How women in Oxfordshire played a vital role in the Home Guard

There was initial surprise when we published the picture above (Memory Lane, July 19) with five women in what looked like civilian clothes.

We even unwisely suggested that they might be wives accompanying their husbands.

Regular contributor David Brown quickly put us right by pointing out that two of the women were wearing Home Guard armbands and four were wearing the special women’s auxiliary Home Guard badge.

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Now Peter Salcombe, secretary of the Oxfordshire Home Guard and Home Front Living History Group, has added more details of the part women played in wartime.

He writes: “At least three of those in the picture were members of the Home Guard. They are wearing Home Guard armbands and Women’s Home Guard badges (worn in this picture as brooches).

“Ladies were unofficially part of the Home Guard from the beginning, helping with office work, as transport drivers, as first aiders and occasionally as dispatch riders.

“Some who were members of gun clubs, helped to instruct rifle shooting, which was completely against the rules.

“The Government and the Army tried to ban them, but the Home Guard were a law unto themselves and ignored the instructions.

“At the end of 1943, they gave up and agreed that women would become official members and were issued with an armband, badge (plastic, now very collectable) and an Army side cap.

“Because of the hair style, many women left off the cap, as you can see in the picture.

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“The issue of these badges dates the picture to 1944, probably part of the stand-down parades that took place at the end of that year.”

He points out that only three of the men in the picture were commissioned officers - the rest were NCOs.

He also agrees with Mr Brown that the man in civilian clothes, second from the left in the third row, was Lord Nuffield, creator of the Cowley car industry.

As group secretary, Mr Salcombe keeps a database of those who served in the Home Guard in Oxfordshire. He has more than 3,400 names and 30 pictures of Home Guard units – and is keen to add more to the collection.

He writes: “On Remembrance weekend, our group places Poppy wreaths on the graves of local Home Guard men who died on duty. We know of six at the moment.

“I would like readers to contact me if they have names or pictures of members of the Oxfordshire Home Guard.”

They should be sent to him at petersalcombe@tiscali.co.uk

As we recalled, the Cowley car factories became No 1 Civilian Repair Unit and instead of making cars, workers put thousands of damaged aircraft back into service. Mines, trucks, and many aircraft components were also produced by the workforce, which included many women. All the work was supervised by Lord Nuffield, He was constantly on the move between Oxford and his other factories at Birmingham and Coventry.