The Special Repair Service (SRS) was a British civilian organisation that operated during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

under the control of the Ministry of Works. Its function was to travel anywhere in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

to carry out essential building and structural repair work. SRS teams were usually the first on the scene of any new government construction job, laying the foundations and setting up camps for the main labour force. SRS men usually travelled by rail, but the organisation also operated Flying Squads, which travelled in lorries with caravan bodies in which they lived until permanent accommodation was available. The service recruited only men born before 1910 (although younger men were eligible if they had been certified unfit for military service) who had previous experience in the building industry. They signed on for a year at a time and were paid top building industry rates.

References

*''Special Repair Service'', Ministry of Works leaflet, 1943. *''S.R.S. - Join the Builders' Flying Squads'', Ministry of Works recruiting handbill, 1943. United Kingdom home front during World War II Construction organizations Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub