The Wartime Memories Project - The Home Guard




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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

List of those who served with the Home Guard during the Second World War.

If you have any names to add to this list, or any recollections or photos of those listed, please get in touch.



Sgt. Lionel Joseph "Whacker" Watkins 5th Gloucestershire Battalion

Lionel Watkins was a very quiet man who happily worked on the Great Western Railway, when wars didn't interfere. He lived in Gloucester all his life, but in 1915 joined the Gloucestershire Regiment.

He was an early member of the Territorial Army and held his rank of Serjent when he volunteered for overseas service. He trained in Wiltshire and then went out to the Western Front where he saw repeated action, and twice was there when officers gained Victoria Crosses for outstanding bravery. They were Captain Adrian Carton de Wiart and Acting Captain Manley James. He never discussed his war service with his sons, but was able to talk about some of it with his eldest grandson, me. What he never mentioned was that he was shot during the battle where Capt James won his honour.

Researching his history, I was surprised to discover he was shot in the left arm on 22nd of April 1918, and was treated by the 59th Field Ambulance. By the nature of the numerous horrific wounds that many soldiers suffered, his was a relatively minor one, and seems to have thought it was not worth mentioning. I have been to various places on the Somme where I have been able to trace some of his movements. Now I have to return to France to find where the 8th Gloucesters reinforced the weakened line at St Quentin. He could not have been seriously hurt because he was in action at Messines within a month, and eventually returned home safe and well to Gloucester where he duly married... and the rest is history, family, sons, grandsons and during WW2 he served in the Home Guard as CSM.

Alan Watkins



William Henry Edwards MM.

My maternal Great Grandfather William Edwards was born in Mardy, Glamorgan Wales in 1890, Will was a 24 year old married coal miner with two sons (and a third on its way, that being my grandfather) when war was declared and he enlisted with the newly formed 10th Btn, Welsh Regiment. He served with the 10th in Flanders seeing action at both the Battles of Mametz Wood (1916) and Pilkem Ridge (1917).

When the 10th were disbanded he was posted to the 9th Welsh Regiment in 1918 where he saw action at the Battles of Bapaume and Lys at Messines where he was awarded the honour of Military Medal which is awarded for "acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire or for individual or associated acts of bravery".

After he was demobbed in early 1919, Will returned to coal mining in the Rhondda and then later in Kent. He had eight children with his wife Frances Jane Crandon.

In the Second World War he served in the Home Guard in Kent.

Will died in 1969 and is buried with his wife in Ramsgate Cemetery.

Keith M A Simpson



Sgt. Joseph Colgrave DCM, MID. 4th Berkshire Battalion

libry2

Joe Colgrave was my grandfather's eldest brother. He survived WW1 although several of his siblings including my grandfather Colin Colgrave, did not. Born in 1880, Joe joined the Army at the age of 18yrs in Beverley, Yorkshire and enlisted into the East Yorkshire Regiment on 6 Aug 1898. He served in South Africa and during the Great War.

He joined the Home Guard on the outbreak of the Second World War.

L/Sgt Colgrave DCM had 20 years Regular and Reserve service. He collapsed and died whilst taking part in the Royal Review of 63,000 ex-servicemen and women in Hyde Park, London. He was looking for his wife who had a seat in the stands when he collapsed near the Serpentine. He was taken to a First Aid post but died in the ambulance on the way to hospital on 5th July 1953.

He was awarded the DCM, MiD, Queens South Africa Medal clasps Cape Colony and Transvaal, King's South Africa Medal clasps 1901 and 1902, 1914 Star clasp 5Aug-29Nov, British War Medal, Victory Medal, and Defence Medal 1945.

Mal Beckly



Sgt. John William Marshall MM. 1st (Bradford) Battalion West Yorkshire

Volunteering at the commencement of hostilities, John Marshall crossed to France early in 1915, and was in action at Ypres and Ploegstreet Wood.

He was awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty at Arras in May 1918, and in the course of his service was twice wounded. In addition to the decoration won in the Field he holds the 1914-15 Star, and the General Service and Victory Medals, and in 1920 was serving in India.

He served in the Home Guard during WW2.

Will Hunter



S/Sgt. Nowell Royson Rex Bashford 71st Line of Communication Workshops 2/1 (NY) KAR Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

Rex Bashford served from 1st of November 1940 to 28th of September 1942 with the 15th Battalion, Sussex Home Guard. He was transferred to Marston and joined the newly formed REME on 22nd of October 1942. Various postings followed, where he undertook Driving, Mechanical and Fitter Training. In July 1943 he was transferred to TREME Mobility Centre, Arnold prior to embarking for East Africa Command on 17th fo July 1943.

On arrival in Kenya he joined the 2/1 (NY) Kings African Rifles and then moved to the East African Electrical and Mechanical Engineers serving with 71st Line of Communication Workshops under the command of the Kings African Rifles. Having attained all his 1st Class trade certificates, rapid promotion followed and in 1944 he was a Staff Sgt and in charge of 71st LOC Workshops. In July 1945 he was posted to 405th Base Workshops in Nairobi and in July 1945 posted to EAEME (ex KAR) and sttached to Transit Camp. UK leave was granted between 30th of August 1945 and 23rd of November 1945 before his return to (2/1) (NY) Kings African Rifles which he remained with until his return to the UK on 9th of July 1946.




