National Hospital Service Reserve

The National Hospital Service Reserve (NHSR) was formed under the Civil Defence Act 1948, with recruitment starting on 15 November 1949.

[1][2] Its foundation came at a time when British civil defence was shifting focus from dealing with the effects of conventional air raids to the aftermath of a nuclear attack.

A 1953 article by the Institute of Civil Defence argued that introducing one would provide "glamour" that "is unlikely to attract recruits of integrity and determination".

In Cardiff male members in the 1950s wore a charcoal-grey woollen greatcoat with the NHSR emblem (the organisation's name on a shield surmounted by a crown) embroidered on the left sleeve.

[1] Some members were issued Brodie helmets of WWII vintage painted cream with "NHSR" in black lettering on the front.

Minister of Health Kenneth Robinson noted that his civil servants had suggested that hospitals look to offer alternative opportunities for former NHSR members to volunteer in peacetime.

[7] The Civil Defence Corps was disbanded due to persistent shortages of volunteers which resulted from the widely-held belief that the extensive damage hydrogen bombs would inflict on the UK in a nuclear war made it pointless to prepare for such a conflict.