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.