Henry Grosvenor "Alec" Moorcroft

Henry in the Home Guard

Henry Moorcroft was my grandfather. He was born 23rd of March 1899 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. He served with the TIF Signal Coy, Royal Engineers in the Great War. He was was admitted to Bricket House on 5th of Feb 1918 for 17 days. Discharged Back to Duty on 21st of Feb 1918. He survived WW1 and in WW2 he went on to be a Sargent in the Home Guard. He died in January 1977, aged 78.

Jacqueline Davis



CQMS. James Birkett 4th Wiltshire (Trowbridge) Btn. (d.1st Jun 1942)

James Birkett was born in Cumbria. He died in 1942 result of an accident during weapons training with the Wiltshire Home Guard. He is buried in St James Churchyard at Upper Studley, near Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

James Birkett



Major. Lewis Arnold Philip Roots D.C.M. 28th Kent (1st Southern Railway) Battalion

Lewis Roots was born in 1891 in Little Chesterford in Essex. He was known as Philip to his family and friends. He joined the Welch Regiment before the outbreak of WW1. He was recorded at Hut and Llanion Barracks in 1911. He saw action in Belgium and France and was wounded on the battlefield in 1916 when he was a Corporal and again when an Acting Sergeant later in 1916. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in November 1916 for "conspicuous gallantry and ability in reconnoitring enemy positions, despite numerous snipers and gaining extremely valuable information. When his officer was wounded Acting Serjeant Roots took command of the regimental scouts and snipers and until wounded himself, continued to carry out very daring reconnaissances and work his section with great skill"

He left the army and married in 1919. He joined the 28th Kent (1st Southern Railway) Battalion Home Guard in February 1944 as a Major. Lewis Arnold Philip Roots died in Maidstone in 1968.

Simon



Thomas James Graves Wiltshire Home Guard

POWs from Eastern Grey Prisoner of War Camp

Tom Graves served in the Wiltshire Home Guard. He lived in the village of Sherston just a few miles away from the Eastern Grey Prisoner of War Camp in Wiltshire. One of his jobs during the war was to collect German and Italian prisoners and deliver them out to farms to work for the day or to take a detail out to dig drainage ditches and then to return them at the end of the day. He must at one point been some sort of dispatch rider as there is a photo of him with a leather satchel across his chest and he has a motor cycle helmet on. We also have a photo of him holding a machine gun and then a rifle.

My family and I visited Eastern Grey Camp in the late 1990s and the artwork that the Italian prisoners had done was still there on the ceilings and walls and was lovely. Tom made a life long friend of one of the Austrian prisoners.

Pauline Graves



Cpl. Ernest Wylie Durham Light Infantry

My father Ernest Wylie was called out at 3am on the 3rd of September 1939. After a short time his Battalion joined the BEF in France. I believe the DLI and the rest of the Northumbrian Division was part of the rearguard as the Army struggled back to Dunkirk. On the way my dad was severely wounded by a mortar splinter which damaged the flesh of his leg and smashed his ankle. Friends carried him to Dunkirk and left him on the beach. Fortunately, two sailors found him and carried him back to their ship a destroyer. As far as we were concerned, we thought he was gone but amazingly, we received a letter from him from Shotley Bridge Hospital. I still remember it was packed with little room between the beds.

After some time it was determined that his wounds rendered him unfit for service. Nevertheless, he joined the Home Guard and was a fire watcher for our area. They were hard times. As I grew older, I got he sense that, because of his experiences, he always believed he was living on borrowed time. My mother said his service altered his character totally. Lest we forget. I was immensely proud of him.

Brian Wylie



Capt. John Pugh Benson 12th Cheshire (Macclesfield) Battalion Home Guard

Pugh Benson's parents were John and Jane Benson. He was born 14th February 1893 in Brereton, Cheshire. He married Mary Carruthers Heys in 1924 (sister of John Holland Heys and Noel Derbyshire Heys). He became the heating and ventilation engineer for the Manchester hospitals, and died 8th August 1962 in Goostrey. Uncle in law of Judith Church.

Judith Mary Church



Cpl William Lake MiD. 102 HQ Sub Area Beach Signals Royal Signals

Winston Churchill and General Montgomery on Juno Beach in June 1944 and William Lake between the two.

William Lake took part in the D Day landings at Juno Beach alongside Canadian Troops. There is a famous picture of Winston Churchill and General Montgomery on Juno Beach in June 1944 and my father, William Lake, is clearly seen between the two. He was in Brussels the day the city was liberated. On 22nd Mar 1945 he was Mentioned in Dispatches. We believe it was something to do with preparations to cross the Rhine but unsure exactly where. We know that at some point after this he was in Hamburg. Before he enlisted he was a member of the Home Guard.

Read more.




Edmund Thomas MM.

