ABSTRACT
INERTIATHROUGHPOSITIVEDEVELOPMENT:THETRIUMPH OFEXTENSIONOVERUNIFICATION
WhentheBritishHospitalsAssociationmetinJanuary1938,war cloudswerealreadygathering.Andtheofficialrepresentativebodyofvoluntaryhospitalsissuedanembarrassingstatement.Nocompleterecordsof facilitiesexisted;thepossibilitiesforemergencyexpansionwereunknown.1
Municipalhospitalswereinasimilarstateofconfusion,subjecttothesame variablesastoage,size,equipmentandstaff.YettheMinistryofHealth's desperateproblemwastoprovide300,000bedsforawartimehospitalserviceexpectingheavyair-raidcasualties.TheAirMinistryestimatedan averageof700tonsofbombstobedroppedeachdayforthefirstfortnight. Incomparison,Germanbombershaddroppedonly300tonsduringtheentire GreatWar.2Andplanningcouldnotbebasedontonnagealone:whatpercentageofbombswouldbehighexplosive,whatincendiary,whatgas? Wouldthebomberscomebynightorbyday?Whatgeographicaldifferences informsofattackmightbeanticipated?3Twootherfactorswhichinfluenced planningforevacuationandcareofthehomelesswerethedegr,eeof precisionbombingandtheuseofdelayedactionbombs.Differentpatternsof airattackwouldbringdifferentsocialconsequences,amattergiventoolittle consideration.4
