MEMORIES
AND INFORMATION - STAFFORDSHIRE
The 26th STAFFORDSHIRE
(WILLENHALL and WEDNESFIELD)
BATTALION
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In
late 1942 or very early 1943 the Battalion wrote a brief
summary of its activities to date. This was at the behest
of Mr. Charles Graves who had been commissioned to write
a book entitled "The Home Guard of Great Britain"
(Hudson & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1943). The 26th Battalion
report was published and is reproduced in its entirety below.
26th SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE
BATTALION HOME GUARD
The Battalion was formed on January 20,
1941, from two Companies of the 24th Battalion, 'A' and
'E'. On formation four Companies were made - 'A' and 'B'
from the old 'A', both rural Companies, and 'C' and 'D'
from the old 'E', both urban Companies, under the command
of Lt. Col. A. T. Champion.
At the same time a Regular Adjutant - Capt.
Swales - was posted. The four Company Commanders
were Capts. Nelson, Evans, James and
Bowler.
On April 10, Major Bowler was appointed
second-in-command and Captain Legg took over 'D' Company.
In September, 1941, the Battalion went into
Camp at Kinver. 'C' and 'D'
on one week-end, and 'A' and 'B' the next. An Officers'
Mess and a Sergeants' Mess were started in November and
are still running.
A Football Team was started, inter-Battalion
matches were run with great success, but had to be stopped
on orders from higher authorities. In March, 1942, the Battalion
was represented in the Willenhall
and the Wednesfield Warship
Week Parades. From May to the end of September one Company
was at Camp at Brewood, each
week-end. At the end of July the Area had a severe air raid
at night and the Home Guard Inlying Picquets did exceptionally
good work in helping the Civil Defence Services, being congratulated
as a whole by Chief Constable of Staffordshire and the heads
of Civil Defence Services, and three men, Pte.
J. Tonks, Sgt. C. Southall and Signalman S. Griffiths,
being mentioned for distinguished service in Western Command
Orders. One man was severely wounded and sent to hospital
but has since rejoined.
The Battalion training has made steady progress
and has kept pace with the varying changes through which
the Home Guard functions have gone. It has its own 400 yards
Rifle Range, Bombing Range, Blacker Bombard Range and five
.22 Ranges. It is now organized into 16 first-line Platoons
and 16 second-line, under the command of Lt.
Col. A. T. Champion; Major
James, second-in-command, and Majors
Legg, Whitehouse and Adey and Captain Griffiths as
Company Commanders; Captain Swales,
Adjutant; Captain Stirzaker,
Quartermaster; Mr. Lambert,
R.S.M.
COMMANDING
OFFICER
26th
Battalion (Willenhall, Wednesfield) Staffordshire Home Guard.
An image of one of the units in the 26th
Staffordshire Battalion survives, pictured outside the premises
of Messrs. Jenks & Cattell. It is probably the works
unit.
