Sinclair McKay: Founding the Home Guard (1940)

May 1940 is one of the critical months in British history. As the Nazis tore across Europe and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister, our guest Sinclair McKay explains that this was also the month in which the Home Guard was founded.

Originally known as the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) and affectionately recalled in the BBC sitcom as 'Dad's Army', the Home Guard was a colourful military force that was compounded by individuals from the local community.

In this episode McKay takes us back to the first year of this colourful organisation's existence. He describes how Churchill was involved in the development of the Home Guard's identity and how an inspiring woman, Edith Summerskill, sought to shape it.

Find out more about Sinclair McKay's Dad's Army: The Glorious True Story of the Home Guard. 

Show Notes

Scene One: May 1940 – Anthony Eden’s radio announcement calling for Local Defence Volunteers, as across the Channel, France falls.

Scene Two: July 1940 Churchill renames it the Home Guard as – on the south downs – JB Priestley espies the true poetry of the moment.

Scene Three: November 1940 Dr Edith Summerskill (MP for Fulham) begins her long campaign to have women join the Home Guard.

Memento: A dummy grenade.

People/Social

Presenter: Peter Moore 

Guest: Sinclair McKay

Producer: Maria Nolan

Theme music: Firelight by Minka

Partner: ACE Cultural Tours.