Home Guard question

[The_Enigma]

With the Home Guard being made up of, on initial call up, men between 17 and 65, did the regular Army end up pruning these units for the younger men leaving them with just the unift and those too old for active service?

In addition, those too young to be called up (my understand that being anyone below 18) was it possible that they could join their local Home Guard unit and then move on to the regulars once they reached 18?

[Clive Mortimore]

With the Home Guard being made up of, on initial call up, men between 17 and 65, did the regular Army end up pruning these units for the younger men leaving them with just the unift and those too old for active service?

In addition, those too young to be called up (my understand that being anyone below 18) was it possible that they could join their local Home Guard unit and then move on to the regulars once they reached 18?

Hi

Simple answer is yes, when old enough they would be called up. With the younger members of the Home Guard it proved to be a blessing for the armed forces when they were called up as they were already trained to a basic military standard. By 1944 when the Home Guard was stood down it had become a well trained part of the army. Home Guard units manned many home based anti-aircraft batteries releasing men for the front line, and coastal batteries away from the south coast would be mainly manned by Home Guard members with regular officers and NCOs for the technical support.

Clive

[phylo_roadking]

T-E (and Clive) - don't forget that when Anthony Eden made his famous Mid-May speech....membership was entirely voluntary

HOWEVER...the 1942 National Service Act made entry into the Home Guard for 17 years old compulsory from the beginning of the year, so that they ALL thus had a year's military training and dscipline before being called up

[Paul_G_Baker]

With the Home Guard being made up of, on initial call up, men between 17 and 65, did the regular Army end up pruning these units for the younger men leaving them with just the unift and those too old for active service?

In addition, those too young to be called up (my understand that being anyone below 18) was it possible that they could join their local Home Guard unit and then move on to the regulars once they reached 18?

"the only qualifications for joining the Home Guard" (or LDV, as it was then known) "were that volunteers must be male, British, aged between seventeen and sixty-five and (in an agreeably unbeaueaucratic definition) capable of free movement." Fleming ("Invasion 1940" page 55).

Not that the age and nationallity regulations were apparently always enforced - Fleming also cites an American Squadron (page 91) and an ex-regimental sergeant-major of the Black Watch, who was still serving on hie eightieth birthday, sometime in 1942 (page 204)!

[The_Enigma]

Thanks very much guys, this is just the kind of information i was after!

[The_Enigma]

How was the Home Guard organised? Was it per the famous show isolated platoons looking after a village or were they organised along proper military lines of battalions, and brigades? Was the Country Divisions anything to do with them?

Regards

[Paul_G_Baker]

How was the Home Guard organised? Was it per the famous show isolated platoons looking after a village or were they organised along proper military lines of battalions, and brigades? Was the Country Divisions anything to do with them?

Regards

They were locally based - either in their own town/village or their workplace, although some covered a considerable area patrolling the Downs etc. I'm not too sure about the later years when they were involved in other activities like manning anti-aircraft batteries. There were battalions formed in towns (e.g. Worthing) and cities, but I don't think there were ever any brigades.

They were allowed to wear the insignia of their County Regiments after they were affiliated to them on 3 August 1940 (Fleming, citing Graves).

They never won a battle-honour, but did take a VIP (for 'prisoner', in this instance) - one Rudolf Hess!

[phylo_roadking]

They were locally based - either in their own town/village or their workplace

Paul, that's the early definition all right...when Eden's "parashots" were being formed Soon after that, a specific LDV command structure was created, reporting to/responsible to local Army units in the defence plan...but eventually this was wholly subsumed into the local Army command structure. I've read detail on this gradual change recently, just can't remember where - but it has to be either Brian Lavery's book or David Newbold's thesis.

T-E...the legendary telly series DOES give minor hints of this command structure, but obviously not many; a better image of the original adhoc arrangements, and their gradual subsuming into a greater command structure is embedded in the movie of the same name

[The_Enigma]

I only saw the movie the other day! Cracking good stuff, it’s a shame they do not repeat the TV series as much, I loved watching the reruns when I was a kid. As you say the hint is there, the war games with the other home guard units going up against those devious marines!

So as time passed they were absorbed into the regular structure? Independent platoons/companies etc that were divisional/corps assets more than an integral part of any infantry brigade?

[phylo_roadking]

I only saw the movie the other day! Cracking good stuff, it’s a shame they do not repeat the TV series as much, I loved watching the reruns when I was a kid.

T-E it's been a staple again on BBC2 for ages now!

So as time passed they were absorbed into the regular structure? Independent platoons/companies etc that were divisional/corps assets more than an integral part of any infantry brigade?

They had a battalion level, but above that did indeed come under divisional command - or rather, what division that was at any particular time in charge of their area in the anti-invasion defence plans.

[The_Enigma]

Nice one P-R!

I cant believe it has been the beeb, and ive been missing it!!!