17th City of London Home Guard

[High Wood]

At my local auction house last night I was lucky enough to buy a house clearance lot relating to the 17th City of London Battalion, Home Guard and the 33rd (L.N.E.R) Middlesex Battalion, Home Guard; all of which belonged to the same man. Apart from the badges there are masses of paperwork that was spread over four lots. Unfortunately between viewing and bidding someone swiped a 16 COL title so there are not two pairs of each title.

The cap has the Middlesex Regiment cap badge as worn by the 33 MX rather than the Royal Fusiliers cap badge as worn by the 16 COL. The initials T S are marked inside and represent Tom Spurgeon, the original owner.

[High Wood]

17th City of London Battalion title.

[Peter Brydon]

Simon,

Great items, presumably your local auction does not have CCTV to monitor the viewings and viewers or even a load of porters on duty at the viewings keeping their eyes open for viewers pocketing items.

I have heard lots of other tales of similar losses of parts of lots between the viewing and the buyer collecting won lots. Sadly a sign of the times.

Peter

[High Wood]

Peter,

sadly no obvious security and the whole auction is a rather ramshackle affair.

Simon.

[High Wood]

Here are all the Home Guard items excluding the paperwork. I particularly like the grenade tag. I also wonder where the piece of shrapnel was picked up from; it was probably a souvenir of the Blitz.

[badjez]

I think that the badges you have all come from the same man. In March 1942 the 17 CoL Bn was divided with detachments in North West London forming a new 33 Middx Bn. Those in North East London continued as 17 CoL Bn.

Both these battalions were made up of men who worked on the LNER railway system (stations, goods yards, engine sheds etc).

Stephen.