A nationwide black-out at night was introduced in 1939 and precautions were taken in Bristol, as elsewhere, to stop light escaping that might aid enemy aircraft.

Elizabeth Mead and Peter Lawrence were children in Bristol in the 1940s and experienced the black-out first-hand. Elizabeth recalled 'We had blackout curtains that filled the whole window because no light was allowed to show. We were once told to put the light out and they [Air Raid Wardens] threw stones at the window.' Peter also remembered the preparations they had to make both for the blackout and the air raids, 'We had to whitewash the kerbstone ... so we wouldn't trip over it. We had to paint our number on the house and keep a bucket of sand or water for putting out incendiary bombs'.

Streetlights were turned off or dimmed and windows and doors shielded with heavy curtains or boards. White stripes were painted on roads, kerbstones and lamp-posts to help prevent accidents. Walking by the dockside after dark became particularly dangerous and warning signs had to be put up after 28 people accidentally fell into the river between September 1939 and January 1940.