National Emergency Service Air Raid Precautions competition shield : Chief Warden V R Exton, Ashfield, NSW

Air Raid Precautions competition shield. A wooden, shield shaped base with a pressed and engraved brass plaque attached (now loose). There are a further six oval shaped plaques arranged around the main plaque and one crescent shaped manufacturers plaque attached to the bottom. The main plaque has been pressed from sheet brass and engraved with the following text. 'ASHFIELD MUNICIPAILITY CHALLENGE SHIELD', '1943', NATIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS COMPETITION', 'A.E.ALLMAN MAYOR & CHIEF WARDEN'. In the centre of the plaque is an engraving of an air raid warden wearing the 'W' tin hat with his gas mask pack on his chest and an armband on the left arm titled 'N.E.S'. Of the six small plaques, four are blank and two are impressed with text. The first one reads, 'Won by Section No. 9 Senior Warden Patrick, M.R.N' 'Wardens Barnes, E.T. Dixon, A.C, Hammond, E.T.C, Krahe, V.F, Legg, W.H, Rayner, A.C.' 'MESSENGERS Chapman, A, Cormack, P.'. The second plaque reads, '1944 WON BY SECTION No 13 SENIOR WARDEN Exton, V.R.'. 'Wardens Mc Anally, D.A, Whitelock, C.R, Davis, B, Edson, J.H, Ewing, R.H, Carr, A.S.'. 'MESSENGERS Swanson, J, Fuller, S.S.'. At the bottom is an engraved crescent shaped plaque which reads 'Presented by Messrs Christies Jewellers Ashfield'. At the rear of the shield are three securing brackets, two at the top and one at the bottom.

Associated with Chief Air Raid Warden Vincent Roland Exton who was the local Chief Warden with the National Emergency Service (NES) in the Ashfield area of Sydney. In 1944 Mr Extons' crew won this shield for being the team that best motivated and prepared local residents for possible air raids. Exton's winning team is recorded on one of the small oval shaped plaques. His daughter, recalls "our entrance hallway was lined with sandbags and this is where the phone had been installed because of Dad's being a Senior Warden in the NES."