EXIT THE HOME GUARD

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 295, 13 December 1943, Page 2

EXIT THE HOME GUARD

ANNOUNCEMENT by the Minister of Defence that the Home Guard is to be virtually disbanded and relegated to merely a reserve role ,fs long overdue, though obviously it will be received with mixed feelings. To thousands of loyal and public-spirited men throughout the country the Home Guard has proved an outlet for their desire to serve in some practical way in time of war. To them the periodical parades and camps have been an interest and a pleasure as well as a duty, and the parting of the ways will strike a sad note. In the dark days early last year, when the Dominion faced possible invasion, the Home Guard, though ill-equipped, was ready and willing to meet the enemy but, providentially, they were never required, nor are they ever likely to be. Criticism of. the organisation, both / from within and without, has been ample during it's three years of active service. ' Some of the criticism has since proved to be unjustified, mainly because the Government, unlike in Britain and elsewhere, declined to take the public into its confidence in defence matters, even when publication of the facts could not possibly assist the enemy. On the other hand, some criticism has been sound. There is much to be said for the contention that the Government, instead of mobilising for the Home Guard at one stage some 100,000 men of all ages and physical condition, should have formed a smaller, well-equipped force of the fitter personnel. However, it seems clear that for many months the Home Guard had outlived its usefulness, and the call for greater food production in the home garden, on the farm and in the factory, made it imperative that no impediments should be placed in the way of utilising manpower to the best advantage. Even the old enthusiasts in the guard, many old in years as well as length of service, will realise that common sense must prevail over sentiment in wartime.