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HOME GUARD MEMORIES AND INFORMATION - WARWICKSHIRE, BIRMINGHA
2nd WARWICKSHIRE (RUGBY) BATTN.
"C" COMPANY,
SOUTHAM
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The
2nd Warwickshire (Rugby) Battalion
defended the town of
Rugby
and adjoining areas, under the
command of
Lt.-Col. D.C.M. Beech, M.C.
(1941).
Within that Battalion, "C"
Coy. was responsible for the
neighbourhood of
Southam and
was sub-divided into at least
two platoons.
This associated
page contains images and
information relating to the
activities of the Southam
Company/Platoon.
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The entire unit, comprising a large
number of men
men, parade on a dismal, wintry,
Sunday morning in front of scattered
groups of villagers.... |
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It's good when it's over...... |
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On 15th
October 1944,
Pte. T.G. Beck wins a
cup for being the best shot in the
"Southam Platoon", presented by
Sgt. T. Kendall. |
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In the early part of 1944, it
seems that Private C. of No. 1 Platoon had been less
than assiduous in attending parades
of his unit - or at least careless
in seeking prior permission for
absence. The
sanction from
E.W. Bates,
(probably C.S.M., and acting on behalf
of Lt.
P.G. Kelsey), is hardly draconian: "Turn up
next time at 19.30 - or as soon afterwards as
you can!" |
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A
Southam Home Guard training rifle
THE
SOUTHAM HOME GUARD
In
September 1989, on the fiftieth
anniversary of the beginning of the
Second World War, these extracts from
the reminiscences of one of the
Southam Home Guard,
E.W. (Ted)
Bates were published:
After
France had capitulated to the Germans
and our army had been defeated and
evacuated from Dunkirk, Churchill
rallied our men to form a Home Guard,
known at first as the Local Defence
Volunteers, to defend our country in
the event of a German invasion. All we
had to fight with were a few Ross
rifles supplied by the Americans, a
few rounds of ammo, a few pitchforks
and bags of courage.
Major
Nickalls
(Major M.
Nickalls, M.C.),
an officer of the Great War of
1914-18, was elected to lead the
Southam
Home Guard company. We had a
platoon from each village in the
Southam area and in each platoon were
ex-soldiers from the Great War,
including Bill Sturley
(Capt. W.W.
Sturley)
from Southam,
an ex-officer,
Bob
Morgan, from
Long
Itchington, Bert Taylor
(Lt. B.G.
Taylor)
from
Stockton and
Billy
Timms and myself from
Southam.
I was
an ex-regular, not long discharged
from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment,
and I was asked by Bill Sturley to
train the Southam Platoon with the
help of
Ernie Pitton, also an
ex-regular. I mentioned Billy Timms
and myself especially because we did
the first guard duty done in Southam.
Everybody was expecting an invasion,
and on the first Saturday evening
after Dunkirk we started guard duty on
the Market
Hill. Timms and myself took it
in turns, two hours on and two hours
off all night, and we had plenty of
folks taking the mickey in a very
friendly way as we walked up and down,
but we carried on. After we had all
taken turns in doing this night duty
for two or three weeks, it was decided
to scrap that idea and our Platoon
carried out dusk and dawn patrols, 8
to 12 midnight and 6 to 8 in the
mornings, every day until the Second
Front was opened in France two and a
half years later.......
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Grateful acknowledgement
is
made to
Bernard Cardogan
The Cardall Collection, Southam
and
David G.P. Morse
x146 -
January 2017
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