MovieChat Forums > Dad's Army (1968) Discussion > Actual Home Guard Duties

Actual Home Guard Duties

posted 15 years ago by richard.fuller1
3 replies | jump to latest

I actually wondered this watching Bedknobs and Broomsticks, in which Professor Brown departs from Miss Price and the kids to serve in the homeguard.

Did members of the homeguard depart from their respective villages or communities to go elsewhere into the English countryside?

If that were the case, I figured they, or the bulk of them, would be sent to London or blitzkrieged communities.

It seems if Brown didn't return to London, then he would remain on the coast, which on the coast was where Dad's Army was positioned as well, but they weren't stationed there, they lived there.

[–] Carlzere 15 years ago

Most Home Guard units were local defence (infantry) type units, raised in the community they served in. (The original title was 'Local Defence Volunteers' or LDV, sometimes scathingly said to stand for 'Look, Duck and Vanish'). There were also some HG anti aircraft (Ack Ack in English, Flak in German) units that would operate searchlights and AA guns. Perhaps Professor Brown had been sent to one of these, away from his home location? The fact that service in the HG was entirely voluntary would tend to dismiss that idea though.

Among other HG duties were firewatching ( part of Air Raid Precautions, but often carried out by HG or employees of factories, this duty was basically taking post on the roof of a building during air raids, and reporting the location of fires), patrolling key installations, such as pumping stations (see 'Asleep in the Deep), bridges and electricity sub-stations, and training in a limited infantry role to repel, or more realistically delay, invasion allowing time for the Regular Forces to deploy.

If you ever come across it, there is an excellent book about the Home Guard, 'The Real Dad's Army' by Norman Longmate. Unfortunately it's out of print, as far as I know, but you occasionally see it in libraries etc.

Whit sad old loser'd be thick enough to don thon get-up?

[–] hugh1971 15 years ago

I assumed Home Guard duties were always fairly local, to allow the volunteers to continue in their day jobs, hence the lyrics of the theme song 'Mr Brown goes off to town on the 8.21, but he comes home each evening and he's ready with his gun'.

It's possible they went further afield on exercises etc though.

[–] dhobday 9 years ago

Actually, Professor Brown does not join the Home Guard; he enlists in the regular Army. However, he marches off with the Home Guard at the end because I think there was some line about them giving him an escort to the train station.

The Home Guard were volunteers who served in the Home Guard on a part-time around their regular jobs, so they all served in their respective villages and communities. It would not have been practical for them to be posted elsewhere.