A
WARWICKSHIRE FACTORY UNIT
(NOW 'B' COMPANY)
At
first only ex-servicemen were enrolled, and all these volunteers
possessed in the way of a distinguishing mark was the white
arm-band carrying the letters 'L.D.V.' There was no uniform
or equipment and very few weapons. We were lucky, however,
in having a Proof Department which possessed all kinds of
arms, and to whom the Company was, and still is for that
matter, indebted for the loan of various items in this category.
As
all our L.D.V.s had been trained in the use of firearms
that part of training was considered unnecessary, and a
defence scheme was evolved for the factory which embraced
the care of certain buildings and locations vital to the
working of the factory. This was effected by detailing armed
sentries and patrols in certain locations for day and night
service, two fixed machine-gun posts, and three centrally
located reserve squads. At the same time trip barriers were
erected in the sports field to trap aeroplanes which might
be tempted to land.
The
role of the L.D.V in those days was solely that of static
defence of the factory, and by September some thirty-five
posts had been erected at strategic points in and around
the periphery of the factory. Manning arrangements were
then completed, the general scheme having been based on
the premise that the most likely forms of attack to be expected
were :
(a) Parachute troops landing
in or near the factory.
(b) Infantry landing from
transport planes.
(c) Treacherous action by
enemy agents or Fifth Columnists.
For this purpose machine-guns were erected at various points
and arrangements made for reinforcing possibly hard pressed
units within the area. A former tennis pavilion* located
centrally within the works was taken over as the L.D.V.
Company Headquarters, and a man installed to deal with administrative
matters.
In
October, 1940, the title L.D.V. was dropped and Home Guard
substituted, and in the following month we received our
first issue of uniform, an exciting moment, but all we obtained
for our men was thirty twill uniforms of various sizes with
sundry caps, belts, etc., but it was realized that we were
at last becoming something of a military unit. By this time,
also, the Company was beginning to take definite shape,
a Commanding Officer and junior officers were appointed
and approved by higher authority. In December, 1940, the
Government having appointed a Director General for the Home
Guard in Major General T. R. Eastwood, a visit was paid
by that officer to inspect the unit and to examine the general
strategic defence plan. The Director General was accompanied
by General Sir Walter Kirke , and at the close of the visit
it was gratifying to receive from him a highly satisfactory
report in respect of personnel, equipment, training and
general arrangements.
With
1941 the Home Guard became more of a military organisation,
more clothing coming forward, more men being enlisted, and
in February the local Home Guard organisation underwent
a complete transformation, so that we became 'B' Company
of -- Battalion Home Guard. 'B' Company comprised three
platoons, with a commanding officer, a second-in-command,
six subaltern officers and an administrative officer, the
last-named being employed full-time on Home Guard duties.
At
the same time the general strategic plan for the local factory
units of the Home Guard was considerably altered in conception,
the general principle now being accepted not to wait for
the enemy to come to the factory gate, but to go out and
meet him with the idea of preventing him from doing serious
damage by getting so close to the works. This involved a
much more extensive training programme, and to a greater
degree this meant that the Home Guard was placed on a similar
footing to the Regular Army, both in regard to organisation
and training, and calling for much more time to be spent
on training than previously.
During
the winters of 1940 and 1941 the district suffered a series
of very heavy aerial bombing attacks, in the course of which
incendiary and high-explosive bombs fell within the factory
precincts, necessitating prompt action on the part of the
defence organisation, in which the Home Guard played no
small part. Incendiaries then presented no serious difficulty,
some thousands of which fell one night, and the Home Guard
not having enough spades or other implements, just used
their steel helmets for shovelling damp earth to smother
bombs which had fallen in dangerous situations. These raids
invariably took place at night, and whether it was the location
of an exploded H.E. or the extinguishing of incendiary bombs
and fires, the Home Guard members vied with each other in
their eagerness to be of help, often having to be forcibly
restrained from endangering themselves in their efforts
to assist in the work.
Recruiting
has continued through 1941 until early in 1942, when it
was suspended as the numerical ceiling had been attained.
The company is now divided into seven platoons, and the
average time spent outside work hours on Home Guard duties
by the officers is often nearly 100 per month. The Company
is now completely clothed, deficiency, if any, is, of course,
made up with the Sten guns recently issued, while the Company
is fortunate in possessing 15 machine guns.
Training
comprises arms drill, field tactics, signalling, intelligence,
use of bombs; while at weekends, exercises and field training
supplement the closer work done during the week. The company
provides a weekend cadre of two officers and sixty men for
specially vulnerable points in the factory, besides those
for special guard duties at Battalion Headquarters, and
as our men only have one day's break in seven and work up
to seventy hours a week, these duties call for a degree
of physical fitness and endurance which sometimes taxes
their capacity to the utmost, and as every effort must be
made to avoid interference with production (the factory
from which our men is drawn is on 'No. 1' priority) there
is often no little difficulty in so fitting things in that
no embarrassment is caused to shop managers and the like.
On
the lighter side, the company has formed an Entertainments
Committee which arranges dances, concerts and other social
activities, from the proceeds of which funds have been established
to provide amenities for the men during their periods of
duty.
*
This probably refers to an unusual and
ornate workshop in the middle of the site. It started life
as a "pavilion" in the old Aston Park and was
henceforth always known by that name. Whether it ever had
anything to do with tennis is open to question.
