Home Guard Assembly Parade

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23805, 26 November 1942, Page 4

Home Guard Assembly Parade

It is announced this morning that six battalions of the Home Guard will parade in Hagley Park on December 6. The parade will be inspected by the District Director (Colonel G. E. F. Kingscote), who will take the salute at a march past. Lieutenant-Colonel D. S. Murchison, D.5.0., the Group Director, in explaining the reason for the parade, says that it will “serve one very “useful purpose in bringing units “ together ” and suggests that it will help to overcome “ parochial feel- “ ing.” He also suggests that it is desirable for disciplinary purposes from time to time to have a little parade ground training. Moreover, “ the parade would be impressive “ for the spectators, and for the men “ themselves, who would display “ their usual keenness and enthusi- “ asm.” It is almost needless to say that although it will “ not be pos- “ sible to work up the full cere- “ monial usually associated with “ such a parade,” a parade of six battalions of the Home Guard will require very considerable rehearsal by the battalions singly, and possibly together, if it is to achieve the desired object of being “ impressive “ for the spectators and for the men “ themselves.” With no rehearsal, any Home Guardsman will be able to imagine the kind of impression that would be created. This is scarcely the purpose for which the Home Guard is being trained, whether parade ground drill is the “foundation of discipline” or not; which is arguable. What is beyond question is that the Home Guard, with the best will in the world, is not of the stuff of which parade ground soldiers are made; nor, with a motley of uniforms and arms, is it equipped for ceremonial or even semi-ceremonial occasions. Moreover, Home Guardsmen have little enough time as it is for training in essentials—the mastery of their arms and ability to fight as individuals or as units. For this purpose elementary parade ground drill may have its uses; large scale ceremonial parades, itfmust be suggested, with all respect to Lieuten-ant-Colonel Murchison’s opinion, have none. It will certainly be a test of the men’s “usual keenness “ and enthusiasm ” if they are to endure what will seem to many of them a waste of valuable time.