In Home Guard uniform

Edmund Thomas was decorated with the MM, and was subsequently taken prisoner of war in April 1918 whilst serving with the 18th Battalion. A Canton boy from Cardiff, he later served in the Home Guard during the Second World War.




Sgt. Alec Edwin Davies 6th Btn. Highland Light Infantry

My father Alec Davies was an apprentice engineer at Heenan and Frouds in Worcester and served in the Home Guard as a young man. He was called up into the Highland Light Infantry, and after training in Scotland went into battle in October 1944. He landed in Zeebrugge on the first-steel hulled boat to enter after the port was cleared of mines. He then fought during 1944 and 1945, participating in the capture of Bremen.

After the war he returned to Worcester and worked at Heenan's for 43 years until his retirement. In his later years, he was voted 'Midlands Unsung Sporting Hero for 2015' in recognition of his work supporting his local cycling team 'Worcester Saint Johns'.

David Davies



Sgt. Francis John Roberts 5th (St. Austell) Btn. Devonshire Home Guard

Francis Roberts was born in Plymouth, Devon on 5 May 1894. He served with the Devonshire Regiment from 1914 to 1918. Later, during WWII, he served with the Home Guard, 5th Btn., St. Austell in Cornwall from 2nd of November 1942 until 31st of December 1944.

Francis Carl Roberts



Pte. Dennis James Houston 2nd Btn. Royal Berkshire Regiment

Dennis Houston served in Burma in WW2. He enlisted into the General Service Corps, embodied in the Territorial Army, and posted to 67 Primary Training wing on 1st April 1943. On 13th May 1943 Dennis was transferred to 17 Infantry Training Centre. On 20th July 1943 he was posted to the 9th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment and on 28th January 1944 was posted to the 2nd Battalion, moving yet again to Relegated Reserve on 11th June 1946.

He served overseas in India between 24th of October 1943 and 10th June 1946. At one point, Dennis was bitten by a snake and nearly died.

He spoke little of his war years but some things he did say. He told of his time in Dad’s Army. On one occasion, he told how the men were given grenades to clean. One of the brighter sparks decided that placing them on a village hall heater would melt the grease and make the grenades easier to clean. Dennis said you have never seen men move so fast to get away, diving through doors and windows. On another occasion, he said that he was once paired with an elderly man to guard a crossroads. A car came along and was stopped. The elderly man asked the driver for his identification papers but when given them couldn’t read them because he didn’t have his glasses on. Dennis watched as his partner handed his rifle to the driver so that he could put his glasses on.

His time overseas was not spoken about in any detail, but he did talk about the Gurkhas alongside of whom he fought and for whom he had a great respect. He also talked of walking between mules so he wouldn’t be shot by Japanese snipers. Dennis gave money all his life to the RSPCA as a thank-you to the poor mules who took a bullet instead of the soldiers. He said the only American anything he saw in Burma was an American plane and that was shot down. He suffered from malaria all his life.

Valerie Driscoll



William Arthur Parkes South Lancashire Home Guard

Grandad, William Parkes was, according to his daughter, a 'boy soldier' and a 'crack shot'. According to the 1939 census he was recorded as 'incapacitated ex serviceman'. We are not sure if he received his leg wound while on active service, or, as rumoured by family, while training others. In WW2 he did serve in the Home Guard.




Pte. Walter Jack Champion 5th Btn. Dorsetshire Regiment

Walter Champion

Walter Champion was working in his uncle's bakery (Wyatt’s) in Pangbourne, Berkshire, when called up. He had previously joined 4th (Pangbourne) Home Guard. He then joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment on 12th of December 1941 at Brock Barracks No. 17 Infantry Training School.

On D-Day, he landed on Juno Beach as part of No. 8 Beach Group and then served on the beach until 8th of August 1944, when he transferred to the 5th Dorsetshire Regiment. On 27th of August 1944, he was promoted to acting Lance Corporal but decided he preferred to "be one of the lads", as he put it. He served as batman to his company commander (possibly Major Meade, not sure). When his officer was posted to Division HQ, he was invited to go too as it would be safer, but he turned down this opportunity saying that if his mates had to face front-line danger then so should he.

When his battalion crossed the Rhine, he was on leave, but he was in the area around Hannover when Germans surrendered on VE Day. His battalion was the closest to the location of surrender.

He participated in the following actions:

  • D-Day landings
  • Falaise Gap.
  • CrossIng the Seine at Vernon on 27 August 1944
  • Market Garden with XXX Corps at Nijmegen.
  • Various actions around southern Netherlands and Aachen
  • Periphery of the Battle of the Bulge, covering US left flank.
  • Tripsrath (Dorset Wood)

After the war, he served in Berlin and was transferred to HQ XXX Corps on 20th June 1946, just before 5th Dorsets were mothballed. During that time, he helped to guard Rudolf Hess in Spandau Prison. On 18th October 1946, he demobbed and went into the Reserve.

He died in October 2014, just before his 92nd birthday. He was a great chap and a wonderful father-in-law to me.

Richard Jackson




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