THE HOME GUARD IN PIRTON

THE HOME GUARD IN PIRTON

Summary

I am investigating the Home Guard in Pirton because there is a good range of sources and it is a subject I find interesting.  Pirton was in the ‘B’ company of the 2nd Hertfordshire County Battalion.  I found that Pirton was like many other rural Home Guards and not like the more established, military minded units in the larger town         TOM HOFTON

1939-45 Pirton Home Guard. The men are in uniform. When the Home Guard was first formed members wore just an arm band with the letters LDV (Local Defence Volunteer) in red. Back row: Reg Francis, ? , Francis Parkins, ?, Les Males, Harry Reece. Second Row: ?, Fred Bavister, Stan Males, George Burton, Tom Burton, Arthur Burton, ?, Arthur Lindsell, John Saggers, Sam Taylor. Third Row: ?, ?, ?, Mrs Martineau, Arthur Sopp, Bill Pryor, Barbara Wilshere (Castle), Arthur Carter, Cyril Groves, Fred Males. Front Row: Eddie Handscombe, Ted Males, Alf Britnell, George Trussell.

Contents

.

 

2.

 

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

6.

 

7.

 

8.

 

9.

 Introduction.  General information on the Home Guard, when it was formed, reasons

 

Uniform and equipment, what the first uniforms and equipment were like

 

Training

 

Plans for invasion.

 

Relations with other organisations

 

Action in Pirton  –  for example, prisoners, air raids, aircraft crashes

 

How typical was Pirton of Home Guard nationally?

 

Reason for the Home Guard being disbanded.  The follow up to the Home Guard

 

Conclusions
 

 

 

 

 

 INTRODUCTION

By May 1940, Hitler’s forces had conquered Norway, Denmark and France.  With this came the evacuation of the British Forces from Dunkirk.  It was believed that the invasion of Britain would soon take place.

On the night of May 14th, Anthony Eden, the Secretary of State for War, made an appeal on the BBC Radio for what he called “a broomstick army” to be known as the Local Defence Volunteers.  The broadcast was aimed at those men aged between 17 and 60 would could handle a rifle.  They would form a non-uniformed force that would commit a minimum ten hours duty per week and look out for paratroopers.

The response was overwhelming.  The first volunteers were besieging Police Stations within four minutes of Eden’s appeal, but only one in three of the 500,000 could be equipped with rifles.  There were only enough Bren guns for one in 750 men.  This showed the patriotic feelings of the British nation.  Every citizen really believed that they were not going to be beaten.

For the first few months the Local Defence Volunteers had very few weapons – rusty shotguns, old revolvers, and ‘home-made’ bombs, known then as ‘Molotov Cocktails.’

In July 1940, the name was changed to the Home Guard at the suggestion of the Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill – later generations called them “Dad’s Army”.

1940s  A group of Pirton’s Army Cadets. L-R: Ron Walker, Alan Henley,     Willy Froy, Derek Cook, Ken Cooper, Bob Kingsley. The cadets met in a former pigeon shed in the garden of Pirton Court and held drill practice in the school playground. Too young for the armed services, these cadets worked closely with the Home Guard. Young men were conscripted from the age of 20 at first, but later in the war at 18 years. Many went in the armed forces, but a few were directed to industries judged essential to the war effort.

By 1943 everyone had a uniform and a rifle.  Most units also had a machine gun and live ammunition.

In the evenings, they would gather after work and train in drilling, weapon handling and anti-tank warfare.

They would familiarise themselves with the local area, and be responsible for anti-invasion precautions.  They would remove any sign that might help the Germans, guard important points, and set up and man roadblocks.

 
2. UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT

When the Home Guard was formed, or Local Defence Volunteers, as they were then first called, each member had no uniform, but did have an arm band with the letter L.D.V. printed on it.

By 1942 most units had a proper uniform of:-

i)                 Cap and Badge

ii)                Shirts

iii)              Trousers

iv)              Boots

v)               Overcoat

In the case of most units, including Pirton, the uniform came in over a period of half a year.  In Pirton there were two female clerks responsible for uniforms and equipment and they would call in all the men every 6 months to account for what they had got or lost.

