This is an original WW2 British Civil Defence stretcher bearer’s knee pad, dated 1941 and clearly stamped to the Salford C.D.E. Committee.

Constructed from thick, shaped leather with an adjustable strap and buckle fastening, this protective pad was designed to be worn by ARP stretcher bearers and casualty service personnel while working in bomb-damaged streets and buildings. Rescue work during the Blitz frequently required kneeling on broken masonry, shattered glass, and unstable debris, making protective equipment such as this both practical and essential.

The face is stamped “FIRST AID DEPOT No.” along with “ISSUE THE PROPERTY OF THE SALFORD C.D.E. COMMITTEE,” firmly identifying it as municipal Civil Defence issue. Salford, adjoining Manchester, was heavily industrial and suffered bombing during the war, placing this piece squarely within the operational reality of the northern Home Front. The marking “A.G. 1941” confirms wartime manufacture at the height of the Blitz period.

Unlike helmets and armbands, stretcher bearer equipment such as knee pads was purely functional working kit and is encountered far less often today. Its survival offers a tangible connection to the practical, hazardous rescue work carried out by civilian volunteers under Civil Defence authority.

The leather remains solid and structurally sound, with honest service wear and age-related marking throughout. The strap and buckle are intact and functional, and the wartime stamps, while worn in places, remain clearly legible. A strong and evocative piece of named WW2 Home Front Civil Defence equipment.