Night Watchman in the 1940s?

[Rachie83]

Hi, Im hoping someone may know this cos i cant find the answer anywhere!

My Paternal Grandfather was a "Watchman" in 1942 he was in his 30s so he was capable of fighting in the war.

in 1933 when he got married his occupation was a house painter.
yet in 1942 when my father was born he was a "night watchman"

they were living in the centre of Cheltenham at the time.
His health was good, no underlying problems from what i can find

what was a watchman and what did he do?
also why wouldnt he of been called to fight in the war?
he died in 1983 and his occupation was a retired painter and decorator again.

many thanks
rachie
xxx

[Hibee]

It would be unusual to be a 30-year-old watchman.....a job which was traditionally occupied by 60+ year-olds.

Perhaps there was a less apparent illness/disability...flat feet, diabetes, etc.?

Hibee

[mhg]

During WW2 a Watchman was someone who looked out for fires from incendiary bombs. 

I believe the Fire Brigade was a reserved occupation, which explains his age, however most watchmen were in the Home Guard - my Grandfather was one.

[Redroger]

I can see no indication that he either had a medical problem or worked in a reserved occupation. While many industries had reserved occupations amongst their labour forces this did not so far as I am aware include the entire workforce. The railway, which I am best qualified to comment included amongst others train crews, and shunting and signalling staff as reserved occupations, but staff employed outside these grades were still called up. Perhaps the disability is more subtle than obvious, and I wonder if colour blindness was included as a condition which precluded call up?

[noble1945]

most able bodied men would have been called up but would have to go through a medical a few of these where done in the then labor exchange of the time so if you can get his medical note of the time will give you the answer. My late father was rejected for having deformed feet yet he was an acrobat in the circus therefore far fitter than most men at the time. Night watchman can be viewed two ways either keeping an eyeout from a high point for fires caused by German airforce raids etc or the otherway and this is only a thought before security firms came about a night watchman was a chap who keep an eye out for the lightfingered brigade. Although age 30 he is a little young for this it is not impossible.

[IgorStrav]

My father was a Conscientious Objector during WWII when he was aged 24-30.  In his autobiography of his wartime experiences, he describes how he volunteered for the ARP (Air Raid Precautions) which involved firewatching amongst numerous other duties.

At the breakout of war, he was working for Waterlow's the Printers, and they gave him the sack when he declared his opposition to the war.  My mother also worked there until 1941 when she refused to print bombing maps, and was given the sack.  She went to be a nurse.

So there could be other reasons why your relative was not in the forces, and it may be interesting for you to explore these.

[joboy]

In those days and prior to the war there was much road work and the laying or repair of water and gas mains and the holes which were dug,mostly by hand then,were left open for weeks and because of public danger and/or water or gas leaks a night watchman,usually an older man, used to sit inside a canvas construction at the site overnight to look after things.
He would have a 44 gallon drum or better still a brazier to keep him warm and could be seen roasting chestnuts or toasting sandwiches.
There were usually heaps of sand and rubble around the site for refilling the diggings when the work was complete.
Joe

[UNDERTAKER]

i believe the term night watchman derives from a cricketing term as a nightwatchman was someone you would send in to keep the runs going at the end of the cricketing day if you didn't want to lose any more wickets,effectively the nightwatchman would be someone who metophorically turned out the lights.
i am the relative of a  banking employee nightwatchman-it said caretaker on his death certificate as nightwatchman whilst used in common parlance was not an official title nor recognised,normally, as such on official documents.

T.
 

[gaffy]

In the newspapers of the time, the vast majority of references to 'nightwatchman' refer to someone employed to look out for incendiary bomb fires in all manner of establishments, eg. factories, schools, cinemas, townhalls.

It is worth noting that Cheltenham had a particular problem with this threat and in 1941 a number of new measures were taken as a result, including the Home Guard working with the Fire Brigade and others concerned with civil defence, additional Auxiliary Fire Service recruits, and the use of nightwatchmen.