SECOND BIRTHDAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 October 1942, Page 4

SECOND BIRTHDAY

BRITAIN’S HOME GUARD. DIRECTOR-GENERAL BROADCASTS. Major General Viscount Bridgeman, D. 5.0., M.P., Director General of Britain’s Home Guard, recently broadcast in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s overseas short wave service on the second anniversary of the founding of that body. Britain’s great volunteer army for Home Defence came into being almost over-night, in 1940, as the Local Defence Volunteers. Composed of those under or over calling-up age, and those whose occupations reserved them from serving with any of the regular fighting forces, the membership of the corps, expected to total half a million, had to be halted, at the end of a week, at something over a million and a half. These “spare-time” soldiers, since known as the Home Guard, and a recognised part of the Armed Forces, are for the most part men who do a job of work by day. In their leisure hours they are trained to be ready to deal with any local emergency, and so free the regular Army to meet the main attack of the invader.

Viscount Bridgeman’s father, the first Viscount, was, up to his death in 1935. one of the Governors of the 8.8. C. He was succeeded, for the remainder of his term of office, by Viscountess Bridgeman, his wife.