Home Guard

When the second world war began their were many middle aged men that offered their services to the army. Winston Churchill proposed an idea to the head of the air raid precautions to create a Home Guard. After the German army began there western offense, Britain announced over the radio that they were looking for men who were between the ages of 40 and 65 to become local defense volunteers (LDV's). These men were not paid, and the only requirement that these men needed to have was to be able to shoot a rifle or a shotgun. After the defeat in France the LDV's were deployed to Britain's' coast. In Britain they defended the munition factories, organized road blocks, checked identity cards, and capture German's who's planes were shot down. However, a major problem for the LDV's was the lack of shot guns and pistols. Britain asked the public to help supply the men, but their contributions weren't enough. The war veterans became involved in helping the LDV prepare to fight the Germans. They created training schools, one of the most important schools was named Osterley. The Home Guard was trained in sabotage as well as the use of high explosives.