Today I want to continue our series on the Home Guard. I want to look at one of the biggest problems that faced the volunteers when they first joined in 1940. It wasn’t that the men were unfit or unwilling. It was the fact that their was not enough weapons.
One of the reasons that there was a lack of weapons was the evacuation of Dunkirk evacuation. Huge amounts of military equipment had be left behind in France.
There were far more volunteers than expected and obviously the regular army had to take priority. Many Home Guard companies had to make do, a common theme in the war. They improvised weapons while waiting for supplies.
Some volunteers brought their own shotguns or rifles from home. Others were trained using wooden rifles or even broom handles. In some areas, pikes were made by attaching steel blades to long poles, it was more like a medieval weapon than a modern one. Volunteers also practised using petrol bombs, built roadblocks from local materials, they dug defensive positions and prepared obstacles to slow down any invading force.
Despite all of the shortages, morale stayed high. Many volunteers understood that Britain was in a state of emergency. They also knew that all resources were limited, and they knew that they had to do everything they could to make it work. To many it was survival. People needed to maintain their determination and newspapers and radio broadcasts tried to encourage both determination and confidence, they reminded not just the volunteers that they were playing an important role.
Leaders like as Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, encouraged people to not lose their resolve. The shared sense of purpose helped many volunteers to continue in spite of the lack of equipment.
By the late 1940s and into 1941, things began to improve. More rifles arrived and uniforms were beginning to be issued. New weapons were adapted specifically for the Home Guard. There was the Smith Gun, the Northover Projector and the Blacker Bombard, all of which were intended to be simple, inexpensive and quick to produce. The equipment was often basic and sometimes difficult to use. Nevertheless, these weapons reflected Britain's determination to strengthen its defences.
Training also became more organised and effective. The men slowly became a better-equipped defensive force.
What stands out to me the most is the determination of these volunteers. They were faced with the possibility of invasion, I can’t comprehend the fear the whole country must have felt. The men were armed with so little but they still turned up. They trained and prepared to defend their communities. I have to admire their commitment.
Do you think you would have felt confident armed with only a wooden rifle?
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