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STAFFS HOME GUARD WEBSITE - GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE HOME GUARD
HOME GUARD REENACTMENT GROUPS
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This
is a page of the
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE HOME GUARD
section of www.staffshomeguard.co.uk.
Please go to Site
Map for complete site contents.
 Within the U.K. reenactment scene there are a number of groups in different parts of the country who specialise in recreating the activities of the Home Guard of 1940-1944. These groups pride themselves in reproducing, as authentically as they can, all aspects of that service, including uniform, equipment and activities. They are often to be seen by the general public at such events as 1940s weekends. Their aim - like that of this website - is to commemorate the contribution made by the original Home Guards who served their country with devotion, energy and skill for four-and-a-half long years.
HG reenactment groups offer one big advantage over others: individuals can enact their own age - anything from 15 to 75 - just like the original members and unlike any other branch of the Armed Services.
These 21st century Home Guard units welcome any potential new member of any age who has an interest in joining them in their hobby. Details of some of them are listed below including an introductory comment from each.
GLAMORGAN - HERTFORDSHIRE - KENT - LEICESTERSHIRE - NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - YORKSHIRE - .....and OTHERS
GLAMORGAN, Bridgend, mid-Glamorgan
The Glamorgan Home Guard was formed at the end of 2007 and consists of some experienced re-enactors and some people new to the hobby.
We try to recreate all aspects of the Home Guard and try to stay within the early years 1940/41.
We meet  at the 1940 Swansea Bay Museum for regular training events and also travel further afield to events around the country. In addition to the contact details below you can get in touch with us via the Museum.
We also have a strong link with 'a Very Special Regiment', the Lovat Scout Group. We also have a member who is associated with 'UK Home Front', the premier 1940 Civilian Living History Group.Membership is open to anyone who has a genuine interest in the British Home Front during WW2. Apart from a Home Guard section, we also have Navy, RAF and civilian members.
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HERTFORDSHIRE, Hatfield
We are new H.G. unit in Hertfordshire: we are Hatfield Home Guard 14th Battalion (14thA) Hatfield Town Company. We started in April 2009 and are based at The Lincolnsfield Children's Centre, Bushey Hall Drive, Bushey, Hertfordshire WD23 2ES.
We want to portray the Home Guard to say thank you to the men that served in the H.G. and to let local people see the H.G.equipment and tactics.
We are looking for new members to join us for a great time, to meet people and to do demonstrations to show off the Home Guard.
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KENT, Chatham
Chatham Home Guard was formed in 1994 to accurately portray the Home Guard,
research their history and to educate the public. Chatham Home Guard is a
member of NAReS, the National Association of Re-enactment Societies, and has
worked for many organisations over the last 15 years including The Royal
British Legion, The National Trust and English Heritage. Our members have
experience working for the film & television industry and in the past
Chatham Home Guard has supplied both re-enactors and technical advice.
Based at Chatham Historic Dockyard we portray the 31st Kent Chatham
Dockyard) Battalion, Home Guard. We hold training days once a month
allowing our members to familiarise themselves with Home Guard weapons,
uniforms and equipment and gain knowledge of the Home Guard's role during
WWII. We also attend events both large and small, mostly in south-east
England.
As a unit we portray men who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in
defence of their country so we have a duty to take our role seriously. At
the same time we make living history and reenactment an interesting and
enjoyable experience for our members.
We are always looking for new members and, as with the original Home Guard,
previous experience is not a requirement. A good attitude and a willingness
to do it right is what is important to us. If you are interested in joining
Chatham Home Guard, please visit our website or contact us via the e-mail link
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KENT, Maidstone
The Barmy Army Film Club is based in Maidstone Kent and is run by a group of friends who hold meetings at The Swan Public House Maidstone (excellent range of Ales and fine food) on the first Monday of each month.
See the website for further information. |
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LEICESTERSHIRE
 As the Home Guard and its veterans now pass into history, Leicestershire Home Guard Remembrance is a living history group that
aims, through displays and presentations, to act as a reminder and
tribute to the sacrifices the wartime generation made so that we can
live in freedom today.
Nowadays, the Home Guard has become synonymous with Dad's Army and is
rarely mentioned without reference to its satirical offspring. The
much-loved, classic BBC sitcom has become as much part of British
folklore as the organisation it mimicked. And not without reason. Many
Home Guard veterans recall similar amusing anecdotes and characters. But
the comparison ends there. Had the Nazi invaders reached
Leicestershire, it would have been no laughing matter. Indeed, it is
little known that 18 Leicestershire Home Guards made the ultimate
sacrifice whilst defending the county, dying in training or firearm
accidents.
We are a group of Home Guard enthusiasts with full correct uniform, kit,
equipment and (deactivated) weapons, from Home Guard pike to Northover
Projector. We are serious in our representation of the Home Guard, but
at the same time, we do this because we enjoy it. Our organisation is
relaxed: there is no hierarchical organisation, membership fees or parade
ground bull. We are not a skirmishing battlegroup as the Home Guard
never engaged the enemy in infantry battle, but mainly because we feel
we can get our message over to the public better via static displays.
If you wish to join then we will let you know which events we will be
displaying at and you just turn up. We mainly attend Leicestershire
county events as this is our representative area. All we ask is that you
assemble the correct uniform and kit (we can advise you on this,
although if you would like to know more about the Leicestershire Home
Guard's background and uniform detail read "To The Last Round: The
Leicestershire & Rutland Home Guard 1940-1945", Breedon Books, 2007,
ISBN 978 1 85983 559 3 -
we stock it). We can also advise the public and media on Home Guard
matters.
