The Home Guard

Report by Doug Tilbury

APPEAL FOR MEN

On May 14^th 1940 Anthony Eden, the Minister of War, broadcast his famous appeal for a quarter of a million men to come to the defence of their homeland in its hour of peril.

THE HOME GUARD. BUX 4

And so it was that 55 men and 3 women were recruited from the villages of Lacey Green, Loosley Row, Great Hampden, Speen and Bryants Bottom to form “Bux 4”.    Other volunteers became Air Raid Wardens and Special Constables.

BUX 4 OFFICERS

The C.O. of Bux4 was Captain Fairbrother, landlord of the Pink and Lily , a retired army officer.  The pub itself was to become the Headquarters and Stores for Bux4.  Second Lt. Carter Harold Edward Carter came from Grymsdyke, Lt. Arthur Ord Waite from Loosley House and Lt. King from The Old House.

1st & 2nd DUTIES

The order was given to this group that their first duty was to “observe and report any enemies landing by plane or parachute”.   Their second duty was “to slay the enemy before he had a chance to do any harm”.

A FEW WEAPONS

To carry out these duties, each company was given twenty ancient and worn out 303 Lee Enfield rifles.  A number of men who already owned shotguns, were issued with 12 bore LG and SG cartridges, each consisting of half a dozen pellets.

A FEW MORE

Later they were to receive their first issue of lethal ball cartridges, which consisted of one large round ball, capable of piercing a 2” board at 200 yards.   By mid – July of 1940, more Lee Enfields became available and in late August a batch of new .303 rifles arrived from America.

A MACHINE GUN

In September “A” company received a Browning automatic rifle, best known as a machine gun.

Report by Doug Tilbury

WEAPONS ISSUED

The local Home Guard had been formed in 1940.   In February 1941 the few armaments they had were joined by two Lewis machine guns.   These were never satisfactory, as they were intended to be fixed to aircraft and needed to be cooled by air.   On the ground they overheated violently and had to be fired in short bursts. In August, 17 American “Tommy Guns” were issued.    By July 1942 these had been exchanged for “Sten Guns”

FIRING GINGER BEER BOTTLES

The first “Sub – artillery” weapons were issued in August.   They were designed to fire ginger beer bottles full of inflammable liquid at enemy tanks.   Also phosphorus bombs which would burst into flame on impact.   Grenades were also issued, the most famous being the “Molotof Cocktail”, which was also in a bottle.  The content of the bottle was a mixture of sump oil and petrol.   They had the major problem of how to ignite them.   One was supposed to hide behind a hedge and just at the right moment put a match to a petrol soaked rag and throw the “cocktail” at an enemy tank.

HAND GRENADES

Eventually a small number of grenades were issued and on 31^st August the Home Guard members were allowed to practice “hand grenade throwing” at a range at Walters Ash.

MOCK BATTLES

Amid the drill and training routines both day and night mock battles were fought against other local units, such as Risborough, Haddenham and Thame.    As “D Day” approached they concentrated on exercises to test and defend the local railways.

LASTLY

Boots, tin hats, great coats and webbing belts now made the unit a smart and efficient body of men.  Pill boxes were located at either end of Lacey Green.