In 1942 the Surrey County Civil Defence Rescue School, which occupied a bombed convent site, had been running for two years. It was from the outset realistic in its approach to rescue training, live casualties were always used - dummies were not allowed.
In early 1942 rescue operations were looked upon as unskilled pick and shovel work - just digging out bodies from piles of rubble.
To counteract this a course was set up for Local Authority Rescue Services where acting, made-up casualties were introduced to demonstrate as vividly as possible the need for skill in reaching injured people, assessing and tending to their wounds and handling them gently, but with sufficient firmness.

Rescue and First Aid

Founding of Casualties Union
It was decided to offer the opportunity of training as a casualty to the Civil Defence Services of the county (Surrey).
Some 350 attended the inaugural meeting - 120 elected to form a voluntary organisation and be trained as casualties. It was suggested a Union would be needed to look after their interests - thus it became Casualties Union on the 22 November 1942.
Early in 1943 the school took over the training of Civil Defence Rescue Leaders from neighbouring counties and was also asked to include military personnel from British and Canadian armies. In early 1944 the School turned over wholly to training members of the Allied Armies.

Post-War Re-organisation
During the war all members of the Union were members of the Civil Defence, but Civil Defence was stood down in 1945 and the Rescue School was dismantled. Whereupon the Union's medical advisers pressed the Union to remain in being to serve the needs of peace-time first aid training.
Most of the members who looked upon casualty duties as part of their war-time Civil Defence work, decided to resign, but a nucleus of about 100 members set up an independent organisation to develop the technique for peace-time accidents.

Peace-Time developments
It was no easy task to project the concept of Casualties Union among voluntary aid societies in a country where all were weary with the privations of five years of wartime conditions. But the idea had been born and was cherished by those who had made it their special care.
The principles of the training of the acting casualty had to be carried forward and a satisfactory method had to be devised. It was, and still is, essential that the standards of realism established at its foundation should mark the continuing development of the Union.

History page content kindly supplied by Casualties Union - www.casualtiesunion.org.uk