Image ID: 21644

CWS Hosiery Factory Home Guard, Huthwaite

CWS factory sports ground
Huthwaite
England

12th platoon, 9th battalion of Notts. Home Guards. Those named are: G Bacon, A Betts, E Sanderson, A Dallison (officer), G Briddon, ? Larkin, C Barsby, ? Davies (Manager CWS), C Leader (Author of 'Diary of a Home Guard Soldier 1939-45'), H Oscroft. W Boddicott, G Morris, J Bradley, A R Dallison, H Heath, R Pollard, B Clarke, C Kidger, H Oscroft, J Cobson, E Wilson. On 14th May, 1940, the Government broadcast a message asking for volunteers for the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers). On 23rd August, 1940, Winston Churchill changed the name of the LDV to the Home Guard. The Home Guard was formed when there was a real risk of invasion. Most men who could fight were already in the forces, those that were left were either too young, too old, or in reserved occupations (those jobs vital to the war effort). The men who volunteered to join the Home Guard at this time were expected to fight an invasion of crack German troops with nothing more than a collection of old shotguns and pieces of gas pipe with bayonets welded on the end! (The Home Guard was eventually issued with more conventional weapons). The government was expecting 150,000 men to volunteer for the Home Guard. Within the first month, 750,000 men had volunteered, and by the end of June, 1940, the total number of volunteers was over one million. The number of men in the Home Guard did not fall below one million until they were stood down in December 1944. The Home Guard was disbanded on 31st December,1945.

Date: 1943

Organisation Reference: NCCW000977

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