Hosepipe Drill at St. Paul's Cathedral

During the Second World War (WWII), a group of volunteers called St. Paul's Watch were prepared to tackle fires at the Cathedral. The Watch had originally been assembled during the First World War to protect the building from Zeppelin attacks, but were reinstated in 1939 to protect the Cathedral from predicted raids. The duties of the Watch were to keep guard over the cathedral and report gunfire, incendiaries or any damage to the building to the London Fire Brigade, and to tackle any blazes that were started by incendiaries. They were a socially diverse and multinational group noted for their commitment and camaraderie. They took great personal risks to enable services to continue daily during the war and it is thanks to them that the cathedral survived to stand for many years to come.