A WWII PRINTED HOME GUARD SHOULDER TITLES & STRIPES

A matching pair of WWII period shoulder titles worn by a member of the home guard. Printed type, inc is the set of stripes which came with these two.

The Home Guard

The Home Guard was set up in May 1940 as Britain’s ‘last line of defence’ against German invasion. Members of this ‘Dad’s Army’ were usually men above or below the age of conscription and those unfit or ineligible for front line military service.

On 14 May 1940, Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden made a broadcast calling for men between the ages of 17 and 65 to enrol in a new force, the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV). By July, nearly 1.5 million men had enrolled and the name of this people’s army was changed to the more inspiring Home Guard.