DEFENCE OF BRITAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 124, 27 May 1940, Page 9

DEFENCE OF BRITAIN

UNITS FOR SPECIAL DUTIES

THE PARACHUTE MENACE

(British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, May 25

The War Office announces that it has been decided to form additional companies for certain home defence battalions for special duties in the United Kingdom. The age limit for enlistment will be 18 to 19i years.

It appears that publicity given to the enrolment of local defence volunteers —the number of which already is approaching 400,000—has confused many people at Home, and possibly some abroad, as to the role of this force in meeting the parachute menace. As assumption seems to have arisen in some cases that the task of repelling an invasion from the air is to be laid entirely upon the shoulders of the local defence volunteers.

It was pointed out today that the duty rests primarily on the regular home forces, of which many thousands are disposed about the country. The new force of volunteers will be merely auxiliary to the regular forces.

The arrangements for the volunteer force are being purposely kept as elastic as possible so as to suit the convenience of the volunteers themselves, who are at, work in the daytime and who live at home. In certain districts firms are organising their own units. In many country villages the inhabitants have spontaneously turned for leadership to some prominent resident or retired military officer. Other districts are forming units composed of gamekeepers and beaters. All these units will be fitted into the general scheme under the direction of various are» commanders, assisted by volunteer area organisers.