India, May 8 -- When Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, few Indians believed that it would reach their doorsteps. But India soon had to function as a military, industrial, and logistical base for allied operations.

Unlike previous wars, aerial attacks were the greatest threat posed by the conflict, and the British government established a volunteer organisation-Air Raid Precautions, or ARP-that would stand at the centre of wartime civil defence. Members of the ARP in Britain distributed gas masks to the population and policed the blackout. They played a vital role in shepherding people to shelter, reporting on damage, and rescuing people from wrecked buildings.

In India, ARP Law came into force in Aug...