The story of the Home Guard compared to Dad’s Army and how they operated and fight an invasion.

Our views of the Home Guard are now much influenced by the comedy series ‘Dad’s Army’. Steve will explore to what extent the adventures of Captain Mainwaring reflected the reality of 1940 Britain. Steve will set out to bust a number of popular myths whilst telling some stories about real Home Guard adventures to show that some aspects of Dad’s Army were spot on.

In the first part of the talk, we will hear of the origins of the Home Guard and whose idea it was to form it. We will learn about what they were intended to do; the weapons they had and how they operated. We will also find out when the Home Guard was finally stood down.

In the second part, we will look at a single unit, to illustrate the sort of thing which was going on all over the country. We will look at a 1940 plan showing how the Home Guard intended to defend their village in the event of a German invasion. We will use original attendance records to show who the Home Guard were and their background.