 
3. TRAINING

Each member of the Home Guard was supposed to commit 10 hours service per week.  In answer to this requirement, the Pirton Home Guard would meet on two nights (Wednesday and Friday) and ne morning a week (Sunday).  The Commanding Officer was the local Gamekeeper, Lieutenant Arthur Sopp.  He oversaw 30 men along with 2 Sergeants, 3 Corporals, and 2 clerks.  They would meet at the Pirton Court, the biggest house in the village in a big barn.  Here they would drill, do keep fit exercises and rifle “proficiency.”

For the first few months they used broomsticks as rifles, thus the name “Broomstick Army”.  Each Home Guard was given a book with all they needed to know in it (see Fig 1).  It was written by Major John Langdon Davis and cost 2 shillings.  The manual had chapters on Rifles, Lewis Gun, First Aid and plan for invasion.  It also had a few advertisements in it, for example, Kiwi boot polish and Gillett razors.

About once a month the Pirton Home Guard would march to a disused chalk pit on the hills outside the village and fire their rifles.  The Pirton Home Guard did not have any machine guns or markers.  Every man was issued with his own rifle which he would take home every night.  Every night two guards would have to patrol the village looking for fires, bombs and guarding anything important.  They took it in turns patrolling once every two weeks.  There were not any roadblocks in Pirton, but they had been taught how to make one out of everyday objects like chairs and beds.

The Home Guard very rarely went on training camps.  The two they did have were at Hitchwood, Preston 7 miles away.  Here tents were already set up but there were not always enough to go round.  In their four year’s existence they only joined up with the surrounding units at a camp twice.  One could often avoid going on the training camp by claiming to be attending a church parade.  They very much kept themselves to themselves.  Although they did have exercises regularly.

Quite often a Pirton Home Guard would go on a weekend course.  There were quite a few courses specialising in separate activities.

1)            BURWASH, SUSSEX  :  Field craft and roughing it

2)           DEMBIES, Surrey  :  Talks and General Fieldwork

3)           ONEDURY, Shropshire  :  Fieldwork & Night Exercises

4)           DUNMOW, Essex  :

 
4. PLANS AGAINST INVASION

After interviewing several former members, I concluded that the Home Guard in Pirton never had any real plans to repel an invasion.  Mr. Taylor said:

“The enemy was only in the back of our minds; we expected the units before us to stop them.”

When I asked Mrs. Wilshire whether she thought that the Home Guard could stop a German invasion after they had beaten the Regular Army, she said:

“At that time we, and everyone, really felt that we could beat the Germans whatever happened.”

The signs around the village were never removed like in so many villages near the coast, probably because they never expected the invading forces to pass through Pirton.  (Pirton is about 100 miles from the coast).

 
5. RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

The Pirton Home Guard never really met up with other organisations, simply because there were not any others in Pirton, only the local policeman.  The only time that they did work alongside other organisations was when the bomb fell on the village.

 
6. ACTION IN PIRTON

Pirton being a small rural village, did not have much in the way of crashing planes and mass bomber raids, but it did have the odd bomb here and there.  The most notable was when a V1 or ‘doodle bug’ dropped on the old Motte and Bailey in the centre of the village.  It demolished a few cottages and damaged some others.

 

The Home Guard were called out along with the N.F.S., Rescue squads, W.V.S. and the C.D.  A senior officer of the Home Guard was pleased with the work being carried out.  This was one of the only times the Pirton Home Guard got involved with a direct part of the war.

 
7. HOW TYPICAL WAS PIRTON OF THE HOME GUARD NATIONALLY?

The Home Guard in Pirton was not as military minded as some units in the larger towns but was very typical of many small rural Home Guard units.  They were not really fighting forces ready to stop cold a German invasion, I think that it was all very patriotic, a kind of morale boosting campaign to make them feel that they were part of the war effort and put their spare time to good use.

 
8. REASONS FOR BEING DISBANDED

Only up until the last few weeks of the war, did people begin to realise that the Germans were not going to invade.  With this, the Pirton Home Guard stepped down on 3rd December 1944.  The uniforms were collected in by the clerks and sent off to H.Q. in Hertford.  This may have been the end of the Home Guard, but not of a reserve army.  Today the Territorial Army have taken on the role of the Home Guard.  The recruits still have day jobs, but at weekends they train with the regular army.  The only thing that differs between then and now is that the T.A. are paid, whereas the Home Guard were not.

