Author Topic: WW2 Home Guard  (Read 13341 times)

Offline aghadowey

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 03 February 07 15:55 GMT (UK) »
As I said earlier I couldn't get the links to work either.
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline Trees

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #10 on: Saturday 03 February 07 16:06 GMT (UK) »
Sorry so you did I was having a senior moment carried away with the expectation of finding something for my late much missed dad
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Offline stockman fred

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #11 on: Saturday 03 February 07 16:55 GMT (UK) »
Grandad left me a book called "The Home Guard of Britain" by Charles Graves, 1943. Units were asked to send in brief histories and interesting incidents for the book but many never got round to it so coverage is rather hit and miss- for instance the 11th Bn Salop HG managed 3 closely typed pages while the 21st Middlesex Bn just said that "No unusual incidents have arisen." It might be useful though if the unit is known.
Fred

Offline Trees

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 03 February 07 17:28 GMT (UK) »
Fred,
Can you look for me?
 Dad was in  52nd Battalion Royal Warwick Regiment attached to the Nufield Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich
Many thanks Trees
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

For details of my research interests please see
mcmullin.me.uk
Also read the children a story from Story Time at the same web site.


Offline nanny jan

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 03 February 07 17:41 GMT (UK) »
Fred,

Can you have a look for me as well?   Dad was in a unit attached to Ultra Electrics Factory and then one in South Harrow; both Middlesex.  Long shot  but you never know!

Many thanks,

Nanny Jan
Howard , Viney , Kingsman, Pain/e, Rainer/ Rayner, Barham, George, Wakeling (Catherine), Vicary (Frederick)   all LDN area/suburbs  Ottley/ MDX,
Henman/ KNT   Gandy/LDN before 1830  Burgess/LDN
Barham/SFK   Rainer/CAN (Toronto) Gillians/CAN  Sturgeon/CAN (Vancouver)
Bailey/LDN Page/KNT   Paling/WA (var)



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Offline stockman fred

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #14 on: Sunday 04 February 07 01:03 GMT (UK) »
Trees said : Dad was in  52nd Battalion Royal Warwick Regiment attached to the Nuffield Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich
I had a look under Warwickshire, and the numbered units were 4th, 25th Birmingham, 27th Selly Oak, 34th Birmingham, 41st,45th,48th mobile. There is also an intriguing report from "A Warwickshire factory unit" the number is withheld, but it was plainly stationed at a large munitions factory. The unit had 35 defence posts around the factory and 7 platoons. I'll have a better look tomorrow as its time for some shut-eye.
Fred

Offline Trees

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #15 on: Sunday 04 February 07 13:43 GMT (UK) »
Hi Fred
There were several munitions factories in the area mum worked in one that was housed at an ICI works but I wonder if you have infact found the Aircraft factory. I would think that it would have been on restricted information lists. They built Spitfires and Lancasters and repaired most military planes and had its own airstrip for test flights and naturally delivery flights so needed a lot of protection. I well remember the many barage balloons around the place. My parents said we lived in one of the best protected roads being between the factory and civil airport. It was however the subject of several raids . One shift was even machine gunned from the air as they left the factory and my dad's work shop took a direct hit on one bombing raid. All very chilling and too near to home if you know what I mean. I have my fingers crossed that you can turn something up. Many thanks
Trees
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

For details of my research interests please see
mcmullin.me.uk
Also read the children a story from Story Time at the same web site.

Offline stockman fred

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #16 on: Sunday 04 February 07 23:48 GMT (UK) »
Nanny jan wrote:  Dad was in a unit attached to Ultra Electrics Factory and then one in South Harrow; both Middlesex.  Long shot  but you never know!

Hi! They give details of several Middlesex units, but they are deliberately vague with the exact location, which makes things a bit tricky. The numbers of the Battalions in the book are as follows:8th (Twickenham), 14th, 18th, "Y Zone" (centred on Enfield), 21st, 26th, 27th (factories in Enfield, Ponders End,Edmonton)29th (Muswell Hill, Hornsey)
30th (Enfield & Ponders End "Factory defence units"). I'm afraid I can't see a mention for Harrow but if any of these are of interest, I'll have a read.
Fred :)


Offline stockman fred

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Re: WW2 Home Guard
« Reply #17 on: Sunday 04 February 07 23:57 GMT (UK) »
I just remembered, with regard to the Spitfire factory at Castle Bromwich, there is a book called "Sigh for a Merlin" which was written by Alex Henshaw, the Chief Test Pilot at the works- it describes how they built and tested the Spitfires there.It was written in 1979, but my copy is 1996 by Airdata.
Fred