LDV History

General Background
After Germany invaded Poland on 1st September 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The first nine months of the war saw limited fighting and became known as the ‘Phoney War’ or ‘Bore War’. Little changed with the invasion of Norway and Denmark on the 9th April 1940. On the 10th May, Germany launched invasions against France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. As a result, fear that Britain would be next grew among both Government officials and the general public.

Formation of the LDV
There had previously been calls for the formation of a home front defence force, but these had been resisted officially. However, use of paratroops in the European invasions heightened fears that Britain could face similar assaults even without a seaborne invasion following. Across the country, small, independent, armed groups started to undertake their own patrols. Realising that these patrols could not be stopped; that they were beyond the control of the British military, and that armed but non-uniformed civilians could be shot out of hand as guerrillas by invading Germans, it was decided to legitimise them.

A plan was hastily put together and on the evening of the 14th May 1940, a radio announcement was made by the Secretary of State for War, Anthony Eden, calling for men between the ages of 17 and 65 to join the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV). The plans had been made so quickly that the necessary organisational framework was not in place. Despite telling people to register at their local police stations, many stations did not know this and found out about the LDV at the same time as the public. It was anticipated that 150,000-250,000 volunteers would come forward in total. In fact, 250,000 tried to join within the first week, and by mid-July, the number was 1.5 million. Despite being officially prohibited, thousands of women also joined and many LDV units allowed them to train alongside male recruits. You can find more information about women’s involvement here.

Equipment and Organisation
The LDV was a civilian rather than military force and this was reflected in their dress, organisation and arms. Officially the LDV were told that they would not be paid, but they would receive a uniform and weapons. However, the sole piece of uniform that was initially issued was a white or beige armband stenciled with ‘LDV’. ‘Green denim working uniforms, known as ‘denims’ started to appear towards the end of May and were issued to various units across the country. There distribution was piecemeal and it was not guaranteed that what was issued would be of the correct sizes, or even complete. A unit might receive 23 jackets of varying sizes, but only seven pairs of trousers. Due to the erratic sizing and a lack of warmth, denims were unpopular with LDV members.

Similarly, supplied arms remained almost non-existent for the LDV, with only a limited number of weapons being available, and ammunition even scarcer. The majority of volunteers patrolled with personal arms such as shotguns for the duration of their service in the LDV. A typical example would be C Company, 1st Battalion in Buckinghamshire. The Company had 27 .303 rifles, seven .22 rifles and 50 assorted shotguns for a total of over 280 men, meaning that less than a third were actually equipped with a firearm. This situation led to the image of the LDV being armed with all manner of weapons as men turned up to parades with 19th century guns, swords, and even an elephant gun. Instructions on how to make improvised weapons sent to units, and so an assortment of home-made petrol bombs, grenades, adapted shotgun cartridges and even simple light mortars were also created.

Ranks within the LDV were also civilian rather than military with Volunteer, Squad Commander etc. in place of Private, Corporal and so on. Military ranks were sometimes used informally within units, but not officially and no LDV rank could claim any authority over regular soldiers.

Role
Initially the role of the LDV was seen as being static. They were to guard vulnerable areas, man roadblocks and generally observe and report on enemy movement. However, members generally saw themselves in a more proactive role. This led to the formation of late evening and early morning roving patrols that were on the lookout for spies, 5th Columnists and enemy troops attempting to parachute into the country. Unfortunately, this zealousness also meant that many Volunteers manning the roadblocks were often over eager with regards to stopping vehicles and their reaction to those that didn’t. Combined with a lack of training and experience in handling firearms, there were a number of civilian fatalities as shots aimed at the wheels of a vehicle driving through a roadblock kicked up and hit the driver or a passenger instead.

Change to the Home Guard
Churchill had been behind the concept of the LDV from the beginning, and had even suggested creating a home defence force in October 1939 while he was still First Lord of the Admiralty. However, he was never happy with the name ‘Local Defence Volunteers’ and much preferred ‘Home Guard’. Despite reluctance from Anthony Eden, and the fact that an order for 1 million LDV armbands had been placed, Churchill changed the name to ‘Home Guard’ on the 23rd July 1940, meaning that the LDV existed for only ten weeks. Due to the scale of the changeover, there was not an immediate switch from the civilian LDV to a fully uniformed Home Guard. The use of LDV and then HG armbands with civilian clothes continued through the summer of 1940 until denims, if not proper battledress, had made their way to the majority of units.

Key Dates in 1940

  • 9th April – Germany invades Denmark and Norway
  • 10th May – Germany invades The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. Chamberlain resigns and Churchill becomes Prime Minister 
  • 14th May – Secretary of State for War, Anthony Eden, issues the call for LDV members
  • 20th May – German forces reach the French coast of the English Channel
  • 26th May – The Dunkirk Evacuation (Operation Dynamo) begins
  • June – Construction of pill-boxes and other defences start
  • 25th June – France surrenders to Germany. 
  • 30th June – Germany invades the Channel Islands
  • 10th July – Battle of Britain begins
  • 23rd July – The LDV is officially renamed the Home Guard
  • 30th August – Start of The Blitz
  • 31st October – End of the Battle of Britain

Further Reading
Armstrong, C., Edinburgh at War 1939-1945 (Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2018) 
Covers many aspects of the city during the war, but has an interesting section on the LDV in Edinburgh.
Brophy J., Home Guard: A Handbook for the L.D.V. (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1940)
The original manual used by the LDV, covering many areas such as drill, weapons use and dealing with parachutists.
MacKenzie,S.P., The Home Guard: A Military and Political History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995)
An excellent book detailing the origins and formation of the LDV (and then the Home Guard) and their role during the war.
Osbourne, Brian D., The People’s Army: Home Guard in Scotland 1940-1944 (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2009)
The story of the LDV and Home Guard in Scotland and the impact it had on society.
Summerfield, Penny & Peniston-Bird, Corinna, Contesting Home Defence: Men, Women and the Home Guard in the Second World War (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007)
Discusses unofficial contributions to the LDV and Home Guard, with a particular focus on women’s roles.