Stephen lived at 71 Allendale Road, South Yardley but later he was known to be living at 120 Little Green Lane, Small Heath. It is most probable that he was at the latter address when he joined the Home Guard.  His place of work was Latch & Batchelors/Webster & Horsfall.

Little is so far known of Stephen's Home Guard service, including the period for which he served, his rank, his main functions and the sub-unit of which he was a part. The only evidence so far uncovered is this excellent group image where Stephen can be seen, back row, second from the left. He is part of a group of nineteen Warrant Officers and senior NCOs. We cannot see what stripes he is wearing but the likelihood is that he holds the rank of sergeant. The vast majority of senior NCOs in the Home Guard, at least in the earlier years, were men with military service gained in the Great War. Later, men with special personal qualities of leadership and also with particular knowledge and skills, but no previous military experience prior to Home Guard service, were promoted to these ranks. Stephen was too young to have seen Great War service and so, unless he had obtained military experience in the inter-war years, his holding of this rank would have been the result of his own special personal qualities which marked him out.

The photograph was taken at the Royal Warwickshire Regiment Barracks on Golden Hillock Road (which has survived into the 21st century and is now home to the Royal Signals Territorials). The background is the same on several of the 37th Battalion images elsewhere in the website and several of the faces here also appear in the other photographs. We do not know the section to which these men belonged; they may well be the senior NCOs of a particular Company within the Battalion.  Again, the occasion is unknown.  It could be on any date between the end of 1940 and very early 1944 (and thus some time in 1941-43) and it could well coincide with some special event: perhaps a celebration of one of the Home Guard anniversaries in May each year or a parade in support of a "Salute the Soldier" or "Wings for Victory" fund-raising campaign.