The Real Dad’s Army, Home Guard in Northumberland 1940 – 1944

BBC TV’s Dad’s Army has immortalised a certain vision of the wartime Home Guard, one which in some respects isn’t far from reality but theirs was a serious role and had Germany invaded it wouldn’t have been half as funny, in fact not funny at all. We’ll look at how the Home Guard was formed, its kit and weapons, and the experiences of many of those who served. We’ll look at this region during WWII, how the war came about and just how unprepared we were, at the British Expeditionary Force  deploying for France, the Battle for France and the evacuation at Dunkirk followed by the Battle of Britain and the region’s role in that pivotal fight. Next, formation of the Home Guard, evacuation and the Blitz, life on the home front and the experiences of local people during the horrors of German bombing, of collaborators & spies, women’s roles and Churchill’s Secret Army.