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MEMORIES and INFORMATION: 32nd Battn. (16)
32nd STAFFORDSHIRE
(ALDRIDGE) BATTN.
"C" COY. BROWNHILLS
Pte. JACK BENTON
and
THOMAS RICHARDS
(27th
or 32nd Staffordshire Battalions)
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 Pte.
John Benton
(1920 -
1998 ,
and known as Jack)
was a member of "C" Company of the
32nd
Staffordshire (Aldridge) Battalion. "C"
Coy's. area of responsibility was in the
northern part of the Battalion's territory as
can be seen from the Home Guard era map
(right,
click on image for magnified version).
There is more information about the Company
here.
Jack Benton was born into a family
who ran Ryders
Hayes Farm in Pelsall. He lived
initially in Pelsall and later, at the farm
near to the Horse
and Jockey in Walsall Wood; then in
Green Lane, Walsall
Wood; and then finally, in the 1950s,
in Poxon Road.
He always worked in the mining industry, at
Walsall Wood Colliery then later at Lea Hall
Colliery, Rugeley. During that time he
helped on family farms at the same time as
working as a miner. His work exempted
him from military call-up. He retired from the
Coal Board in the mid 1980s.
Little is known of Jack's Home Guard
service nor of the date when he volunteered,
or was conscripted. Confirmation of his
affiliation is however contained within the
results of a Board which he attended on
Wednesday 8th December 1943 at an unknown
location within the Battalion area, perhaps,
B.H.Q. in Aldridge, Stubbers Green or Barr
Beacon.
From it we learn that Jack Benton was
certified as proficient in many areas of Home
Guard operation: use of rifle, Sten
Carbine and 36M grenade; signalling;
battlecraft; field work and General Knowledge
- in other words, most of the skills necessary
for an infantry soldier and gained through
countless hours of training.
The signatories' initials against each
category cannot be identified but no doubt
belonged to NCO and junior officer
instructors. The President of the Board was
Major S. A. Goode,
M.M., who was either a Company Commander or
who had a senior responsibility within the
Battalion for training. And the final
authorising signature, on 8th March 1944 after
an inexplicable delay, was that of
Lt.-Col. Charles
Cartwright, Battalion C.O.
(seen right
- he also appears in many other parts of this
website).
A surviving contemporary image of Jack Benton
shows him in the centre of the photograph with
his daughter on his knee. This was taken at
around the end of the war, perhaps after he
had hung up his Home Guard uniform for the
last time.
Jack Benton's family
history would later contain another Home Guard
element. Thomas
Richards worked at Birlec, in Aldridge. Long into the future, after this
group photograph was taken, Thomas's son
married the little girl on her father's knee.
Thomas Richards
(1909
-1976), a coal
miner before moving to Birlec, was born and
later lived in
Station Road, Bloxwich - somewhere near
the boundary of the 32nd Staffordshire
(Aldridge) Battalion and that of the
27th Staffordshire
(Walsall) Battalion. There is so far no
evidence to indicate to which of these two
battalions he belonged although the stronger
likelihood is the 27th. Family documents
indicate that at some time in the 1920s or
1930s he applied to join the Territorial Army.
Assuming that he did in fact serve, the
military experience he gained would have stood
him in very good stead in the Home Guard; and
may even have led to an early appointment to a
position of authority there - as an N.C.O.,
perhaps.
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Further information about nearby units
is contained elsewhere within this website,
including Walsall, Pelsall and Walsall Wood. Use
the Staffordshire Information Index link below. Or
use the
SITE SEARCH function)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Grateful acknowledgement is made to Lynn Lynk for
this information about her grandfathers.
(Images
© Lynn Lynk 2020)
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