Home Guard units in the Greater Manchester Area in the Second World War

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The Home Guard/ Local Defence Volunteers or LDV, or in slang, Look-Duck-Vanish, hence the name change was a defence organisation of the British Army during the Second World War.

Operational from 1940 until 1944, the Home Guard—comprising 1.5 million local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, usually owing to age, hence the nickname 'Dad's Army' — acted as a secondary defence force, in case of invasion by the forces of Nazi Germany and their allies.

The Home Guard guarded the coastal areas of Britain and other important places such as airfields, factories and explosives stores.

Lancashire raised 71 battlions of the Home Guard as well as numerous Heavy anti-aircraft units and Light anti-aircraft units, also Home Guard Transport Columns, And Women's Home Guard units, Railway battalions, Post Office battalions.

Units of the Home Guard were affiliated to and administrated by their local Territorial Army Association,and it was stipulated that each unit should wear the cap badge of the county in which it was raised.

However there were some exceptions, the 24th Lancashire ( Wigan County) battlion had close links with the Loyal Regiment rather then the Manchester Regiment.

The following Lancashire Home Guard units were cap badge as follows:

1,4 & 7th Bn, Kings Own Royal Regiment.
5,6,8,12-15 & 24th Bn, Loyal Regiment ( North Lancashire).
9-11,28-32 & 62nd Bn, East Lancashire Regiment.
21,22,27,41-43,55,60 & 64th Bn, Lancashire Fusiliers.
23,25,26,44-51,56,61 & 63rd Bn, Manchester Regiment.
57-59,92nd Bn (Badge according to Post Office location).
71-74,77,82-91st Bn, Kings Regiment ( Liverpool).
75,76,78-81 & 93rd Bn, South Lancashire Regiment.

All battalions were prefixed with Lancashire, "eg"  46th Lancashire ( South Manchester & Withington) Battalion (Bn).

14th Bn Bolton County & Horwick.
15th Bn Bolton.
21st Bn Bury.
22nd Bn Rochdale.
23rd Bn Oldham.
24th Bn Wigan County & Hindley.
25th Bn Leigh.
26th Bn Wigan.
27th Bn Rochdale.
41st Bn Prestwich.
42nd Bn Eccles.
43rd Bn Salford.
44th Bn Stretford.
45th Bn Trafford Park.
46th Bn South Manchester & Withington.
47th Bn Wythenshawe.
48th Bn Manchester & Ardwick.
49th Bn Manchester.
50th Bn Manchester & Ancoats.
51st Bn Ashton under Lyne.
55th Bn Manchester Collieries & Walkden.
56th Bn Manchester.
57th Bn 21st General Post Office (GPO) Manchester.
58th Bn 22nd (GPO) Manchester.
59th Bn 23rd (GPO) Manchester.
60th Bn Heywood & Radcliffe.
61st Bn Manchester University.
63rd Bn Manchester & Moston.
64th Bn Middleton.


Here are the rest of the Lancashire Home Guard units to help with your research on the Lancashire Home Guard units in the Second World War.

1st Bn Barrow.
2nd Bn North Lonsdale & Ulverston.
3rd Bn Lancaster City.
4th Bn South Lonsdale & Morecambe.
5th Bn Preston County.
6th Bn Kirkham.
7th Bn Blackpool.
8th Bn Preston City.
9th Bn Blackburn County.
10th Bn Blackburn.
11th Bn Leyland.
12th Bn Croston.
28th Bn Nelson.
29th Bn Burnley.
30th Bn Accrington.
31st Bn Rossendale & Rawtenstall.
32nd Bn Bacup.
71st Bn Ormskirk.
72nd Bn Crosby.
73rd Bn Maghull.
74th Bn Southport.
75th Bn St Helens.
76th Bn Golborne.
77th Bn Bootle.
78th Bn Warrington.
79th Bn Newton le Willows.
80th Bn Widnes.
81st Bn Prescot.
82nd Bn Liverpool & Toxteth.
83rd Bn Liverpool & Anfield.
84th Bn Liverpool & Woolton.
85th Bn Liverpool & Childwall.
86th Bn Liverpool & Stoneycroft.
87th Bn Liverpool & Aigburth.
88th Bn Liverpool & Bootle.
89th Bn Liverpool.
90th Bn Liverpool Corporation Passenger Transport.
91st Bn Lancashire (LMS) Liverpool.
92nd Bn 20th (GPO) Liverpool.
93th Bn St Helens.


Anti-Aircraft Regiment Home Guard Units

23rd Anti-Aircraft Regiment Salford Lancashire.
122nd (101st East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Battery(Bty), Salford.
203rd (102nd East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty,Stratford.
204th (103rd East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty, Manchester.
205th (104th East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty, Manchester.
216th (105th East Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty,Rusholme, Manchester.
71st Lancashire Home Guard HAA Bty Eccles.

