Author’s Note: This ‘Socialist’ fighting force evolved using three distinct names – with ‘a’ and ‘b’ included in the following list being used (and dicarded) within a few months of its founding (during mid-1940). Indeed, many modern historians become a little lax when presenting this issue and simply refer to the original fighting force as the ‘LDV’ – after the governmental legislation (‘Land Defence Vounteer Order’) that empowered its formation at the local-level. It seems that initially at least, the ‘LDV’ was viewed as a (military) ‘Force’ and that this designation was used for a short-time on the arm-bands issued to recruits (many produced locally) – before the ‘F’ was officially ‘removed’. Arm-bands would be discarded altogether once conventional military uniform became available. Therefore, the evolution of the name of this fighting force is as follows:
a) ‘Land Defence Volunteer Force’ (LDVF) – May 14th, 1940 – Eden Speech
b) ‘Land Defence Volunteers’ (LDV) c. June – 1940 – Clarification
c) ‘Home Guard’ (HG) – July 23rd, 1940 – Churchill Recommendation
My maternal (‘Gibson’) family used to live in Lewisham, East London – until they were bombed-out by Hitler during the Blitz of September 1940 (the Blitz would go on to kill 70,000 British people between 1940-1941 – with 40,000 deaths in London alone). The Gibson family were then evacuated to the ‘Forest Hill’ area of Oxfordshire – due to them having a ‘nephew’ living in the area. In 1983, a book focusing on local history was commissioned entitled ‘Forest Hill with Shotover – A Portrait (1983)’. This was published by the ‘Forest Hill Women’s Association’. The Story of my grandfather – Arthur Gibson – and his family arriving in the area is recorded on Pages 28-29:
This was all happening as the various Platoons that comprised the Oxfordshire ‘Home Guard’ were formed. Of course, my direct relatives in Oxford at this time went into the ‘Regular’ military forces – one in the Royal Navy (serving in the North Atlantic) and the other into the Coldstream Guards (guarding Buckingham Palace). The book in question, however, contains some very interesing ‘Home Guard’ data included below (Pages 29-31):
At conclusion of this article I reproduce two interviews given by ‘Veterans’ of the ‘Home Guard’. The first is from the local history booklet entitled ‘Village Voices – Stanton St John 1900-2000 AD’ and deals with a specific area of Oxfordshire within which the village of Forest Hill (mentioned above) happens to reside. The second testimony is from a local history booklet entitled ‘Memories of Wartime Banstead District’ (2002). ACW (6.10.2023)
My interpretation of the UK’s ‘Home Guard’ (Britain’s ‘Citizen’s Army’ of WWII) is that it was a domestic British version of the ‘International Brigades’ that fought in Spain during the ‘Civil War’ (1936-1939). In this regard, I emphasis the ‘Socialist’ origination of this Fighting Force – whilst interacting with other historians who do not necessarily mention this aspect – but rather focus upon the ’emergency’ that required this force to be created and the ‘Patriotism’ that often inspired its formation and drove its perpetuation. I also recognise that these are very important facets which are generally better researched than the purported ‘Socialist’ roots of the ‘Home Guard’ (originally termed the ‘Land Defence Volunteers’). Either way, part of the founding ethos of the ‘Home Guard’ involved the ‘toleration of difference’ and the central idea that EVERYONE, despite their age or experience, possessed something important for the international fight against fascism! Indeed, the British ‘Home Guard’ embodied the acceptance of the very ‘DIFFERENCE’ that the hatred of Hitlerism denied and sought to destroy!
It is interesting to note that ‘Citizen’s Armies’ (or ‘International Brigades’) in Spain, with little formal training, often took-on and defeated the ‘Regular’ military forces of Franco! How was this achieved? Simply upon the grounds that ordinary men and women ‘willed’ it to be so! The ‘Partisans’ of the Soviet Union (and elsewhere) achieved similar (and devastating) results against the ‘Regular’ military forces of Nazi Germany and its fascist allies! When ordinary people have no choice – extraordinary achievements occur! I believe that the British ‘Home Guard’ (numbering around 2 million strong at its peak) would have put-up one hell of a fight if Nazi German military forces had invaded the UK! Tens of thousands of ordinary British (working-class) people would have given their lives (together with their ‘middle-class’ Officers) in all different kinds of ways hindering the Nazi German Juggernaut so that the ‘Regular’ British Army could move into position and inflict decisive defeats!