 
9. CONCLUSIONS

When I was interviewing my sources, I came across an excessively big problem.  Both of my sources gave conflicting evidence, for example

Mr. Taylor said that the Home Guard did not fire their rifles, nor did they possess any live ammunition, but Mrs. Wilshire said they did have ammunition and shot the rifles regularly.

Mrs. Wilshire said the Home Guard was formed in 1940 in Pirton, but Mr. Taylor said it was not until 1943.

With this I went to the Hitchin Local Museum and looked up the above information in their records and reports.  In both instances, Mrs. Wilshire was right.

This is the same with all histories, everybody is subjective instead of objective, this means everyone tells the facts through their own eyes and tells the story the way it affects them.

It is not possible to say what would have happened if there had been an invasion and the organisation had been really tested.  It did succeed in its second objective in boosting morale.

Fig. 1                      Taken from Hitchin Museum records   ;   Poet unknown

GRANDPA IN THE HOME GUARD

You’ve heard of the call of the Yukon

And all about knock em back Nell

Well this one’s about my Grandfather

So this will be lousy as well.

 

He was seated one day in the Ratcliffe

On the war he was airing his views

Darby said “Shut your row you old hagbag”

And lets hear the 9 o’clock news.

 

A hush fell upon the assembly

And everyone pricked up their ears

As a guy named Anthony Eden,

Called for Local Defence Volunteers.

 

As Grandad sat there and listened

The look on his face grew quite wild

You could tell he had made a decision

By the way he knocked back his mild.

 

Next day he got up very early

Grandma said “Whats the idea”,

For he sat there cleaning his musket

Which hadn’t been used since Crimea.

 

“There’s likely to be an invasion”

He answered with lofty disdain

And if I don’t do summat about it

Old England will be down the drain.”

 

Then when he’d called at the police station

A sergeant brought paper to sign

He did this on one condition

His section must be No 9.

 

And having achieved his ambition

A soldier again as it were

He turned up for parade in the evening

Complete with his musket and spurs.

 

Headquarters was outside the Ratcliffe

This just suited our old grandpa

And as soon as the sergeant dismissed ‘em

He fell out and in to the bar.

 

But weeks went by, nothing happened

I’m a fighting man Grandad would boast

I can’t stick this ‘ere any longer

So he got a transfer to the coast.

 

One day while patrolling the seashore

The sergeant came up at a run

Yelling “Look at them ships on the ocean”

Grandad promptly fired off his gun.

 

“Take down a report”, said the sergeant

“And mind that thou take it down right

Then phone it through to headquarters”

Grandpa said “Can’t it wait till tonight”

 

The message filled 21 pages

About strength and position of ships

Grandad looked a real ancient Briton

Through putting blue pencil to lips.

 

But jumping upon his tri-cycle

He sped down the road full of zeal

But wasted a few precious moments

By catching his beard in front wheel.

 

APPENDIX  A

 

1.

  

Individuals 

Mr Sam Taylor 

AGE THEN:   36   (BORN 1906)

PROFESSION:

RANK:    Private

JOB IN H.G.   :   Storekeeper

YEAR JOINED:   1940

 

 

 

Mrs. Barbara Wilshire 

AGE THEN:   25  (born 1917)

PROFESSION:   School teacher

RANK:   Private

JOB IN HOME GUARD:   Clerk

YEAR JOINED:   1943

 

 
 

 

  

Bibliography 

“The Home Front  –  an anthology 1938-1945” by Norman Longmate.

“A Foot on Three Daisies   –   a story of Pirton’s History” by Joan Wayne

“Hitchin Express”   –   24th September, 1944

APPENDIX  B 

Typical Questions

When was the Home Guard formed in Pirton?

When did you join and what job were you doing at the time?

How many joined?

Were there any age limits?

How did you join, were you in any military service before?

Could anyone get in?

What training did you receive?

Did anyone fail to get in?

Were you paid?

How many times a week did you meet?  Where did you meet?  What did you do?

What sort of uniform did you wear?

i)               To start with?

ii)              At the end of the war?

Do you think the Home Guard was effective?  Would it have been effective if there had ever been an invasion?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share this page: