Welsh Journals

MILITARY HISTORY OF RADNORSHIRE III By G. ARCHER PARFITT 4. "MILITARY SERVICE" 1914-1957 (Concluded) Appendix E. THE RADNOR HOME GUARD I. 1940-1944 On May 15th 1940 the first enrolments took place at police stations in Radnorshire and instructions were received from the Adjutant- General's office that the Local Defence Volunteers would be organized by existing Military areas and that these would be divided into zones and again subdivided into groupsl. Presidents, Chairmen and Secretaries of the Territoral and Auxiliary Forces Associations of Welsh Area were summoned to Headquarters in Shrewsbury, where in consultation with Sir Charles Venables-Llewelyn Bart., Lord-Lieutenant of Radnorshire, Hereford and Radnor were, at first, grouped in one Zone. Major-General W. H. Greenly C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., of Titley Court, Hereford, was appointed Zone organizer and Lt. Colonel K. Ffrench M.C. the Joint Secretary of the T. & A.F.A. of Hereford and Brecknock acted as his staff officer. Lt. Colonel J. L. Philips, D.S.O., of Abbey Cwmhir was appointed organizer for Radnorshire and all came under North Wales Area. The equipment originally envisaged consisted of a rifle, bayonet, steel helmet, respirator and arm band to be worn with civilian clothes, but the result of the appeal for volunteers was so great that neither weapons nor helmets were available in sufficient quantity. Consequently a public appeal was made for arms and on the 17th May, 1940 the first weapons were received by Police Stations in Radnor. On 24th May, 1940 the first issue of 70 Rifles and 300 rounds of ammunition was delivered to Radnor from Ordnance and during the same month registers of enlisted volunteers were handed by the Police to Lt. Colonel Philips. In these early days Major J. Mostyn, M.C. assisted in the formation of the L.D.V., particularly in the Llandrindod Wells area. The question of uniform was of vital importance as Hitler had announced that any British prisoners captured in the forthcoming invasion of the United Kingdom would be shot as franc-tireurs if found in possession of arms but without uniform. Denim overalls and Field 1. The L.D.V. were authorized by an Order in Council made under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 and entitled "The Defence (Local Defence Volunteers) Regulations 1940 (S.R.O. 748, 17th May, 1940). Subsequently by Order in Council of July, 1940 (S.R.O. 1383, 1940) it was ordained that the L.D.V. may be known by the alternative title of Home Guard