h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Britain's Home Guard - A900190
Author: Who? - U202489

Dad's Army? You don't know how near to the truth it was!

Another belter Who?

There is a story that the Home Guard were just a cover for a more sister organization as depicted in the recent TV programme Hitler’s Britain (not on the BBC). This was a guerilla force, trained to fight a guerrilla war in the event of German invasion. The Home Guard were formed to act as a cover for any military training going on amongst the local population so as not to arouse suspicions of what was really happening.

Stuart

These undercover guys were selectively recruited and 'attached' to the Home Guard, so in some ways it was a cover, but I don't think that was the only reason for the formation of the Home Guard. Most of the guerrillas-in-waiting kept their secret to the end, they have only acknowledged this activity in the last five to ten years.

It is reckoned that they would only have lasted a couple of months after an invasion and would have wreaked havoc on the local population in reprisals, as the Germans did in France.

The Home Guard did a valuable job giving apparently non-combattant volunteers an active part in the defence of the mainland and certainly helped to lift morale at a difficult and dangerous time in our history.

*applauds*

Great, super, smashing! Do you know if the theme tune from Dad's Army ("Mr Brown goes off to town on the 8:21, but he comes home each evening and he's ready with his gun") is contemporary, or written later for the series. If it was written at the time, a couple of verses at the start of the entry might look good!



Otto

The theme tune & lyrics were written by Perry & Croft in the style of the 1940s (as they remembered) in 1968. The link was that it was sung by Bud Flanagan, one of the original Crazy Gang who WAS singing on stage at around that period. It certainly revives the atmosphere of the time.

Inclusion - there is a good site for Dad's Army already and I'd like this entry to commiserate with/commemmorate those who did serve. They did take it seriously, even if some observers didn't.

Absolutely - I was only thinking it might be worth including if it was contemporary, but as it isn't, it shouldn't.

Otto

The theme tune was recorded by Bud Flanagan a matter of weeks before he died. Therefore, it is probably the last recording he ever made. As Who says, it was not contemporay but it certainly captures the atmospher of the day.

Stuart

Hang on isn't the lyric from the theme tune to Dad's Army "Mr Brown goes off to town on the A21" the road from Hastings to London? or hjave it been mishearing it for years?

I believe 'the 8.21' is the correct version. Easy to confuse with A21.

my whole families been mishearing that for years then!

Confirmation at

Song

it makes more sense really doesn't it?

*I* knew it was the 8.21!

A cracking entry, Who?!

Hi Who?,

great entry!

I don't know the subject well enough to say how comprehensive your treatment is, but what I read was factual, informative, and stylishly presented, good stuff.

I foresee a smooth ride through PR, perhaps with one or two valuable additions/adjustments along the way, but basically this looks good to go.

cya on the front page
spiff

It looks good. It's a neat concept that allows those who can't deploy a way to be a part of the war effort.

We have similar formations in the United States. Several states have State Defense Force. They exist to act as the military for the states in case the National Guard is called up. They can step in and help with natural disasters etc. In Georgia, I think they do one day or a one weekend a month with no pay.

I had two things for the entry. There's an entry on Molotov Cocktails at A583580. Footnote 5 has a period before and after it:

others.5. One

God work, as usual.

Fab entry!

The thing about Churchill using the name 'Home Guard' in his radio broadcast showed just what a cunning/ stubborn man he was. His original suggestion has been to call them the 'Home Guard', but when that was vetoed, and 'Local Defence Volunteers' concocted instead, Churchill wormed his way round the problem by announcing the formation of the Local Defence Volunteers, adding 'which some people are already calling "The Home Guard"' (paraphrase). As you noted, the name stuck.



Jimmy Perry was actually a member of the Home Guard - the character of Pike was heavily based on him.



'Vat iss yur name?'

'Don't tell him, Pike!'

Thanks for all the positive comments. I would have to add that when I started my research, I had lots of trouble from the US sites about STATE Home Guards. As you said, it seems to be a good idea and title.

In general, the response just confirms our interest in the Home Guard nearly sixty years after it was stood down.

State Defesne Forces have also assumed some support roles. The Georgia Defense Froce worked with our Family SUpport Group when I was in the National Guard.

Here are some links to SDFs:

http://www.mil.state.or.us/SDF/index.html
http://www.dod.state.ga.us/SDF/
http://www.sgaus.org/states.htm

I look forward to seeing Who?'s article appear as an edited entry.
The secret "stay-behind parties" (I think they were officially called the Auxiliary something or other)are a topic that could be covered in a seperate entry,if Who? or someone feels like tackling it.
I have a copy of the Small Arms Manual of 1942,by Lt.Col.J. A. Barlow.This was a semi-official publication,intended for use by Home Guards,amongst others.If there is any specific info.about rifles,machine-guns,or pistols used by the Home Guard,that might be answered by the Barlow book,I can look it up for Who?,or anyone else working in this area,and post the info. via this Conversation.
Barlow goes into a fair amount of detail about the various modifications of the Lewis gun,for instance,and describes one version (USA .300 Inch Stripped Lewis.Aircraft Pattern Modified) intended only for Home Guard use.
The red paint markings,apparently,signified that a weapon would not take the British Service cartridge,but did not indicate what cartridge it would take.The latter information was painted on top of the red paint,in black.
Fascinating topic.Thanks to Who? for his hard work in preparing this entry.