Citizen’s Army

This extract shows examples of the training that Home Guard units received in 1940. It shows how Home Guard units might attack an enemy making its way into a town. The tone of the narration is very serious. In 1940 there was a very real danger that German forces would invade Britain. France fell in May 1940 and British forces had to be evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk. Apart from the regular army, the British government also set up Local Defence Volunteers, but the name was changed to Home Guard. Their main role was to watch and guard against surprise attacks, but they were also trained to fight. This clip appears to suggest that the Home Guard was well equipped. Many other sources show this was not the case. Compare this clip to the other clip in the archive on the Home Guard.

Channel: UK National Archives Video Length: 25s Date Found: Sat, Apr 05 2008 10:43 PM Category: History Date Produced: View Count: 19