8th Battalion, Newcastle Wallsend, Home Guard

Unknown Unit of the 8th Battalion Wallsend Home Guard. Front row, 8th from the right, is Captain F W Redshaw MM MC. Front row, center, Lieutenant R Ness.

Photograph kindly supplied by MrPeter Redshaw

 

Unknown Unit of the 8th Battalion Wallsend Home Guard. Front row, center is Captain F W Redshaw MM MC.

Photograph kindly supplied by MrPeter Redshaw

 

Swan Hunters Home Guard met at the Territorial Army Drill Hall, Vine st, Wallsend. It was initially set up as the Swan Hunters Home Guard in 1940, and was amalgamated into the 8th Battalion, Newcastle Wallsend, Home Guard.

Romeo Abela ,Unknown,Unknown,? Long,Unknown,G Martin,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown.

Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown, T Robson,Unknown,Unknown,F Conway,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown.

Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown, Unknown.

Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown, Lt Cowans,Unknown, ?Hutchinson,?Hutchinson,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,CSM J Watson,Unknown, H Lithgow,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown , A Campbell, W Drew Snr.

? Thompson ,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown ,A Smith ,H McQuillen,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown,Unknown, W Drew Jnr,Unknown,Unknown, Unknown

Photograph kindly supplied by Mr A Smith .

 

Swan Hunters Home Guard, April 1944 at the Swan Hunters Sports Ground, Cricket Pavillion. Located on the south side of what is now the Metro line off The Avenue and Chevin Close.

 

Private Andrew Smith 1926 - At the age of sixteen Andrew Smith was apprenticed to Brown and Hoods as a sheet metal worker. Most of his work was in the Swan Hunters yard. He joined the Swan Hunters Home Guard and was a member from 1942 until April 1944. During this time he lived at Laurel St, Wallsend. After the war he served in the Army with the Royal Scots Greys in Luneberg, Germany until 1948. He was then an Insurance collector for Brittanic Insurance and returned to sheet metal working in 1951 when he was employed with T B Pearson of Walker. He also worked at Parsons and Campbell and Isherwoods. His memory of Home Guard exercises is the way in which firing his weapon was simulated by attaching a xmas cracker style device to the end of his rifle. It was triggered by pulling the attached piece of string. Information and photograph kindly provided by Mr A Smith

 

Harry Barrass Taylor BBC Peoples War

 

If you have any information on anyone who served in the Swan Hunters Home Guard or the Newcastle Battalions please contact ph@ccoynblhomeguard.co.uk