Home Guard general thread (Badges, Uniforms, Weapons & Photographs)

Daily Express 5th February 1941

 

Rootes Independent Unit Home Guard

 

No.4 Platoon of A Company of the Home Guard. 20th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. It was taken in 1943 at their H.Q.at Eastbourne School.




Kyle

 

James Viner in his Home Guard uniform, 48th Lancashire (Ardwick) Battalion HG. He transferred to the 216th (105th East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty in Sep 1942, then to 49th Lancs Bttn HG in Aug 1943. He lived in Ardwick at this time and had previously served in the army (Kings Regt, ASC and RFA) from 1911 to 1919 then the reserves 1921 to 1934.

 

25 Platoon, 51st Battalion Essex Home Guard

 

My dad's uncle, John Seymour Howell, as a Sergeant in the HG (Royal Norfolks - he lived in Gt Yarmouth). He joined the Norfolks in March 1914 and won his MM in the summer of 1918. General consensus is he was a hard case, and woe betide any German paratrooper dressed as a nun that he might have come across.

 

Thanks for that 29TH MX

 

On the subject of John Howell, Great Yarmouth HG, does anyone have any tips - I'd like to find out about his unit, etc., but have no idea where to start. Also, my dour maternal grandfather George Ferguson Sinclair who was HG in Edinburgh, having been RN in WW1 (my god, he actually was Private Fraser from Dad's Army*). Alas, that's all I know about either man in WW2.


*To be fair to him, he really hated Dad's Army - saw it as a slight to men who'd already done their bit but nevertheless volunteered for more. He had a point, I suppose, but I grew up loving the programme. And, in other trivia news for Dad's Army lovers, my granny knew John Laurie: they were more-or-less contemporaries from the same part of Scotland, and I believe were part of a bunch that went for picnics and the like. Dunno if that prejudiced my grandfather's views any!

 

Great Yarmouth was the 11th Battalion Norfolk Home Guard.

But to be sure and to get further info about his service, including a copy of his original record card, see:

Home Guard personnel - The National Archives

 

Thanks!