The Redline

10/05/2026

If you’ve enjoyed reading about some of our recent training evenings and events on our blog (https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/blog/), there’s plenty more still to come.

Upcoming Redline training subjects include:

• German Weapons – Recognition and Operation
• Aircraft Recognition – Friendly and Axis Aircraft
• Plus plenty more practical and historical sessions throughout the year.

From fieldcraft and drill through to weapons, radios, explosives and local wartime history, Redline offers a wide variety of immersive WWII living history training.

If you fancy giving it a go yourself, why not get in touch and find out more about joining the platoon?

10/05/2026

Another couple of updates on group activity has hit our blog, including the Didcot Railway Centre 40's weekend event and our recent training evening on Bomb Disposal.

Check it out here: https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/blog/

09/05/2026

It’s been a busy few months for Redline Home Guard, and we’ve now added several new posts to the website covering recent training evenings, events and talks.

From patrol exercises along the Cholsey & Wallingford Railway, gr***de training and wartime radio sets, through to our recent evening with the Goring Heath Scouts and this year’s Great Tommy Sleep Out at Howbery Park, there’s plenty to catch up on.

Thank you to everybody who continues to support the group, attend events and help keep this history alive.

Read the latest blog posts here: https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/blog/

If you like what you read and fancy giving it a go yourself, why not get in touch and find out more about joining Redline Home Guard?

15/04/2026

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Flora King following a short illness.

Flora, along with her husband Bill, were well known and much-valued friends of the Redline group. Flora was always a warm, kind and welcoming presence whenever we met. She will be fondly remembered by all of us.

Our thoughts are with Bill and all of Flora’s family at this very difficult time.

15/03/2026

Next weekend we are again taking part in the Great Tommy Sleep Out 2026, helping to raise funds to support homeless veterans in the UK.

We’ll be back at Howbery Park, Crowmarsh, giving up our home comforts and sleeping out in 1940s style; canvas tents, woolly blankets and wood fired stoves.

We’ll have a large display of the equipment and weapons of the Home Guard and the pillbox will be again set up as it would have been during the threat of invasion in ww2. Come and visit us from around 10:30 Saturday until around 1pm Sunday.

Last year we had an amazing amount of visitors come and look at our display and we raised an amazing £1,200, this year we’d love to top £2,000.

Please donate here, any little amount all helps this worthy cause:

https://socialsync.app/fundraiser/cr-9mkx6dlkxrlnd?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQkDTdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeyFA9b1cqSTm0iVQ3xfIsO4atFLeR74a0cwpQ7dRSuk_6W3cZ9Rp4IoBzjg0_aem_swwSawKOK_Tj6FfnqVODPA

This March, The Redline Home Guard will be taking part in The Great Tommy Sleep Out. Every night, thousands of veterans right here in the UK are facing the harsh reality of sleeping rough. Together, we can change it. We'll be swapping the comfort of our beds for one night, or more, under the stars.....

21/02/2026

Drill is really coming on at Redline, with several of the ranks stepping up to lead the squad through its paces at last night's training evening. It’s great to see confidence and standards rising week by week.

The main focus of the evening was two classic Home Guard weapons, the B.A.R. and the Thompson. From their history and development to stripping, stoppage drills and hands-on handling, it was a cracking session with plenty to get stuck into.

To read the full write-up and see what we got up to, head over to our website: https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/home-guard-training-night-with-the-b-a-r-and-thompson/

If you fancy joining us and having a go yourself, get in touch.

14/02/2026

Last week we were back at South Stoke Village Hall for another Redline training evening. After drill to keep standards sharp, we turned our attention to the Sten submachine gun.

We watched a fascinating film on its development and evolution, followed by a comprehensive demonstration from 2/Lt Chambers and Pte Smith, which covered the parts, stripping, and its use by British forces and the Home Guard. A simple weapon, born of necessity, but one that played a significant role in Britain’s defence.

A really solid, informative evening all round.

Read the full write-up and see more on our website: www.the-red-line.co.uk

26/01/2026

Last week saw a great training night for Redline at Ipsden Village Hall, a building with its own Home Guard history.

We kicked off with parade drill before moving on to the evening’s training subject – pistols, covering both Allied and German sidearms. From the trusty Webley and the Browning Hi-Power to classic Axis pistols including the Ma**er “broomhandle”, P38 and PPK, the session was packed with hands-on learning and expert instruction from 2/Lt Chambers.

It was a cracking evening – informative, practical, and exactly the sort of training that builds knowledge and confidence across the section.

You can read the full write-up on the website: https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/blog/

We’ll be back in Ipsden this week for our next training night looking at the Lewis machine gun. If you’re interested in joining us or finding out more, drop us a message.

10/01/2026

Home Guard Back on Parade: Redline Training Resumes for 2026!

After warming up with a brew, we kicked off with our traditional outdoor flag break, followed by rifle and marching drill to get everyone back into step after the Christmas break. Inside Platoon HQ, training continued with the Bren gun, covering loading, firing, stoppages, and working both as individual gunners and two-man teams. The evening finished with hands-on work with the Bren tripod, including ground and anti-aircraft setups.

We were also pleased to welcome a new volunteer to try out the group, who got some hands-on experience with the Bren.

You can read the full write-up at https://www.the-red-line.co.uk/blog/ with more detail on the training and what’s coming next.

If you’ve ever thought about joining the Home Guard, now’s a good time to find out more – drop us a message for details.

07/01/2026

We’re kicking off our 2026 training programme this Friday evening, picking up exactly where we left off at the end of 2025. The focus this time is again the Bren gun, moving on from theory and components, to practising the firing drills and crew procedures.

With the New Year upon us, it’s a good moment to dust off the webbing, fall in, and sharpen those skills again – steady progress, proper drill, and plenty of hands-on learning.

If one of your New Year resolutions was to do something a bit different, this could be just the ticket. We already have a prospective new member coming along, so it’s shaping up to be an ideal session for anyone curious to see what we do and have a go. No prior experience needed – just an interest, a willingness to learn, and the right attitude to muck in and do your bit!

So if you’ve ever fancied doing your bit, learning the kit, and keeping the Home Guard spirit alive, now’s the time.

Interested in joining us or trying a session?
Drop us a message and we’ll send over the details.

“Stand to, lads – training starts here.”

28/10/2025

We recently visited this well preserved Spigot Mortar emplacement. Will be great to see how our Spigot Mortar fits on it one day.