24th Anti-Aircraft Regiment Home Guard Liverpool, Lancashire.
172nd (101st West Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty, Bootle.
201st (102nd West Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty, Liverpool.
202nd (103rd West Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty,Liverpool.
226th (104th West Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty,Preston.
108th (105th West Lancashire Home Guard) AA Rocket Bty, Barrow in Furness.
171st West Lancashire Home Guard HAA Bty, Liverpool.


Home Guard Light Anti-Aircraft Troops.

Serial No 400.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/ battery (Bty), 45th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, Ford Motor Company Ltd, Trafford Park, Manchester.

Serial No 401.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty 49th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point,  A.V. Roe & Co Ltd, Newton Heath, Manchester.

Serial No 402.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  46th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, Reynold & Coventry Chain Co Ltd, Manchester.

Serial No 403.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  62nd Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, Magnesium Elektron Ltd, Padiham.


Serial No 407.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  11th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point,  Bristol Aeroplane Co.Ltd, Accrington.

Serial No 409.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  64th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, A.V. Cossor Ltd, Chadderton.

Serial No 410.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  63rd Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, A.V. Roe & Co.Ltd Chadderton.

Serial No 411.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  42nd Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, Magnesium Elektron Ltd, Clifton Junction, Swinton.

Serial No 412.
LAA/Troop B.
Parent Battalion/Bty  11th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point. Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd, Clitheroe.

Serial No 413.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  23nd Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, H.M. Hobson (A&M) Components Ltd, Oldham.

Serial No 415.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  14th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable poin, Electricity Power Station, Kearsley.

Serial No 423.
LAA/Troop B.
Parent Battalion/Bty  78th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, Rubery Owen Messier Ltd, Warrington.

Serial No 428.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  78th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point, British Aluminium Co Ltd, Warrington.

Serial No 431.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  83rd Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  D.Napier & Son Ltd, West Derby, Liverpool.

Serial No 432.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  4th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd, Heysham.

Serial No 433.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  81st Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point British Insulated Cables Ltd, Prescot.

Serial No 435.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  8th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point English Electric Co Ltd, Preston.

Serial No 437.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  1st Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness.

Serial No 438.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  7th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Blackpool.

Serial No 440.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  9th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  English Electric Co Ltd, Samlesbury.

Serial No 441.
LAA/Troop A & B.
Parent Battalion/Bty  12th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  ROF,Chorley

Serial No 442.
LAA/Troop D.
Parent Battalion/Bty  12th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  Leyland Motors Ltd,Chorley.

Serial No 443.
LAA/Troop C.
Parent Battalion/Bty  12th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  Leyland Motors Ltd,  Leyland.

Serial No 444.
LAA/Troop B.
Parent Battalion/Bty  7th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  Brooklands Aviation Ltd, Blackpool.

Serial No 445.
LAA/Troop A.
Parent Battalion/Bty  15th Lancashire.
Factory/Vulnerable point  de Havilland Aircraft Co.Ltd,  Lostock.



 

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Badges

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Here are some write-ups I found relating to some of the Home Guard units in the Lancashire and Manchester areas.

Group V, Zone 3, Home Guard Lancashire and Border District.

1. With in a few days of Mr Edens broadcast announcing the formation of the L.D.V. some 7000 applications for enrolment had been received at the Police Station in Central and Northern and Eastern areas of Manchester.

2. The Organisation of Group E in Zone 3 of the East Lancashire area, which was to cover the whole of the city except the Southern suburbs, was undertaken by Captain HD Nicholls,formerly of the Manchester Regiment and the Tank Corps. Enrolment centres were improvised and essential equipment, begged, borrowed or stolen.The staff of what was soon afterwards to become a Battalion was organised almost entirely from the first recruits.

Within a week or two 3 Provisional Companies were formed,soon to become 6. In the meantime the Battlion Headquarters began "to sign" on an increasing number of Works Detachments which were mainly organised in the "Big Works", at the Railway Depots and in the G.P.O. and Telephone Services, In 6 or 7 weeks these detachments numbered 90.

From the start the outside Companies were relieved of responsibility for organising the Works Detachments, which dealt directly with the Battalion Commander, but it was soon found necessary to devise special machinery to group the "Works" and to link up with each Group with Battalion. The Works were divided into 7 "Works Liaison Groups" so-called because in each group the individual Works were made responsible to an Officer who acted as a Channel of Communication from Battalion, Maj S.E. Crooke M.C. was appointed to act as "Senior Works Liaison Officer".  A Battalion of such strength could hardly remain so organised, when other Battalions in Zone 3 were formed into groups the opportunity was taken to split E Battlion and into 3 and so form E-group afterwards Group V.

