We Remember the Home Guard
Published on 10. May 2012
Book
Hardback
384 pages
978-0-09-194153-6 (ISBN)
Description
'I remember standing on top of our local glen with a block of wood, expecting thousands of Germans coming down from the sky. What was I going to do with the block of wood? I never knew.' Leonard Jackson
On 22 June 1940 France surrendered to Germany and the invasion of Britain seemed a very real possibility.
The Home Guard was formed to defend our villages and towns. Members came from reserved occupations, those who had failed their medicals, the elderly and the young, with miners and farmers training alongside former majors. Their weapons and ammunition were negligible at first, but slowly these amateur soldiers began to produce professional results.
In this unique book of reminiscenses about life on the home front, we see these men as they practise with pitchforks and fall into ditches after a pint or two of ale on the job. But we also see them learning how to fire grenades after a day studying engineering and undertaking night watches after exhausting factory shifts - knowing they could be the last stop between the enemy and their families and homes.
On 22 June 1940 France surrendered to Germany and the invasion of Britain seemed a very real possibility.
The Home Guard was formed to defend our villages and towns. Members came from reserved occupations, those who had failed their medicals, the elderly and the young, with miners and farmers training alongside former majors. Their weapons and ammunition were negligible at first, but slowly these amateur soldiers began to produce professional results.
In this unique book of reminiscenses about life on the home front, we see these men as they practise with pitchforks and fall into ditches after a pint or two of ale on the job. But we also see them learning how to fire grenades after a day studying engineering and undertaking night watches after exhausting factory shifts - knowing they could be the last stop between the enemy and their families and homes.
Reviews / Votes
"Endearing, inspiring and sometimes amazing stories from men in their teens to their seventies" -- Ian Lavender, from the Foreword "Of all the books I have read this year, these are the most moving and memorable; more "people" stories than war stories, in countless voices and moods, of a richness and strength which makes fiction seem meagre" -- Shaun Usher * Daily Mail * "A wonderful tribute to the Home Guard" -- Sir Harry SeacombeMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Ebury Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 204 mm
Width: 134 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
449 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-194153-6 (9780091941536)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Frank Shaw | Joan Shaw
We Remember the Home Guard
E-Book
05/2012
1st Edition
Ebury Digital
€14.99
Available for download
Persons
Frank and Joan Shaw live in Hinckley, Leicestershire. They have four children and nine grandchildren. They were born and raised in Deal, Kent and this is where they spent the war. The idea of the We Remember series came when their granddaughter asked them about the Second World War for a school project. Frank and Joan decided more memories needed to be committed to paper, and they wrote to 700 local newspapers throughout the country asking just that. They were flooded with letters, which they then self-published as five hardback books, raising over GBP100,000 for the Royal British Legion. Ebury Press are excited to be republishing the series over 20 years later, starting with We Remember the Home Guard, with all royalties also going to the Legion.