Home Guard

I found a fascinating little website the other day.

www.staffshomeguard.co.uk

Don't be put off by the "Staffs" bit, there's info on the Home Guard all over the UK.
Nothing like Capt Mainwaring's lot either !

brum

Now that's of particular interest to me seeing as I live in Sutton Coldfield and they are all local to me. Great Stuff.

Perhaps not of immediate interest to most people, I've been browsing around www.staffshomeguard.co.uk and found an article on POWs in the UK. As well as some photos there's even a list of POW camps (162 camps out of a total of 600).
On entering the site "General Info Pages" "Links and Further Reading" gives you "POW Sites." You need to click on the word "here", the first link is discontinued.

brum

I find it interesting Brum. Thanks

There is this one as well for Warwick

http://www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscencesWarkssstaffshg.htm

Got that thanks Jim.

It's "Kings Heath" I've had an interest in.

brum

Dad's Army


Armed at first with broomsticks, or handle from a pick,
with cardboard tank, and milkman's horse, sometimes just a stick,
The Home Guard were the last resort should Germany invade,
And to the amusement of the village, each Sunday held parade.

They suffered much derision, often the butt of jokes,
But really, did they deserve it, for they were just plain folks.
Names such as Dad's Army, fell from peoples lips,
But they were ready to stand and fight, with Hitler, come to grips.

Local Defence Volunteers were recruited from each parish,
But local wags, soon changed this tag, to the Look, Duck and Vanish.
Teacher, banker, milkman, and some old soldiers too,
Dressed in khaki misfits, they presented a motley crew.

But remember the Territorial, who also faced derision,
Who at the outbreak of the war, filled the ranks of mock divisions.
So let us take our caps off, and remember with fond regard,
And raise a loud resounding cheer, Hurrah!, for the Home Guard.


Len Payne

Len (Ciphers)

Deep in the woods not far from my first Married Quarter at Wickrath there was a large secluded German War Cemetery. Two men to a grave. Those with ages recorded were all in their late forties and fifties. All killed in the same few days in 1945.

I suppose they were Volksturm or German Home Guard.

So whenever the Home Guard is derided, I think back to those rows of graves and think that in 1940, our blokes had no way of knowing that the invasion would not happen and that they would not actually be called upon to fight. I those uncertain days, they had guts and determination to do what they could.

Of course would also have been put against a wall and shot had they been caught. Mr Hitler did not recognise them as legitimate combatants. Good job we and the Russians didn't take the same attitude eh?

Teabag wrote:

Of course would also have been put against a wall and shot had they been caught. Mr Hitler did not recognise them as legitimate combatants. Good job we and the Russians didn't take the same attitude eh?

Not too sure about the Russians though. Seems they weren't too fussy about who they shot once they crossed into Germany.

I don't know when that poem, sent in by ciphers, was penned but looking at the photos on the website, the Home Guard look well dressed and fit.
The thing I noticed though was how many of them were wearing the "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred". Veterans as well as trained soldiers.

I wrote that poem in the late 70's, and I can clearly remember our Home Guard Unit in the village I lived in at the outbreak of the war .. mostly dressed in 'civvies' with an armband with LDV on it, armed with the occasional shotgun (farming area) bust mostly wooden rifle replicas and pick helve's, later on as they became better organized uniforms were introduced and SMLE's ... and believe me they took a bit of ribbing from the local gals. By wars end they were a fairly respectable unit. I will try to find some photo's I should have buried around among my junk,

Len (Ciphers)

brum wrote:

Perhaps not of immediate interest to most people, I've been browsing around www.staffshomeguard.co.uk and found an article on POWs in the UK. As well as some photos there's even a list of POW camps (162 camps out of a total of 600).
On entering the site "General Info Pages" "Links and Further Reading" gives you "POW Sites." You need to click on the word "here", the first link is discontinued.

brum

I'll be checking out the POW brum. We've been looking for info. on where my wifes father was a POW in the UK. Incidentaly we had some Italian POW's in my home town in WW2, worked on the railroad and were quartered in a rail road coach bunk house, down from our place. Two guards. One for admin and one for escort if they needed to do something official.

It's worth a look.
I was interested in the picture of Waffen SS men from 12th Panzer Div, captured at Caen. Very modern looking camouflage kit.
By that stage of the war the Germans decided it was wiser to surrender to the "Tommis" and "Amis" rather than the vengeful Russians.
So much for the "Herrenvolk" !

Very interesting stuff. I was surprised to read that two German POW's got home to Hamburg and sent the camp commandant a nasty letter.

I supposed I am conditioned by the usual propaganda but I always thought only one ever escaped from the UK and he was recaptured but escaped from Canada? (Always did like Hardy Kruger).

Two other items of interest was the fact that they were fed better than the civilian population and paid union rates for work they did. I'm sure our lads who were prisoners in Germany were treated exactly the same. Not!

Teabag wrote:

Very interesting stuff. I was surprised to read that two German POW's got home to Hamburg and sent the camp commandant a nasty letter.

I supposed I am conditioned by the usual propaganda but I always thought only one ever escaped from the UK and he was recaptured but escaped from Canada? (Always did like Hardy Kruger).

Two other items of interest was the fact that they were fed better than the civilian population and paid union rates for work they did. I'm sure our lads who were prisoners in Germany were treated exactly the same. Not!

I read something about those two former POW's some where else. Wasn't after the war that they pulled a, " Jack Rabbit"?

Incidentaly I've been stuck in the house all day because of sever thunder storms. So was engrossed in that sit brum posted up. Really enjoying it.

Interesting site that Brum thanks.
The nearest POW Camp to me is Castle Rankine Denny home to mostly Italian POWs. I remember my father-in-law talking about it as he grew up not far from there.The POW worked on the farms and many married local women.....our area has large Italian and Polish communities descended from the POW and Polish volunteers. After years of campaigning the town where I live now has a memorial to the Polish & Commonwealth RAF, ( dedicated 2 years ago) as we had a small Aerodrome during WWII , many are buried in our local Cemetery.
http://secretscotland.wordpress.com/2008/09/13/spitfire-memorial-for-raf-grangemouth/
In the local paper several years ago there was an article about Castle Rankine and the Chapel they built in a Nissen Hut. The pictures they printed were in black & white but it was beautifully painted to look like ( I presume ) the Sistine Chapel. There were moves afoot to preserve it but I have no idea if anything happened. I would be a shame if it was lost.

It made more than the local paper Bob, I remember an article on it too. Amazing pictures.

Yes made the news here in Birmingham as well bob.