The Local Defence
Volunteers, later known as the Home Guard, was launched on May 14, 1940 in
response to Germany’s invasion of the Low Countries, and within 24 hours more
than a quarter of a million men had come forward to join.
One such volunteer
was William Arthur Townsend, the son of John, a moulder at the GWR
works and his wife Elizabeth. William, also known as Art, was
born in 1903 and grew up at 280 Cricklade Road, Gorse Hill. On leaving school he followed his father
‘inside’ to begin a boilermaker’s apprenticeship. By the time war was declared in 1939 William
was married with a young family.
In a collection of
pocket diaries William recorded his daily routine providing a unique account of
one man’s war time experience in the GWR 13th Battalion of the Home
Guard.
The official age
range for Home Guard volunteers was from 17-65 but there were reports of more
than just a few old soldiers joining the ranks, some in their 80s. By June 1940
more than 1,4000,000 men had joined the LDV and in July Winston Churchill
changed the name of the organisation to what he felt was the more inspirational
Home Guard.
Regular army ranks
were introduced in the Home Guard in February 1941 and in December 1942 William
records that he was made a Lance Corporal.
On Saturday April 12, 1941 he registered for National Service. His diary entry for that day records he went
to bed early as he was on Home Guard duty at the GWR Transfer Yard from 1.15am
to 5 am the next day.
William’s diaries
give an indication of the number of air raids Swindon suffered. Some were reasonably short, others much
longer such as the one on Saturday January 4, 1941 when the warning sounded at
10.40 pm with the all clear coming at 7am.
And during one eleven day period in March 1941 the town was subjected to
ten air raids with just two night’s respite.
‘Bombs dropped (Kembrey Street) 11.30 pm,”
William recorded on Monday August 17, 1942.
‘House damaged, Front Roof off.’
He spent the following day ‘clearing up Air Raid Damage all day.’ At the end of that month William writes of
another raid to hit Swindon – Saturday August 29, Bombs dropped on Drove Road
9.00am.
Throughout 1943
William records his ongoing training – firing practise on the rifle range,
lectures on ammunition, gas, AA batteries, grenades and on Sten Gun firing and
on Saturday July 29th 1944 William wrote – ‘HG Camp at Lydiard
Tregoze for 1 week.’ The men received
intensive LMG instruction, but there proved to be time to entertain their
families as well.
The standing down
of the Home Guard took place in December 1944 and William’s last entries record
the final events. A Home Guard parade on
Sunday October 15 was followed by B Coy concert at Whitehouse. He makes just one entry in November – Sunday
12 Home Guard photos taken.
1943 GWR (Wilts) Home Guard Training
1944 GWR Home Guard at Swindon Works
Photographs courtesy of Swindon Local Studies visit the website on www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal
Many thanks to Bob Townsend for access to his father's diaries.
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