With the upcoming VE (Victory in Europe) Day 80th anniversary celebrations across the UK, the BBC is reviving the time old classic comedy series “Dads Army” on BBC one and iPlayer. However, the real Dad’s Army was more than the laughs and good times portrayed in the show.
The Home Guard nicknamed the Dads Army, was described by the imperial war museum as “the first rag-tag militia”, a volunteer force of all the men who couldn’t enlist in the actual military because of their age or health, and they acted as the last line of defence for Britan in case of German invasion. Nearly 1.5 million enrolled with the first broadcast calling for volunteers. In the end 1.7 million well-equipped and well-trained men made up the home guard.
Their role was not only to be an invasion defence but also for bomb disposal, manning for anti-aircraft machines and costal defence. Although they were considered well-equipped only 1/3 of the volunteers were able to have rifles, the rest had to use shotguns, sporting rifles or makeshift weapons like golf clubs.
As a part of their training the troops would act out scenarios such as the capture of an ‘enemy’ parachutist or invasion exercises like one which involved the Home Guard, ARP (Air Raid Precautions) personnel and the police in Northern Command on 20 July 1941 in Hull. The enemy, which took the form of the other organizations groups, were brought down after a difficult struggle.
The Prime Minister at the time, Winston Churchill, was a big supporter of the Home Guard, advocating for its name to be changed from the original Local Defence Volunteers to the Home Guard and stressed their importance in protecting the nation’s towns and cities.
As the Allied armies advanced on Germany and with no more threat of air raids and invasion, the Home Guard was stood down on the 3 of December 1944 and officially disbanded on 31 December 1945. Unfortunately, during their time active, 1206 men died on duty or from their wounds.
Although the show Dads Army is a comical portrayal of real events, its existence and even up and coming revival is important as a way of remembering of the lives of real people were impacted by WW2 and the lives that were gravely changed and lost.
Alice Yr9
Boston High School Newsroom