British Forces

LDV - The Home Guard

Imperial War Museum

The Local Defence Volunteers in this photograph are veterans of the First World War. The LDV was open to men aged between 17 and 65 who had fired a rifle and were 'capable of free movement'. None of these qualifications were seriously tested. At first, uniforms and weapons were in short supply. There were only enough rifles for about a third of volunteers. The rest had to use shotguns, sporting rifles or 'weapons' such as golf clubs.