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H.M. Government/IWM (ref. H 5850)

A Sergeant of the Dorking (Surrey) Home Guard gives loving attention to his Thompson M1921/'28 submachine gun, while the Missus gets on with the knitting, December, 1940. I think the tea is getting cold. Very much a posed propaganda photo, but some interesting features, nonetheless. The Sergeant may not quite be "Dad's Army's" Corporal Jones, but he is wearing medal ribbons indicating service in WW1. In the chaotic period of formation of the Local Defence Volunteers/Home Guard, veteran soldiers and officers tended to rise (or muscle their way) to positions of authority (Corporal Jones, Captain Square in "Dad's Army"). Once they had attained such positions, they tended to stay there, having been confirmed when the service terms of the Home Guard service were regularized. As for the Tommy Gun - Britain was not to the fore in the development of submachine guns between the war. Following Dunkirk, supplies of such weapons were not so much scarce as absent. Initially, the deficit was made up by the purchase of weapons such as this from the US, and a significant number of "Chicago Typewriters" were allocated to the Home Guard - though perhaps not so many as propaganda photos might suggest. My own observation of such photos suggests to me that such Tommy guns as were available to the Home Guard tended to be appropriated by NCOs like this sergeant - other ranks were lucky if they had a rifle (even an obsolete one). As to the tea - decent tea was already in short supply by end-1940, so perhaps it was better left ... Best regards, JR.