Home Guard Female Auxillaries Sidecap

[leigh kitchen]

As from 20/4/1943 a limited number of women were allowed to be "Nomnated Women" for service with the Home Guard, performing clerical, cooking & driving duties.

The age limit was between 18 & 65 years of age, but most were in the older age groups as younger women were called up to the miltary & for industrial work.

Many of the women who did serve with the Home Guard were already members of the Women's Voluntary Service.

On 26/7/1944 they were designated "Home Guard Auxilaries" but the 30,000 - plus Auxillaries were stood down along with the rest of the Home Guard on 1/11/1944, the threat of invasion by Germany being considered over.

The Auxillaries had no uniforms but were issued a brooch of light gold coloured plastic for wear on their civilian clothing, the badge was about 1 5/8" in diameter, & consisted of the letters "HG" within a circular laurel wreath.

The badge is often mistaken by dealers & others as a "Home Guard capbadge", which it isn't, however this sidecap, named inside to "Ivy Hill" bears the badge as a capbadge.

Ivy Hill lived & performed duties in the Charlton area of South East London, & although I never met her, gave me this cap via my aunt Kit about 40 years ago.

Edited June 6, 2009 by leigh kitchen

[leigh kitchen]

The badge:

[Guest charlie m]

Absolutly superb just love the badge :cheers:

[Graham Stewart]

Leigh - don't know if you're aware but the Home Guard operated a number of Anit-Aircraft Batteries and I'm certain that among them were a number of "(Mixed)" Batteries. For years I've been led to believe that these batteries(rightly or wrongly) indicated they were operated by both men and women. Could it be, that possibly Ivy was a member of one of these batteries and as such would be allowed to wear the FSC complete with badge?

As far as I'm aware she wouldn't have been allowed to wear the badge of other womens Corps(as there was no HG equivalent) or that of the Royal Artillery, being a woman Home Guarder. However I do recall seeing photos of women in khaki among groups of male artillery colleagues, wearing RA collar badges above their left breast pocket as a broach, whom I'm sure were Home Guard. I've also seen a photo of nurses among khaki clad males wearing the above HG badge, again on the left breast of the white nurses pinnafore.

[leigh kitchen]

Yes, I thought that there were HG AA Batteries, but I'd never given any thought to what badges the females would wear in headgear - if they're not wearing RA, then if something's worn I suppose it could very well be this plastic HG badge.

[jagwca]

Graham,I've never heard of mixed Home Guard AA Batteries but that could be just me.There were however mixed RA Batteries with members of the ATS wearing the RA grenade over their left breast pocket at first operating and servicing the ancillery equipment(range finders and Radar)then on rocket batteries took over the weapons a friend served on one in Hyde Park first on radar then a gun number.

So it's quite likely that women served on Home Guard Batteries after about 1943.

John

[Graham Stewart]

John,

All of my Orbats, plus a copy of Home Guard Regulations and a photocopy of a Home Guard List are at home, but would I be right in saying that all of the Rocket Batteries that you mention were actully manned by the Home Guard? I think they also went by the name of 'Z' A-A Batteries and I think I have either seen or own(can't remember what I've got) a lapel badge for them.