Britain'S Civilian Armies in World War II: The Fight on the Home Front

Description

Whilst the men and women of national service age were called to arms in the various Services, a parallel process was being undertaken involving the civilian population. This initiative relied in the main on volunteers accepting challenges and committing to undertake duties - some of which were far outside the comfort of their day jobs, or indeed, their previous experiences. This recruitment drive involved many more members of the population, including men and women of all ages (some with experience of the First World War), and young adults - some of which had only recently left school. Most, though not all, were provided with uniforms or badges of office - signalling to one and all that they were involved in the war effort. Of course, there were exceptions in that some young men were sent to the mining industry instead of undertaking their National Service in the armed forces, for example. In this case, there was no uniform per se; however, these so-called 'Bevin Boys' did undertake a vital role in the war effort whilst remaining civilians. Unlike the start of the First World War, the importance to the war effort of women was recognised from the outset. Some were asked to help in the manufacture of armaments, which is not covered here. Others were asked to work on the land, with timber, on the canals... the list of the varied roles was extensive. Another facet of this civilian recruitment drive focused on our young adults, for they were recognised for their potential military roles in the future. To that end, many boys (and in some cases, girls) were put into uniforms and trained in various activities.

Dave Rogers set up Danercon Ltd in 2004 - having previously worked for a multinational company for 23 years. During his industrial career, Dave spent time working in research and development and in the manufacturing division. His research experience involved product component research, product design and the implementation of process verification equipment. Dave's manufacturing experience covers the product issues of day-to-day manufacture and product design as part of a waste reduction effort, as well as leading a process research and development group of some 20 engineers and scientists. Dave holds a Bachelor and Doctorate Degree in Chemistry, and Fellowships with the Royal Society of Chemistry, The Royal Photographic Society and The British Institute of Professional Photography (the latter by invitation). He was Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster 2002-05. Dave is a long-term school governor - having recently completed 15 years as primary school governor. He has written or edited 13 books. Two are war-related, which he edited for his father; a third wartime book was co-written by Dave and his father. This is Dave's fifth book for Helion - having previously written Top Secret. British Boffins in World War One, Men Amidst the Madness - British Technology Development in World War Two, Destination D-Day - preparations for the invasion of North-West Europe 1944 and Rebuilding Britain The aftermath of World War Two.

This is a reference book and the list it contains will prove most helpful to social historians, military historians and even re-enactors. * Gun Mart *