Throughout the 1930s the risks of another war in Europe were being examined and planned for with the Home Office establishing an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) service in 1935. This became the Civil Defence Service in 1941 and incorporated the ARP Wardens Service, the Auxiliary Fire Service (which later became the National Fire Service), along with First Aid Posts organised by the St John’s Ambulance and Red Cross. Although few records still exist that give details there were detachments of all of these in the village.
Category: World War 2
The Village Home Guard in World War 2
The need for a volunteer home defence force was not at first realised when war was declared in 1939 but when the “Phoney War” ended with the German assault on France and the Low Countries in 1940 action was taken. The initial call for “Local Defence Volunteers” quickly changed to a very much more belligerent, Home Guard. Manned and led at first by veterans of World War 1 together with many of those to young to fight in 1914 the Home Guard looked to defence the country whilst the regular army recovered, re-armed and re-trained after Dunkirk. Tasked to be ready for invasion and defend key industries in the village the Mountsorrel Platoon of the Home Guard played a small but vital role in World War 2.
Village Casualties of World War 2
As with World War 1 the outbreak of war in 1939 saw the call up of Reservists and men and women of the village volunteer for and later be conscripted into the armed forces. The village losses were thankfully less than in the Great War but equally as painful for their families and friends. All are remembered on the village war memorials. Whilst access to World War 2 personnel records is not yet as widely available as it is for World War 1 Casualties we have put together these short Casualty pen-pictures in honour of their sacrifice and to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day.