The Trade Unions organised ‘Home Guard’ Units around factories – with workers forming the private soldiery and (elected) Shop Stewards assuming the ranks of the NCOs (Lance Corporals, Corporals and Sergeants, etc)! The (unelected) Managers formed the (‘Commissioned’) Officer Class! Together, these soldiers worked their day and night shifts – and (despite being tired) then changed out of their over-alls and into their ‘Home Guard’ uniforms ready to ‘protect’ and ‘patrol’ their factories against enemy incursion! A typical ‘Bourgeois’ example of this was the ‘Home Guard’ formed by the Houses of Parliament. This latter example often received better uniforms, weapons, food and leadership – as it was often photographed and filmed for British propaganda purposes. Most other places simply formed ‘self-defence’ units comprised of local people who wanted to defend the areas they lived in. In this way, hundreds of thousands of men (and some women) were quickly recruited and organised into a fighting force!
Thousands of British working-class men and women – under the guidance of the British and Soviet Communist Parties – defied the British government and travelled to Republican Spain to defend the democratically elected ‘Socialist’ government from attack by the Catholic-backed General Franco (who was supported by Hitler and Mussolini)! Upon their return, many of these ‘Veterans’ formed ‘Volunteer Defence Forces’ that congregated and trained on private property (often owned by left-leaning members of the British aristicracy). Churchill, afraid that a Socialist Revolution might be brewing – directed Parliament to ‘ban’ the ability of private landlords to use their land in this manner. Indeed, Churchill had all the ‘Socialist’ leaders of these formations ‘removed’ and placed himself at the head of this initiative – falsely implying that he had ‘founded’ this Proletariat fighting force! He then had ALL members of these existing ‘Self-Defence’ groups register at local Police Stations as an intimidatory tactic designed to crush any ‘Revolutionary’ inclinations!
This explains why Churchill had the ‘Home Guard’ stand-down in December 1944 prior to the War ending – as the Soviet Red Army moved forever onwards toward taking Berlin! He was afraid that the success of the Red Army might encourage a Revolutionary uprising ‘behind the lines’ as it where! History records that Churchill considered ‘attacking’ his Soviet ‘allies’ at the conclusion of the War in Europe – but was informed that the US and UK might well be defeated by the Red Army if such a conflict was triggered! Indeed, someone in the British government leaked Churchill’s intended idea and the Soviet Red Army was placed on a discreet ‘alert’. A fight with the Red Army would have been very unpopular amongst the ordinary ‘Conscripted’ troops – with the ‘Home Guard’ adding a further potential risk. Much of this history is ‘ignored’ by conventional and/or mainstream historians – but I think it is worth discussing. Below are three ‘field’ research articles I have written over the last ten-years or so:
TORQUAY HOME GUARD – Home Guard Memorial – Corbyn Head: By Adrian Chan-Wyles
BRIXHAM HOME GUARD – Museum and Artillery Installations: By Adrian Chan-Wyles
FARNHAM and WAVERLY ABBEY – GHQ (Defence) Line “B” and 2nd Surrey (Farnham) Battalion: By Adrian Chan-Wyles
CHISLEHURST HOME GUARD “C” Company, 54th Kent Battalion By Adrian Chan-Wyles (PhD)
These three articles are hosted on the excellent ‘THE HOME GUARD OF GREAT BRITAIN – 1940-1944 containing Memories and Information concerning Home Guard units throughout the United Kingdom‘ website!
Appendix I: Home Guard Veteran (Banstead) – David Crump – 12th Platoon, D Company, 55th Surrey Battalion – Home Guard
Edward James Bond: ‘Memories of Wartime Banstead District’ (2002), Banstead History Research Group, Pages 38-41
Appendix II: Home Guard Veteran (Oxfordshire) – Tom Chandler – Stanton St John
Edited by Peter Gresswell, ‘Village Voices – Stanton St John 1900-2000 AD’, (2000), Peter Gresswell, Pages 75-76
English Language Reference:
SP MacKenzie: The Home Guard – a Military and Political History, (1995), Open University Press
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 