A look back at Britain’s real Home Guard. Originally called the Local Defence Volunteers. Were the Home Guard a group of doddery old men with a few stupid boys thrown in? Or were they Britain’s last line of defence to protect against the German invasion in the summer of 1940? 

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The talk features the testimony of those who served in the Home Guard during these early days of the Home Guard and how for some of them, the role of a Home Guardsman became something very different from what they expected. One of the weapons that the British Government used to very great effect all through the Second World War was propaganda, and you will see some unique examples of it during this talk. 

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The title of this talk is taken from Captain George Mainwaring’s assessment of Private Frank Pike in the timeless comedy series Dad’s army. Paul Robbins is a self-confessed anorak about this great TV series and he explains the several links between the real Home Guard and the timeless TV series. 

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This is however primarily a talk about a time in British History when many expected to see the Country invaded and defeated by an all-powerful enemy. 

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Listeners can make up their mind after the presentation as to whether had the enemy made a landing on the coast of Britain, the Home Guard would have helped in defeating the invaders, and to quote the title song of the TV series “stopped Mr Hitler’s little game”.