Harbour (Pearl Harbor). (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Black out, 1941. Artist: Cecil Beaton
Black out, 1941. A man pulls down the blackout blind inside his house in preparation for the night ahead. From Air of Glory, by Cecil Beaton. [His Majestys Stationery Office, London, 1941]

WW2 birthday card, blackout scene
WW2 birthday card with blackout scene. Date: circa 1942

Sleeping in the Shelters, 1940
The Bystander depicts a range of different sleeping arrangements during night-time stays in air-raid shelters. On the top-left (Lansdowne House shelter) women can be seen resting on li-los, rugs

Why Not Matches? WWI cartoon by William Heath Robinson
Lights for All: Trapping Glow Worms in Kensington Gardens. A typically ridiculous idea by Heath Robinson for trapping glow worms, thus providing light for Londoners during the black out. Date: 1917

WW2 - ARP man with horse and flashlight wishing the recipient of this card a Happy Birthday. Note the helmet on the horse and the black and white legwear on both horse and watchman

Protective colouring for black outs, WWII - hi vis dog
A night time shot illustrating the use of white accessories to ensure visibility during black outs, making pedestrians visible to motorists during the early weeks of the Second World War. Date: 1939

Protective colouring for black outs, WWII
Protective, reflective clothing adopted by civilians to ensure visibility during black outs in the early days of the Second World War. A couple prepared for the hours of darkness to come

Cartoon, Blackout regulations, WW1
Cartoon, Blackout regulations -- Keep your curtains drawn to avoid air raid warnings! Showing a young girl drawing the curtains at night so that enemy aircraft do not see any light from her home

WW2 greetings card from home to an absent soldier (inside). Date: circa 1942

WW2 Christmas card, looking forward to peacetime. Date: circa 1942

WW2 birthday card, cat and poster
WW2 birthday card, showing a cat on a ladder putting up a poster expressing birthday wishes. Date: circa 1942

WW2 Christmas card, Blackout and snow
WW2 Christmas card, You can t Black Out my greeting this Christmastide. Date: 1939

WW2 Christmas card, wartime restrictions
WW2 Christmas card. Whats in the Post this Morning? Rationing and other wartime restrictions. Date: circa 1942

WW2 Christmas card, Blackout
WW2 Christmas card, with Father Christmas on the roof of a house with his sack of presents -- Blackout or not, I m here to greet you! Date: circa 1942

Finnish boy scouts doing first aid training, WW2
Finnish boy scouts doing first aid training during a blackout -- one boy bandages another boys arm. Date: circa 1940s

Blackouts during WW1
A city during the blackouts, in case of Zepplin attack or aid raids, with a man and woman commenting " The streets look about as cheerful as the Chamber of Horrors on a wet Good Friday"

The Lighter Side of Darker London, WW1
She: Sorry!" He: " Delighted!" The darkened streets of London during the First World War come with romantic advantages. Date: 1916

Suit to prevent pilot blackout by G. H. Davis
Beating the fighter pilots problem: a suit to prevent blackout. Details of the American Berger G2 suit, designed to keep pilots conscious in high-speed air battles during the Second World War

Blackout warning by G. H. Davis
A blackout warning: how one light may help raiders during the Second World War. Date: 1940

An air raid warden for Kingston setting the blackout time for the day. London

Manoeuvrability and pilot blackout by G. H. Davis
What fighting at nearly 400 mph means to the airman -- the difficulties of manoeuvrability and pilot blackout. How problems of high speed and wing loading have been solved

WWII: POSTER, c1942. Keep it dark - Careless talk costs lives. Lithograph, c1942

POSTER: LONDON, 1944. The Proud City - Chelsea Power House from Meek Street. Lithograph with an illustration by Walter E. Spradberry and quotation from James McNeill Whistler, 1944

NEW YORK: BLACKOUT, 1965. View of Brooklyn waterfront and the Manhattan skyline during the Northeast Blackout. Photograph by Stanley Wolfson, 9 November 1965

LOS ANGELES: BLACKOUT, 1943. The Santa Fe Railroad yard in Los Angeles, California, darkened due to blackout restrictions. Photograph by Jack Delano, 1943

He Is Discharged From His Employment for Drunkenness / They - Plate II, The Bottle
TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, 1847. He Is Discharged From His Employment for Drunkenness/They Pawn Their Clothes to Supply the Bottle

No More Blackout
26th May 1945: After nearly six years of war the blackout was lifted and London lit up for all to see. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Light Unshaded! Blackout rebels bribe official
An Upper Class Party is disturbed by an official complaining about the non-blackout of this London address during WWI. The host is furiously apologising

Traffic lights beings obscured for an Air Raid Precautions drill at Gravesend, Kent. 1939

An Air Raid Warden adjusts the Blackout Time indicator at an ARP Post near London in 1939. Date: 1939

NYC Great White Way Outage
New York, New York: June 13, 1961. New York Citys Great White Way is only half lighted in this view of Broadway during a massive power outage in midtown Manhattan

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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.