Making Ready For The Battle if Brittain

The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) showed great zeal in fitting themselves to deal with parachutists; in this picture one of them is receiving bayonet instruction from a sergeant of the Guards. The photograph of the notice-board of a church in Kent, speaks for itself.​

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When it became known that Britain stood alone in the forefront of the battle the desire of every British man and woman to serve in some way became even greater than it had been before. A remarkable evidence of this was afforded by the fact that in many towns what were quickly styled "broomstick armies" came into existence. With the prospect that the call-up of men for service would be greatly accelerated, men of military age felt that they did not want to join as raw recruits, and voluntarily and unofficially they set themselves to learn in advance at least the elements of drill. In this page men of the Doncaster "broomstick army" are shown, but similar organizations were also in existence in other parts of the country and many "old soldiers" some of them formerly drill instructors, had undertaken this work of preliminary training. Local authorities readily helped in finding parade grounds.

The young men below form part of the Doncaster "broomstick army" determined not to join as raw recruits they have formed a civil corps and were drilled by an ex-Sergeant Major, but they carry broomsticks instead of rifles.​

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This picture shows a look out post of a coastal anti-aircraft gun station.​

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