A Volunteering Story - Home Guard Secrets
This is the second update by our volunteer Imogen, who is writing about the work some of her fellow volunteers are doing at Cheshire Archives.
The Home Guard of the Second World War might conjure up images of Dad’s Army, but they were a serious and highly organised part of Britain’s vital wartime defence. Sheila has been working through a box of reports from the Cheshire Home Guard from 1942-1944 as part of her recent volunteering work.
The reports contain information about wartime reconnaissance, instructions about how to prepare for invasion, how to deal with prisoners of war and even techniques on how to track or “stalk” a target.
Sheila’s work involves compiling similar documents and recording key details, such as their number, a brief description, date, and format into a spreadsheet. This will make it easier for people to look up these records when researching the Home Guard.
A Fighting Force
Despite the secretive contents, the most unexpected thing for Sheila is how serious the work of the Home Guard was. These reports depict a vital organisation, trained to fight and ready for invasion, which was a real threat. The Home Guard expected enemy paratroopers to be airdropped into Cheshire. Although there is only one box, Sheila is taking her time with this project because she’s finding it so interesting to read through these important documents.
About Sheila
After retiring, Sheila decided to pursue her long‑held interest in history by studying for a degree with the Open University, followed by a masters. She particularly enjoyed the research aspect of her studies and spending time in archives, which led her to look for volunteering opportunities. Her initial search focused on museums, but that soon led her to discover that archives also welcome volunteers.
Sheila has volunteered with Cheshire Archives and Local Studies since 2019. The first project she worked on took three years to complete and involved records created by the Valuation Office, which was established in 1910 to carry out a nationwide survey of property values.
Cheshire Archives soon realised where Sheila’s skills come into their own. Four boxes of personal papers that until recently were catalogued as simply ‘letters and vouchers’ have been memorably brought to life since Sheila examined them. You can read all about Egerton Milne Cumming Macdona of Hilbre House, West Kirby, in the online catalogue. Sheila’s willingness to share her experience has had a big impact on improving information about the collections.
By Imogen, Volunteer at Cheshire Archives
