In Search of the Real Dad's Army: The Home Guard and the Defence of the United Kingdom, 1940–1944“A fascinating examination of one of the best-known British forces of the Second World War . . . An efficient and increasingly professional military unit.” —History of War What was the Home Guard? Who were the men and women who served in it? And what can be said of their real role and significance once the popular myths have been stripped away? Despite the fame of the Home Guard—of Dad’s Army—the true story of this wartime organization tends to be neglected. The myths obscure the reality. Stephen Cullen’s aim in this thoroughgoing new study is to cut through the misunderstandings in order to reassess the Home Guard and its contribution to Britain’s war effort—and to deepen our understanding of the men and women who were members of it. He sets the Home Guard in the long historical context of domestic defense planning, then focuses on the preparations made before the outbreak of the Second World War. In detail he traces the changing role of the Home Guard during its wartime existence as it adapted to meet the multitude of challenges it faced—from civil defense and intelligence gathering to training for guerrilla warfare. “This enjoyable and well-illustrated book covers the ‘rags to riches’ story of the Home Guard from the 1940 volunteer in civilian clothing, armed with a keepsake from an earlier war, to the fully trained and equipped part-time soldier.” —The Armourer “An interesting and accurate account of a force that was in fact a well drilled, well organised and by wars end, a very professional fighting unit by the time of its stand down in 1944.” —WW2 Connection |
Contents
The Long Haul June 1941December 1944 | |
Playing Fields and Factory Yards | |
Celtic Defenders | |
Home Guard Lives | |
Rifles to Rockets | |
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Common terms and phrases
addition Allsopp ammunition anti-aircraft anti-tank area defence armbands armed armoured attack Battalion batteries bomb British Cabinet Charles Graves Civil Defence civilian coastal command Company Corps CPGB Dad’s Dad's Army defence force Defence Volunteers denim Duty Without Glory enemy equipment example factory Fifth Column fire Frank Kellaway German grenades Guard of Britain guerrilla home defence Home Guard socialists Home Guard units Ibid International Brigades invaded invasion Irish Isle issued John Langdon-Davies June Langdon-Davies Local Defence Volunteers London machine guns Manx Home Guard military Nazi Northern Ireland Northover Projector officer organisation Orwell Osterley Park Oxford paratroopers patrols platoon police railway recruited Regiment Regular Army remembered rifles rocket role Royal Scouts Scroggie Spanish Civil War Spigot Mortar static defence summer of 1940 threat Tom Wintringham troops uniform United Kingdom veterans War Cabinet warfare wartime weapons Wintringham women