Sorry for the brief hiatus, folks – been  a bit busy at work and last night I was so tired I fell asleep at the computer… anyway, back to it 🙂
Here’s a great bit of local history from Reg ‘Arereg’ Fullelove who’s been as generous as ever with his collection of local ephemera, memories and time – Reg really is a joy to have contributing to the blog.
Last week, the young David Evans spent an afternoon of tea, cake and conversation with Reg, who remembers his father David Fullelove being a member of the Local Defence Volunteers. The LDV later evolved into the Home Guard.
Whilst it’s easy to think of these volunteers as being somewhat comical in light of Dad’s Army (and indeed, I borrow from the wonderful Croft and Perry for the title), this was a deathly serious force that we were only a hair’s breadth from relying on to protect us.
These were dedicated men who selflessly answered the call and were ready to come to the aid of their community and fight if necessary.
Material on the local home guard is notoriously thin, but the great site for the Staffordshire and Aldridge Home Guard remains a treasure trove of material. Reg has kindly donated the following photos, and hopes we can fill in the blanks.
You know what to do folks: please help if you can! Comment here, or BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Thanks.
Huge gratitude as ever to David and Reg, without whom this rambling enterprise really wouldn’t be what it is.
David wrote:
Over a cup of tea and a chat with local legend Reg Fullelove, who kindly donated the marvellous film of the 1934 Brownhills Carnaval , I was shown this image…
A fine group of men. Image kindly supplied by Reg Fullelove, via David vans.
These good men are the Brownhills Local Defence Volunteers, the precursor of the Brownhills Home Guard.
Reg was able to name some of the people:
Front row from the left – Mr. Maddox, Mr. Mason, Len Sadler, Norman Wayne [Possibly Norman Waine, the Councillor? – Bob], Fred Bowen, Mr. Yewall and one other gentleman.
Second row – second from the left is Reg’s father, David Fullelove (connected with the memorial Hall in Lichfield Road for many years).
Back row, from the left – Edgar Pritchard, third from the left is Jack Brewe and fourth from the left is Fred Heath.
Reg even has his father’s arm bands..
I wonder if readers can help to name the other members of the 1939 Brownhills Home Guard platoon, please?
The mark of safety. Image generously supplied by Reg Fullelove via David Evans.
I would like to thank Reg Fullelove BEM, for his generosity and help in preserving another part of our local history in this way.
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17 March 1939…
ARP badges and certificates presented to more than 300 in the B’hills Urban area…the chair was taken by Major G Dobson ARP Officer…made particular mention of Mr Norman Waine, Clerk of the Council…
….Musical items by Messrs Raymond Cliff, D Fullelove, H Peackock, GE Fullelove and Mrs Willetts, with S Seedhouse as accompanist, added to the pleasure of the evening.
MANY THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS THATS WHAT FELLOWSHIP IS ALL ABOUT AND YOU HAVE SHARED SO MUTCH WITH ME THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN IF I CAN HELP IN HUMORE TO PEDRO THE LDV MOTTO WAS LOOK DUCK AND VANISH THEY DONT LIKE IT UP UM GOD BLESS YOU ALL
just had another memory teaser who remembers the welcome home fund after the war an apeall went out for the names of soldiers sailors and airmen who served during the war in the brownhills area funds were raised and each one was presented with an ilumeunated excuse spelling certificate and ten bob come on grandads un great grandads have you still got yours my memory as a lad was going to the police station up church hill to put the money in over night in a cell for saftey we took it in george jones studybaker car it was posh again my dad dave was secretary you keep on stiring my grey matter blessyou
Hi Reg
Cant see anything from Brownhills and the welcome home fund, strange as many other local places are mentioned.
I did notice in May of 1946 that their was divided opinion and criticism of Lichfield’s attitude towards its servicemen. A letter by someone calling himself the Prodigal Son seems to have stirred up others.
Another Prodigal, amongst other things, said…
“The City Council itself has been too taken up with its own importance, and in tumbling over itself to curry favour with the Yanks to show much appreciation of their own men.”
HI PEDRO I CAN ASSURE YOU IT DID TAKE PLACE SOME WHERE IN MY UNTIDY FILING SYSTEM I HAVE A LETTER HEAD THAT WAS PRINTED OUT BY BEACON PRINT LICHFIELD RD SO YOU HAVE SET MY SATURDAY TASK TO TRY AND FIND IT LORD KNOWS WHAT ELSE I WILL FIND DID I HEAR SOME ONE SAY OH NO HERE HE GOES AGAIN HA HA
Hi Reg and Pedro
possibly Walsall Observer may have reported it rather than Lichfield Mercury.I dont know if the Obs archives are open yet.
cheers
David
Thanks very much to Reg Fullelove, and others, for making the Home Guard image available. It’s an interesting picture which raises some questions. The blokes are wearing Home Guard greatcoats and forage caps. It looks, however, as though they have civvies on underneath – trousers and, especially, white shirts and ties. Which leads to the questions why? and when? One possibility is that the image coincided with the issue of greatcoats in the winter of 1940/41. But I think that other items of uniform had been issued by then as well and so, why weren’t they “properly dressed”? Or did the greatcoats come to Brownhills before battledress? Or could it have been the occasion of a get-together some time after stand-down in December 1944 – “bring your greatcoats and caps, fellers, and then we can have a photograph”? Should be very interested to hear if Reg can throw any light on this. I don’t recall ever having seen a HG group image quite like this one.
(This is what my father, a member of the Little Aston platoon in the same Battalion as Brownhills, wrote: “By the close of the year (1940) serge battledress and greatcoats make a welcome appearance”).
From Burntwood Home Guard stand-down January 1945…
Going back to the commencement of the Company, Colonel Trowell dwelt on how it started. In those early days back in 1940 the 10th Staffordshire Battalion consisted of three companies, Lichfield, Alrewas and Brownhills. Before it had been going very long the authorities changed their mind about the boundaries of the battalion area, and lopped off the Brownhills Company, and asked Lichfield to take over Burntwood and Hammerwich. When those two platoons came to them they had not done very much in the way of training. However, from the start they began to thrive, and it was not long before they were really healthy platoons….
I spent saturday afternoon trawling through my photos etc to find the letter head for the welcome home fund and came accross an interesting photograph re the home gaurd it is the presentation o f a shield there are couciller breeze and mrs parsley and members of the old fire service but at the end stands two men bert lord and jack brewe in full civil defence uniform the old arp now jack brewe is on the old home guard photo in over coat and forrige cap as you say my only thought being the photograph in question did some of these old boys split up and formed the air raid wardens their head quarters were on the left hand side of the memorial hall