Ulster Home Guard

Hello,

from my London Irish topic I thought I would share this photo of the local Ulster Home Guard platoon. Notice the officers are wearing a silver/white metal version of the UHG badge.

Jonny

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

Was there not something odd about the Ulster Home Guard insofar as they were, in some way, attached to the Royal Ulster Constabulary? Or am I getting confused with the 'A', 'B' and 'C' specials? It would certainly be interesting to see a few more RIC or RUC material in this forum.

From a Home Guard website; (www.home-guard.org.uk)

In mainland Britain, the Home Guard were administered through their county Territorial Army Associations. Members of the Home Guard also attested (swore a military oath of allegiance to the Crown) and were, therefore, a legitimate part of the Armed Forces of the Crown.

"In Ulster there was no Territorial Army and so the Ulster Home Guard was administered through the Royal Ulster Constabulary and members were sworn in as Special Constables. This may not seem to be too much of a problem but as Special Constables, the Ulster Home Guard were not technically part of the Armed Forces of the Crown, were not protected by the Geneva Convention and if they took up arms against an invading enemy could, legally, be shot as partisans or guerillas. It is also of interest to note that Platoon Sergeant W.B. Anderson of the Ulster Home Guard was awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) whereas all other awards of the medal (and OBE's & MBE's) to members of the Home Guard were Military Division awards.

This strange situation was not noticed until 1942 when members of the Ulster Home Guard were re-attested as members of the Armed Forces of the Crown. They continued to wear the Royal Ulster Constabulary cap badge"

Attached is a picture of special constables circa 1924

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

Thank you for the full and prompt reply - that was the sequence of events that I was trying to recall. I take it that there was no change in terms of their cap badges.

Yes, they continued wearing the badge of the RUC and yellow on khaki shoulders titles and county battalion.

Jonny

[ard-ri]

Here is an Ulster Home Guard badge listed on ebay

Item number: 170209883242

Cheers, Michael