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MEMORIES AND INFORMATION - STAFFORDSHIRE HOME GUARD  41st STAFFORDSHIRE (TIPTON) BATTN. SPECIAL ORDERS - 1st APRIL 1944

 

Information and images concerning the 41st STAFFORDSHIRE (TIPTON) BATTN., SOUTH STAFFS HOME GUARD may be found at several locations within this website: 41st Staffordshire Battn. - Special Orders 1st April 1944 (this page) 41st Staffordshire (Tipton) Battn. - Summary Page 41st Staffordshire Battn. and Pte. Albert E. Barratt 41st Staffordshire Battn. - List of Members 41st Staffordshire Battn. - Territory map 41st Staffordshire Battn and L/Cpl. William (Bill) Duncan The 41st Staffordshire (Tipton) Battalion was subject to an instruction via Garrison letter ref: AP/1535/23, February, 1944 to reorganise itself. The content of this letter which no doubt included the reason for such a reorganisation is unknown, nor whether it was applicable to other local battalions too. D-Day was of course only a very few months away and it may well be that reassessments of the role of the Home Guard both prior to and in the aftermath of this event were being made. But what is known, thanks to the survival the Special Orders document dated Saturday 1st April 1944, is how the 41st Staffs implemented the instruction to reorganise. This document, prepared by Capt. F. G. Downer (Adjutant) and his supporting staff, is reproduced in its entirety below. It gives us a clear statement of how this Battalion was structured in the last eight months of its life: the name, number, rank, personal armament and Company/Platoon/Section affiliation of each member; the H.Q. of each unit; the availability, ownership and allocation of the many Battalion vehicles, from motor cycle to bus; an inventory (under conditions of secrecy) of the Battalion weaponry and ammunition; and perhaps also an indication of the thoroughness and sophistication of one battalion's administrative procedures. A summary of the document, including shortcuts to the relevant pages, is provided immediately below; and, following that, the Special Orders document in its entirety: Part I - SPECIAL ORDERS by Lt.-Col. G.M. Rainbird - Covering instruction P.1 Part II - MOBILE BATTALION - Battalion H.Q. - 75 Lower Church Lane, Tipton - C.O: Lt.-Col. G. M. Rainbird - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, medical, machine guns, intelligence, C.S.M.I. P.2 - 11 Coy. (Mobile) - "The Towers", Victoria Road, Tipton - C.O: Capt. H. E. Ratcliffe - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, medical, spigot mortars, intelligence, others. P.3/4 - 12 Coy. (Mobile) - Drill Hall, Tipton - C.O: Major P. Pearson - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, medical, spigot mortars, intelligence. P.5/6 - 13 Coy. (Mobile) - Bullers Ltd., Tipton - C.O: Major W. E. Jones - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, medical, spigot mortars, intelligence. P.7/8 - 14 Coy. (Mobile) - Beans Industries Ltd., Hurst Lane, Tipton - C.O: Major S. Morris - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, medical, spigot mortars, intelligence. P.9/10 - TOWN DEFENCE COYS. - 75 Lower Chuch Lane, Tipton - C.O: Major J. C. Evans - List of officers, signals, m/c despatch riders, intelligence, supernumeraries, range wardens. P.11 - "B" Coy. (Town Defence) - M. E. C. Offices, Toll End Road, Tipton - C.O: Major E. Thompson - List of officers, runners, drivers, m/c despatch riders, signallers, cooks, intelligence, Lewis gun teams, spigot mortars. P.12/13 - "D" Coy. (Town Defence) - 39 Neptune Street, Tipton - C.O: Major S. Davis - List of officers, runners, drivers, signallers, cooks, medical, spigot mortars.   P.14/15 - H.Q. Coy. - "C" Coy. (Recruits Training Cadre) - Drill Hall, Tipton. C.S.M: Powell G. T. - List of Awaiting Discharge or Postings - Total Strength (Town Defence Bn.): 470 - Grand Total Strength of Battalion: 1025 P.16/17 - Appendix B - Transport - Battalion H.Q. - No. 11 Mobile Company P.18 - Appendix A - (Secret) - Arms Schedule - Ammunition Schedule P.18A/18B - No. 11 Mobile Company (cont.) - No. 12 Mobile Company - No. 13 Mobile Company - No. 14 Mobile Company P.19/20 - "B" Echelon (motor vehicles) P.21 - Motor Cycles P.22 - Static Battalion P.23

 

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Information and images concerning the 41st STAFFORDSHIRE (TIPTON) BATTN., SOUTH STAFFS HOME GUARD may be found at these locations within this website 41st Staffordshire (Tipton) Battn. - Summary Page 41st Staffordshire Battn and Pte. Albert E. Barratt 41st Staffordshire Battn. - Special Orders 1st April 1944 (this page) 41st Staffordshire Battn - List of Members 41st Staffordshire Battn and L/Cpl. William (Bill) Duncan and by using the website Search function

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In Memory of ALL MEMBERS OF THE TIPTON HOME GUARD 41st Staffordshire (Tipton) Battalion Home Guard 1940-1944