Britain’s Darkest Hour LHG

11/05/2026

Home Guard, September 1940:
BAR Gunner, Volunteer Wood, on picket engaging with a member of Civil Defence.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Graham

06/05/2026

Home Guard, September 1940:
The Headquarters Platoon’s day starts with a briefing and inspection of the Company Commander.
The role of the H.Q. Platoon was to facilitate the smooth operation of the company, at this point in 1940 the platoon included runners for delivering orders (especially difficult as Bledlow section and Longwick section’s HQs didn’t have telephones!), drivers for delivering equipment, ammunition and other stores and men who’s responsible for the physical security of the headquarters.

05/05/2026

Home Guard, September 1940:
The company Adjutant and company Commander of ‘A’ (Princes Risborough) Company, 4th Buckinghamshire Home Guard, plot the company’s disposition on an OS map in their Headquarters at Chestnut Farm, Longwick.
As far north as Haddenham and as far south as Bradenham, the company was charged with the defence of the approach to RAF High Wycombe, Bomber Command.

Photographs by Daz's Photography

05/05/2026

04/05/2026

Home Guard, September 1940:
Volunteer Kerr gets accustomed to the American P17 rifle.

Photographs courtesy of Daz's Photography

03/05/2026

We’ve had an incredible weekend at Middleton Hall & Gardens VE81 portraying the men of A Company 4th BUX Home Guard in September 1940.

26/04/2026

On the 2-3rd of May we will be putting on a display at Middleton Hall & Gardens, where we will be showing you how the fledgling Home Guard prepared for invasion in early September 1940.

Pictured here is a typical Volunteer of the Home Guard at Waterloo Station in sep. 1940. Dressed in denim overalls (with Home Guard patch), with a MKII helmet and armed with a P17 rifle, he guards a UXB on the platform waiting for the 'bomb squad' to arrive.

23/04/2026

“The development of the Home Guard is one of the most fundamental historical significance. From the military point of view, the Home Guard, combined with the regular forces, makes a military occupation of Britain by German Fascism improbable. Politically, a fully developed Home Guard provides an absolute guarantee against both the crude Fascism of a Mosely and the more insidious Fifth Column activities of any would-be British Petans.
Because it is a Citizens’ Army, the Home Guard can be fully democratic and energetically modern” Humphrey Slater, Chief of Operations of the International Brigades. He would later set up the battle school at Osterley Park with Tom Wintringham

22/04/2026

The Home Guard during the Invasion Crisis of 1940 - A very special talk by Dominic Blyth 🇬🇧🪖

Join us at midday on Saturday & Sunday of our VE event 🎉 for a special talk on the Home Guard during 1940 📜. The talk will take place in the Great Hall 🏛️, and entry is included with your event admission ticket 🎟️.

https://www.middleton-hall.co.uk/event-details/ve-ww2-weekend-2026-05-02-11-00

21/04/2026

Platoon Commander, Buckinghamshire Home Guard, September 1940.
On the 18th of august 1940, the Home Guard adopted new appointment (not rank!) designations and insignia under Army Council Instruction 924, this stipulated that those appointed the position of Platoon Commander shall wear one dark blouse cloth stripe on each shoulder strap of their denim overall blouse. The Home Guard would not formally adopt the army rank structure and insignia until march 1941, but there were some units with BUX H.G. Who defied instruction 924 and purchased stripes for other ranks and claiming them under expenses!

The Platoon Commander wears the issued denim overalls with Home Guard patch and blue cloth strip on the shoulder straps.
He has managed to find (either through issue or private purchase) a standard army field service cap with Buckinghamshire Battalion cap badge. Under his blouse he wears a khaki shirt and green tie.
His equipment consists of his civilian issue respirator, a 1903 pattern belt (privately sourced), a set of civilian binoculars and a case for his Webley revolver. The sources of such articles vary from person to person, we know some were issued, some where from prior service (officers in WW1 had to purchase their own pistols!) and some hand-me-downs.

In his trouser pockets is the newly issued first field dressing and a pre-1914 map of his locality.
In his blouse is his wallet with Military ID card (army form B.2606) which was introduced for L.D.V. Officers in July 1940, he also has various aid-memoirs for his role in commanding a platoon twice the size of his regular army counterparts.

14/10/2025

Local Defence Volunteers undergo training, June 1940.

Britain’s Darkest Hour LHG