Home Guard activities in WWI

[youngwebb]

The photo shows a unit of older men that would appear to be similar to the Home Guard in WWII. The Other Ranks appear to have the General Service Corps hat-badge. What would their responsibilities have been? They were probably based in East Kent.

[jmoha]

Early in the war, from reading the Local Newspaper archive, a number of men of "autumnal" years were used to guard Key points vital to the national war effort, such as Railways and Munitions factories as well as other places. One report from Nottingham was of a sentry of a Supernumary company of the 7th Battalion having shot a man dead for failing to halt when challenged and resisting apprehension.

Another reported the death of a man of the same company who had been struck by a train in a marshalling yard.

I believe these companies then became the Royal Defence Corps. I'm sure a more learned person will be along soon to provide more accurate or precise information.

Edit: Double post within the same post!

[Graham Stewart]

jmoha,

Good answer but slightly confused as Supernumary Companies of the National Reserve, which later went onto form the Royal Defence Corps were sponsored by the Territorial Force Associaiton on a county level and are not related to those in the photo. The National Reserve was formed in 1910 from the old Veteran Reserve

Those in the photo are members of the Volunteer Force formed in 1916 from the ad-hoc units of the Volunteer Training Corps, who are the actual Home Guard of the Great War. A closer look at their shoulder titles will actually reveal the county to whom they belong and above that will be the letter 'V', as attached photo.

Graham.

[montbrehain]

Earlier in the year I posted this . A similar sort of role maybe ? "MO"

 

 

[Graham Stewart]

Mo,

The badge on their right breasts is this one, which is the Proficiency Badge of the V.T.C., which is in gilt & enamal and displays the head of Bellona the Godess of War, which was designed by Mr.Solomon J. Solomon,(Royal Academy). To gain the badge you had to attend a minimum of 40 drills of one hours duration and be at least a 2nd Class Shot.

In this case the unit has adopted a slouch hat, complete with pagri, which is unusual as they were normally worn plain and modelled on the old Volunteer pattern one. Khaki uniform was originally banned for wear by the VTC and grey/green was the colour normally worn, but permission to wear khaki was finally approved in 1916, so this may have been taken at a later date.

Graham.

[Graham Stewart]

From an article I did years ago on the VTC. This illustration was taken from a photo and shows the young VTC member wearing the grey/green 'Norfolk' jacket and red armband baring the letters 'GR' in black.

Graham.

[youngwebb]

jmoha,

Good answer but slightly confused as Supernumary Companies of the National Reserve, which later went onto form the Royal Defence Corps were sponsored by the Territorial Force Associaiton on a county level and are not related to those in the photo. The National Reserve was formed in 1910 from the old Veteran Reserve

Those in the photo are members of the Volunteer Force formed in 1916 from the ad-hoc units of the Volunteer Training Corps, who are the actual Home Guard of the Great War. A closer look at their shoulder titles will actually reveal the county to whom they belong and above that will be the letter 'V', as attached photo.

Graham.

Thank you. Most helpful.

Youngwebb

[montbrehain]

Graham , thank you for that . Explains a great deal. But not how/why the photograph came to be in a Australians collection of papers. If you would like a decent Hi Res copy of the photo ? your welcome to it . "MO"

[fwwjournal]

Graham: When does the picture or original photo date from? I ask because the soldier appears to be armed with the Martini-Henry/Enfield rifle which had been superseded by the Lee-Metford and SMLE. Were home defence units armed with whatever was available?

My grandfather enlisted with the Cheshire Yeomanry in Aug. 1914 and along with other Yeomanry served on home defence duties (he was stationed in Suffolk) until 1916 when he headed off to Palestine. How, if at all, did these home defence duties tie up with the Royal Defence Corps and the Volunteer Force?

David