The 'ME' Women's Home Guard

[ARPCDHG]

Photos and insignia of women Home Guard units are comparatively rare.

But one semi-famous set of publicity photos and Pathe film show a southern factory unit of women Home Guards c.1941/42 in uniform. It shows them marching and undertaking rifle drill.

They wear shoulder titles made of cut down Home Guard titles so that they read 'ME GUARD' (removing the first two letters).

Presumably, the 'ME' is the coincidental initials of the company they worked for?

If so, does anybody know which company it was or if it wasn't company initials, what the 'ME' stood for?

[Home Guard]

Don't know, but very interesting!!!

Terry

[mike_vee]

Found the Pathe film , "Arms And The Girls" , but couldn't see any clues as to where they were.

Also a post on Facebook about it :

They design and had made their own uniform, and so not to upset the authorities they cut the HO off the Home Guard Badge, they did drill and rifle training and made a publicity film about their activities.

Not really much help but I did enjoy watching the film.

.

[btns]

link to the film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ1NT6xp5GE

[Hoot]

The instructor is wearing the cap badge of the East Surrey Regiment.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Hoot

The instructor is wearing the cap badge of the East Surrey Regiment.

That may tie in with an article I found:

" Women were joining Home Guard units and training with their male members, at least some of whom evidently did not subscribe to the taboo deeply embedded in the thinking of the political leaders. In the autumn of 1941 there were a number of such reports, including one about a Home Guard factory unit in Tolworth, Surrey, where ‘girls’ working at the factory had for three months been drilling, marching and learning to use rifles with the men. Horrified by such developments, the War Office issued an order published in The Times on 12 November 1941 "

The War Office has sent an order to all Home Guard units that the training of women as unofficial Home Guard units has not been authorized. Weapons and ammunition in the charge of the Army or of Home Guard units must not be used for the instruction of women and the use of the name Home Guard is not permitted.

I wonder if , as the Women's Home Guard unit was "unofficially" recognised , they would have worn standard Home Guard titles and simply snipped off the HO to comply with the War Office order..... and to show their feelings about the Home Office !

.