At this stage the Organisation of the "Liaising Groups" proved useful for it became the basis of 2 new Battlions Organisations, the Works L.Os becoming Company Commanders, the newlyformed Group was comprised:

E Battalion ( afterwards 48th the County of Lancashire Battalion), consisting entirely of "Outside" or "Field Companies", and generally responsible for the whole area including the Works' responsibilities.

S Battlion ( afterwards 49th County of Lancashire Battalion), consisting entirely of companies comprising Works Detachments in North and East Manchester.

T Battlion (afterwards 50th County of Lancashire Battalion), composed of Works and Railway Detachments nearer the city centre.

The G.P.O. and Telephone detachments were shortly transferred to a new GPO zone.

At a later date a new Battalion, the (63rd County of Lancashire Battalion) was formed taking over the responsibilities of the (48th and 49th Battalion) for one section of the Group area.

Group V was an unusual Group, with 3 Battalions operating in the same area,instead of Battalion areas lying side-by-side; gradually, however the territorial responsibility of the Works Battalion were extended and defined, with a clear understanding between the Battalions as to their lines of contact.

With the establishment of a Local Defence Scheme for the Group as a whole, each Battalion fell into its appropriate place, so that well defined Industrial areas were defended by the men from their own works, side-by-side with men from the Field Battalion which was responsible for the less Industrialised Districts.

3. Many Sub-units of the Group played a stout part in the Firefighting and Rescue work during the Big Manchester Blitz of 1940,and afterwards the group organised a number of nightly pickets in the centre of the City.

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No 3 Zone Home Guard Lancashire Border District.

A few days after the broadcast announcement of the formation of the Local Defence Volunteers, Colonel B.Shelmerdine,MC.TD, was called by telephone and asked if he would undertake the responsibility of Commanding No 3 Zone.  He agreed, and set to work immediately, a room in the offices of the East Lancashire Territorial Association was made available and he gathered around him a group of officers who had gain very valuable experience,not only in the Territorial Army but the Regular Army.  He obtained the services of Maj J.W.Hastings, DCM, with a long association with the TA and quite recent service in the Army. Lt/Col F.Franks, Maj Drummond of Liverpool University, Capt Patterson, Capt Duckworth, home on leave from West Africa, Maj Sinclair, Capt Carrington and several others and within a few days an admin staff was working smoothly together.

Before the end of the month 11 Battalions had been formed and their Commanding Officers selected,in the early days Battalions were known by letters of the alphabet, here they are with the names of the Commanding Officers as they stood at May 25th, 1940.

A Battalion, Prestwich, Mr Orr.
B Battalion, Swinton, Lt web.
C Battalion, Salford, Capt D Howard.
D Battalion, Trafford Park & district,Maj Howard.
E Battalion, City centre, Capt Nichols.
F Battalion, Withington, Capt Rothband.
G Battalion, Wythenshawe, Capt Simpson.
K Battalion, Ashton-under-Lyne, Col Robinson OBE,TD.
L Battalion, Stockport, Maj Hollandsworth.
M Battalion, Hyde, Capt Jack's.
P Battalion, Cheadle, Capt Beaumont.

It is interesting to look back and reflect on the conditions of the summer of 1940, this Zone now extremely formidable in its numbers and equipment received its first issue of arms 600 hundred rifls, at the same time on May 25th, 1940 it got its first issue of uniforms 600 suits, of ammunition at that dated it had only 12,000 rounds.

During the Blitz on Manchester in December 1940 the Home Guard turned out and did excellent work, men were on duty nightly in all parts of Manchester and District, for Traffic Control, Firefighting, Guarding Buildings etc, and discipline was excellent.

Each day the strength of the service was increased by thousands, in the LDV offices at the T.A. the administration staff was working long into the night to organise the men into effective military formations.  By June 6th strength was increasing at a rapid rate and by August 10th it was already a formidable figure, from the small beginnings the LDV grew into the Home Guard.

Before the introduction of Commissions the badges of rank with fixed as:
Zone Commander 4 blue stripes.
Battalion Commander 3 stripes.
Company Commander 2 stripes
Platoon Commander 1 stripe.

Meanwhile the Battalion Commanders had in many cases established Headquarters in their own homes, organising and ordering their Companies and Platoons in their own dining rooms or spare rooms, shotguns or weapons of any descriptions were being issued to the men as soon as received and within a few days actually of the LDV coming into being the ex-servicemen of the Battalion were patrolling the streets and lanes and the schemes of defence lines and strong points were in being manned and armed to the best of the Commanders ability with the material at their disposal.

More later.

[mack]

Lt/col frank,dalton webb was the CO of the 42nd battalion from 1940 till 1945,he previously served in WW1 as sgt 1043 f.d webb,1/6th manchesters,he died on 7th september 1960,theres a memorial plaque to him in st.marys church,eccles
at the time of his death,he lived at 16 ellesmere rd,eccles

mack