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Home Guard

Don't appear to be. Thomas was the son of Alfred Belcher and his second wife Christine Silver. Alfred was possibly born in Wigan.
 
Thanks for all that. I suppose the final question is, then, the background of George's Dad, Henry/Harry Belcher, married to Rose, died late 1920s. If he was born a Brummie, rather than with a Wigan connection like Alfred, that would be the proof of no link. (Sorry if someone has already looked at this).

Chris
 
The George Belcher at Hillfield Road was a George Samuel Belcher born 27th Aug 1924 (d1986 Leicester). He was the son of George Belcher and Hilda Cashmore (m1916). George (father) was possibly born Lichfield and his father was an Albert Belcher who was born in Kings Heath.

Alfred's father was born Oxford 1842ish.
 
Thank you, MWS.

I think we can say with certainty that there is no connection between the two young men.

Chris
 
Haven't had any experience of it, Pete, but should be very interested to know how useful it is. In particular, how much additional information they have beyond the basic stuff about Home Guard officers which appears in the (published) Home Guard list of February 1941. The latter is restricted to name, initials, 1941 Battalion affiliation and, very occasionally, awards and previous regiment . The suggestion is that they might well be offering more.

It seems to work – I have located my own father although I'm not at the moment in a position to follow up on it.

Could you let us know your experience in due course please? Thanks.

Chris
 
Not quite Birmingham, I'm afraid, but not too far off it - Kenilworth Castle.

I've recently been given one or two quite remarkable photographs of a gathering there, demonstrating the might of a mobile Home Guard unit and, especially, a big gathering of Beaverettes, the nearest thing to an officially sanctioned and supplied armoured car that the Home Guard got. Most probably mainly Coventry blokes but let's hope there are one or two Brummies there to justify its inclusion! I'll post the best picture here but there are a couple of others of interest too.

It would be good to obtain further information about this gathering as our knowledge of it is a bit scanty. Contemporary press coverage, perhaps, although it all might have been too militarily sensitive a subject....

I have put all the information I have online, including magnified images, here: www.staffshomeguard.co.uk/DotherReminiscences181Coventry.htm It's safe to click on.

Chris

CoventryGeneralViewNew2w900.jpg
 
brilliant thanks Chris.i love the

Standard Beaverette

IWM-H-10928-Ballykinlar-19410619.jpg
 
Yes, sort of, but on nothing like the same scale. They were called the Volunteers. I have a couple of pictures, one of the Sutton unit and the other of the Knowle and Dorridge which includes my grandfather as a serving member and also my father, standing there as a guest whilst on convalescent leave from the Western Front. Both images are online.

Chris
 
Did the HG have the same powers as a regular. could they shoot a invader etc.....being civies would they get hanged for murder it did so
 
Full military powers, I think. And undoubtedly needed. This is the first set of orders from Battalion HQ at Aldridge to my father's Little Aston Platoon received at 23.15 on July 5th, 1940:

Information.
Reliable reports state that attack on this country is imminent. Attack may take the form of intensive aerial bombardment, landing by paratroops or landings from troop-carrying planes, and attack by sea.
Intention.
(a) Companies will obtain and report definite information of any such attempt.
(b) Companies will pin down, defeat and destroy any enemy who may land, by active attack with every weapon available, whether lethal or improvised. Defence will always be active.
Method.
2(b) does not mean attacks by small patrols and/or posts on large posts of enemy, but by surprise effect of controlled fire from carefully pre-selected positions. The observation posts, patrol posts and barriers, will be defended with vigour and determination.
There must not be and will not be any question of retirement.

No thoughts of future litigation/Courts of Enquiry/prosecutions at THAT moment!

Chris
 
Full military powers, I think. And undoubtedly needed. This is the first set of orders from Battalion HQ at Aldridge to my father's Little Aston Platoon received at 23.15 on July 5th, 1940:

Information.
Reliable reports state that attack on this country is imminent. Attack may take the form of intensive aerial bombardment, landing by paratroops or landings from troop-carrying planes, and attack by sea.
Intention.
(a) Companies will obtain and report definite information of any such attempt.
(b) Companies will pin down, defeat and destroy any enemy who may land, by active attack with every weapon available, whether lethal or improvised. Defence will always be active.
Method.
2(b) does not mean attacks by small patrols and/or posts on large posts of enemy, but by surprise effect of controlled fire from carefully pre-selected positions. The observation posts, patrol posts and barriers, will be defended with vigour and determination.
There must not be and will not be any question of retirement.

No thoughts of future litigation/Courts of Enquiry/prosecutions at THAT moment!

Chris
thanks Chris
 
Howard Fisher Morris, my dad's step brother, killed in Victoria Rd Aston during an air raid on the 30th July 1942 when serving with the Home guard.
I'm sorry, I seem to have missed these two posts at the time, Paul.

I should like to put a note commemorating Howard Fisher and his life and sacrifice in the Birmingham section of the staffshomeguard website, if that's OK with you. Before I do so, do you have readily available any further information about him - such as year of birth or age, family, where he lived, what his trade was; and anything at all about his Home Guard service, memories, documentation, the circumstances of his death?

Thanks.

Chris
 
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