For further details, contact Austin J. Ruddy on 07812 038781 or email me (via the Contact Us link below).
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NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, Pitsford and Brixworth
 Pitsford Home Guard was formed in September 2005 and is a tribute to the 9th (Brixworth) Battalion of Northamptonshire Home Guard who answered Anthony Eden's call in May 1940. Many of our members are volunteers at the Northampton & Lamport Railway and the unit supports the railway at their 1940s events just as railway workers during WW2 would have volunteered for the Home Guard.
We portray No 5 Platoon (Pitsford) of D Company 9th (Brixworth) Battalion Northamptonshire Home Guard. Our uniforms and equipmennt have developed just as the original Home Guard did, starting off with civvies and LDV arm bands, denim overalls and later 1937 pattern battledress. The platoon can now muster a denim section and a battle dress section.  The Pitsford Home Guard researches the history of the Home Guard in Northamptonshire and takes part in Home Guard re-enactments, 1940s events and talks for local groups and schools. At our monthly parades we take part in exercises covering drill and weapons training as well as lectures, presentations and information films from the period which helps us better portray life in wartime Britain. We have developed links with other museums around the county and have good working relationships with Sywell Aviation Museum, the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne and the Rushden Historical Transport Society.
Our main event is the Railway at War event at the Northampton & Lamport Railway in September each year. We are always pleased to welcome visiting Home Guards to this event where they are able to take part in our exercises and displays. New members are welcome to join us from Northamptonshire or beyond. Further details are available from our website or via email using the links below.
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YORKSHIRE, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
The activities of the 20th Century Re-visited - WR5 Harrogate Home Guard group (see Yorkshire, Harrogate below) have been extended to reenactment of WR 46, Doncaster Homeguard.
The original of the unit which is now re-created was based at the Doncaster Plant works during WW2 and undertook protection duties there. For further information please make contact by email using the link below.
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YORKSHIRE, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
We are called the 20th Century Re-visited - WR5 Harrogate Home Guard. We display period uniforms, equipment and weapons of the Home Guard units from WW2. As the veterans of the Home Guard become fewer the public perception of the Home Guard in WW2 has been taken over by the antics and humour of the Dad's Army television shows and their exploits. Whilst some of this was gleaned from real life the grim wartime days of food rationing, 50 and 60 hour working weeks in reserved occupations followed by compulsory guard duties on a freezing cold night were a truer but less audience thrilling reality.
We aim to give a broad picture of life in Home Front Britain and what the Home Guard were asked to achieve. Over 1,700 Home Guards were actually killed on active service, a figure staggering to many. In the West Riding area this sadly included one former WW1 veteran who was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry.
Based up in the North East we attend events at various times through the year, but also travel further afield! For further information feel free to contact us by email using the link below.
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YORKSHIRE, Haworth
Peter Whitaker (Pte - WR28HG) writes:
We are 'C' Coy., West Riding 28th Battalion (who were Haworth Home Guard). We meet once a month in the Old White Lion in Haworth (where our wartime heroes met too!) - usually on the third Wednesday of the month when anyone is welcome - and are regularly seen in our area on re-enactments. The Haworth 1940s weekend in May is one of our highlights and HG reenactors from other groups will receive a warm welcome.
Feel free to contact our C.O. Capt. Peter Wedel who would be pleased to talk HG with anyone. And please check our website for up-to-date news.
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YORKSHIRE, Ingleton, North Yorkshire
The WR31 (West Riding 31 - Duke of Wellington Regiment) Home Guard Unit of today is based in Ingleton and takes part in living history displays, 1940's weekends, re-enactments and weekend camps. We are also members of the Military Vehicle Trust (MVT) South Cumbria and North Lancashire group. Forthcoming events (which are detailed in our website) include Operation Home Guard in Ingleton, the Brief Encounter weekend at Carnforth, Wray Fair, a weekend training camp, the Clitheroe Event and others. Members include Home Guard, RAF, Naval and civilian Re-enactors. Gracie Lands (1940's singer and DJ) is the chair person.
 But we also need new members to join us. We are seeking anyone who has an interest in the Home Guard or the Home Front in general. Younger members will be especially welcome. Check us out on our website. If you would like to join us, please email us for infomation, using the Contact Us link below.
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YORKSHIRE, Pontefract
It's 8 years since the humble beginnings of Pontefract Home Guard Living History Group and it has grown as the interest in the Home Guard has grown and now commands a membership of 18, with
ATS, Civilian and 13  wearing
the Home Guard uniform
of the West Riding 48th Battalion.
We look at the seriousness through the uncertainty and the comic through the improvisation, but never allow ourselves to trivialise, romanticise, fictionalise or glorify the war years on the Home Front. A second impression is of the secret work of the Auxiliary Units and we are proud to claim to be the first group to portray these men in our way and are honoured to have a close relationship with the A.U. museum in Suffolk.
If you are interested in our activities, please get in touch with us using the Contact Us link below.
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There are many other groups and individuals in various parts of the country recreating HG units which may or may not be local to their area. Here are the locations of some of those of whom staffshomeguard is aware (but who have not so far provided further information and contact details):
LANARKSHIRE
NORFOLK, King's Lynn and Sandringham
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, Bulwell and Basford
SHROPSHIRE, Ironbridge
SUSSEX, (23rd Sussex Home Guard - their website)
WORCESTERSHIRE, Kidderminster (WOR2 Group)
YORKSHIRE, Sheffield
and
USA, Mass.
If you wish details of your group to be included on this page, please use this FEEDBACK link.
Many reenactors use the excellent WWIIReenacting Forum to discuss aspects of their activities.
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