This is an original WW2 British government medical training publication, titled Atlas of Air-Raid Injuries, issued in 1944 by the Ministry of Home Security in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, and published by His Majesty’s Stationery Office (HMSO). The atlas is clearly marked Restricted, reflecting its intended circulation solely among professional medical and Civil Defence personnel rather than the general public.

Produced during the later stages of the war, the atlas was designed as a visual reference for the assessment of civilian casualties resulting from air raids. It formed part of Britain’s Home Front medical preparedness, supporting doctors, surgeons, and emergency medical staff working within hospitals and the Emergency Medical Service during periods of sustained aerial attack.

The publication is plate-based in format and utilises colour photographic plates accompanied by concise clinical notes highlighting diagnostic features and observable symptoms. The imagery was intended to assist medical personnel in recognising injury patterns commonly encountered following bombing incidents. The atlas contains a combination of staged instructional photographs and photographs of real air raid casualties, included to ensure clinical accuracy. All material is presented in a factual, professional, and instructional manner consistent with official wartime medical documentation.

Distribution of this atlas was tightly controlled. Copies were made available only through official channels, often by written application via local authorities, and it was not offered for open commercial sale. As a result, surviving examples are comparatively scarce, with many having been heavily used in service or withdrawn after the war due to the sensitive nature of their contents.

Ethical note on images: a conscious decision has been taken to include only one photograph depicting a real casualty from this publication, despite the book containing six such images in total. While these photographs form an important part of the historical record of WW2, restraint has been exercised to avoid the unnecessary display of graphic material. The images document real injuries sustained by real individuals, and are presented here with respect rather than for sensational effect.

As a historical object, this atlas represents a sobering but important element of Britain’s Home Front Civil Defence and medical history, documenting the practical realities faced by civilian medical services during wartime rather than military battlefield conditions. It stands as a genuine government-issued reference produced to meet the demands of mass-casualty treatment under wartime conditions.

The condition is another noteworthy part of this atlas. The cover both front and back is in a very good condition. There is some very mild staining on the front of the cover (see photos). Also, no hand written notes have been made on this inside, no pages have been ripped out or torn. No pages have been dog-eared and even the original binding looks very good too.

Most surviving WW2 Home Front publications, including standard ARP manuals and first aid booklets, were produced in very large numbers and remain relatively common today. By contrast, this atlas was a restricted, professional medical publication with limited circulation, produced for specialist use and seldom encountered on the open market. Its scarcity, official government issue status, and specialist content place it outside the usual pricing range of common wartime manuals.