This film is part of Free

Home Guard On Manoeuvres And Parade, Enfield

Amateur footage of the home guard on patrol and at ease in the fields outside London, where anti-tank weapons are tested in front of suburban houses.

Amateur film 1940 12 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for London's Screen Archives

Overview

William Chapman, a driver in the Enfield Home Guard, shot this film showing the home guard in camp and training in London suburbs. It has an endearing mix of tea-drinking and gun-firing – with the odd larger explosion thrown in for good measure – showing the comradeship and professionalism of London’s older soldiers as they did their bit in the early stages of the Second World War, when invasion appeared imminent.