The Home Guard

A Redundant Army

The Home Guard was never put to the ultimate test against the German Army. At the time of greatest danger, in the summer of 1940, its effectiveness would have been very limited. Although it comprised a million men under arms, its static nature meant that only those units in the Southeast - where the invasion would have come - could have rendered any immediate assistance to the Army. But the amount of men and arms available at any given moment was a problem which would have taxed the most resourceful military mind. However, at this time of national peril it was the Home Guard's very lack of mobility which proved an invaluable asset. The regular Army was in desperate need of training, but this could not be achieved if it was committed to the defence of Britain's coastline, factories, public utilities, airfields and thousands of 'vulnerable points' (VPs). The Home Guard’s availability for these duties released thousands of troops for training and relieved the Army of a strain which might have proved intolerable. By the end of June the Southern Railway's LDV units alone were patrolling at nearly 500 VPs in its system, four times as many as those guarded by the Army.

From 1942 the Home Guard also provided valuable training for sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds who entered its ranks before their call-up. The Home Guard also served as a back-up to the Civil Defence services and the anti-aircraft arm. By September 1944 nearly 150 000 Home Guard men were serving in AA batteries.

On a social rather than a military level, Home Guard duties, however taxing after a day's work, provided much-needed companionship for men whose families had been evacuated. In the urban areas the Home Guard was a focus for a wide-range of social activities, from football matches to whist drives.

The Home Guard stood down at the beginning of December 1944. Throughout Britain there were parades to mark the occasion.