CLASSIC SOLDIERING WW2

[Gil Boyd]

Here is a sharp black and white photo of a Home Guard section on a rowing boat ready to take on the might of the German Army if it ever got to Edinburgh in 1941

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[browningautorifle]

Swimming for it with your puttee weights...and ankle boots.

[Woodsy]

The guy standing would have got wet quick smart if he fired!

[Daan Kemp]

Looks like photoshop

[Gil Boyd]

Daan,
Definately not photoshop......just a good steady high quality shot by a staged photographer, showing what everyday items could be used to house a section of men to take the fight to the Germans

[MSW2]

It would have looked a lot different had one or all of them fired a shot

[Gil Boyd]

Absolutely. A typically posed shot from the Home Guard..they were mostly all frustrated soldiers, many having never served and in what can be called "Reserved Occuptations" basically they hadn't got a clue, and formed in 1940 with no uniform and pitchforks and the odd shotgun from the farm!!

There are lots of Home Guard images, and the best one which epitomise's the formation is Corporal Jone's Butcher van in the comedy TV series Dad's Army, with all the circular gun ports in the sides and the roof for aircraft attack................., with the Platoon cry: "Open 2-3 Out 2-3, bang 2-3 bang 2-3, in 2-3 and so on that is a good reflection of the bafoon leadership by those officers that served in the Boer War or an admin job in WW1

[GeeRam]

Absolutely. A typically posed shot from the Home Guard..they were mostly all frustrated soldiers, many having never served and in what can be called "Reserved Occuptations" basically they hadn't got a clue, and formed in 1940 with no uniform and pitchforks and the odd shotgun from the farm!!

There are lots of Home Guard images, and the best one which epitomise's the formation is Corporal Jone's Butcher van in the comedy TV series Dad's Army, with all the circular gun ports in the sides and the roof for aircraft attack................., with the Platoon cry: "Open 2-3 Out 2-3, bang 2-3 bang 2-3, in 2-3 and so on that is a good reflection of the bafoon leadership by those officers that served in the Boer War or an admin job in WW1

Hmmmmm.........

My paternal Grandfather was among the 1206 Home Guard troops who died in uniform or from wounds sustained in uniform.

[Gil Boyd]

Geeram,

Take on board your views and perhaps my statement was a bit of a broad brush on how it came across.
I refer mainly to those I met here in East Anglia and particularly the Fens, who regaled their tales to me, whether you wanted to hear them or not, and they all had a great time, and I would definately categorise "our" lot around here as what I said.

Many were professional units I am sure closer to London and other cities as they were more under the spotlight, but a lot weren't, as they were led by idiots, and primarily why they wrote the TV programme Dads Army, as clearly they had had the same experiences from their childhood and wartime service!!

---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:29 PM ----------

In addition..............one great story from a 91 year old Home Guard Sergeant in our village who is long dead now.
We sat in our local social club one evening surrounded by ex D-DAY Royal Marines, ex RAF and Royal Navy lads all in their 80's then and strangely all dead now.

The guy made a comment about WW2 and the two Royal Marines launched into him saying, how he had dodged the medical and said he was a land worker and wanted exemption from service which he got.

Another comment came across about his continual visits to other mens homes when they were abroad fighting, doing his bit on his bike as the local Home Guard Sergeant.
Luckily they all took it well, as stories about him and his men went on for some time, but one comment was made about "looking after the Pastors wife" his retort was:
"The hungry have to be fed" straight from the bible very amusing retort

[browningautorifle]

"The hungry have to be fed"

Or to quote a character in Breaker Morant..."A slice off a cut loaf"...