ID: WW01_171 / Winifred Hone

TitleHome Guard 1940 - Winifred Hone memoirs
AbstractMany of the Mersea men ineligible for service in the forces joined the Peldon Home Guard. They had their headquarters at the Rose at Peldon, the popular landlord Ivan Pullen being the Officer in Charge of the platoon. The essence of comedy must hae been terrific when they did their training, square bashing, mounting a guard and manning the line in case of emergency. Many of the members were very serious over their training and didn't always share Mr Churchill's optimism. On one occasion they were having manoeuvres with Wigborough. Ken Thorpe was the machine gunner, his gun being a tin full of stones which he had to rattle. A signal was the blowing of a whistle when the manoeuvres had finished and was the order to assemble and return to base. Unfortunately Ken Thorpe being deaf didn't hear the whistle and he was rattling a tin of stones for hours, which resulted in him being slightly disillusioned about serving his country as a machine gunner.

Col. Cartwright, then living in Mersea, was the C.O. [of the Mersea Platoon]. He had been in the Canadian Mounties many years before, and was allowed to wear his uniform on ceremonial occasions. By this time well fed corpulancy meant he had great difficulty getting into his uniform, but somehow he seemed to manage it. Sergeant Tom Clarry had been a professional soldier of the old type and had seen active service. Quite naturally he showed a little contempt for the amateurs, and in his attempt to lick them into shape started with discipline. He told one of his platoon to address him as Sergeant when on parade, but the answer was as usual "Yes Tom". Frank Pullen, having known Clarry for years as Tom, never got over this formality in spite of disciplinary instructions. One of the problems Clarry had to surmount was that of right wheel and left wheel. His recruits seemed to have a divided opinion on this command and as a professional he showed his disillusionment, but when the parade was over always told them they had done very well.

Peldon Home Guard

Home Guard outside the Peldon Rose

AuthorWinifred Hone
Publishedc1969
SourceMersea Museum / Wendy Brady
IDWW01_171
Related Images:
 Peldon Home Guard photographed outside the Peldon Rose.
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No.3 (Peldon) Platoon - D Coy. - 18th. BN. Essex Home Guard
 June 1940 - December 1944
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Back Row 1. Pte. Edgar Reynolds, 2. L/Cpl. V.C. 'Vic' Sheldrake, 3. Pte. Will Nicholas, 4. Pte. W. Bruce Rainbird, 5. Pte. H. 'Bert' Inman, 6. Pte. John R. Starling, 7. L/Cpl R. 'Bob' Brand, 8. Cpl. Phil Nicholas, 9. L.Cpl. E. 'Ted' Martin. 
 Centre Row 1. Pte. R.A. Strahl, 2. Pte. Charlie Mason, 3. Pte. James C. Purtell, 4. Pte A.B. 'Bert' Day, 5. Pte. J.C. 'Charlie' Heynes [Haines], 6. Pte. W. 'Billy' Mason, 7. Pte. Luther Smith, 8. Pte. George Talbot, 9. Pte. Charlie Lapwood. 
 Front Row 1. Sgt. A.W. 'Bill' Osborne ('Hoppy' - he had a wooden leg), 2. Sgt. F.G. 'Bunny' Unwin, 3. Lt. L.F. 'Leo' Michael-Smith Lt, 4. Lt. Basil (Ivan) Pullen 1st Lt, 5. Sgt. Les Mole, 6. Sgt. George Coates, 7. Cpl. R. 'Bob' Ponder. 
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The following were not present when the photograph was taken: L/Cpl. H.E. Bass, Ptes. A.B. Balls, E.R. Balls, W.H. Balls, A.B. Carter, C.C. Collins, W. Knight, J. Knight, O. Neville, J.W. Pratt, F. Purtell.
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The mascot was a tame fox Renny held by B.I. Pullen. Hoppy Osborne was the dispatch rider. Ivan Pullen's family kept the Peldon Rose.
 Large photo on mount, from West End Studios, Colchester. Back of photo says Photo including Mr Lee Michael Smith. But there is a large mounted photograph with a full caption in the Peldon Rose  MMC_P668_001
ImageID:   MMC_P668_001
Title: Peldon Home Guard photographed outside the Peldon Rose.

No.3 (Peldon) Platoon - D Coy. - 18th. BN. Essex Home Guard
June 1940 - December 1944

Back Row 1. Pte. Edgar Reynolds, 2. L/Cpl. V.C. 'Vic' Sheldrake, 3. Pte. Will Nicholas, 4. Pte. W. Bruce Rainbird, 5. Pte. H. 'Bert' Inman, 6. Pte. John R. Starling, 7. L/Cpl R. 'Bob' Brand, 8. Cpl. Phil Nicholas, 9. L.Cpl. E. 'Ted' Martin.
Centre Row 1. Pte. R.A. Strahl, 2. Pte. Charlie Mason, 3. Pte. James C. Purtell, 4. Pte A.B. 'Bert' Day, 5. Pte. J.C. 'Charlie' Heynes [Haines], 6. Pte. W. 'Billy' Mason, 7. Pte. Luther Smith, 8. Pte. George Talbot, 9. Pte. Charlie Lapwood.
Front Row 1. Sgt. A.W. 'Bill' Osborne ('Hoppy' - he had a wooden leg), 2. Sgt. F.G. 'Bunny' Unwin, 3. Lt. L.F. 'Leo' Michael-Smith Lt, 4. Lt. Basil (Ivan) Pullen 1st Lt, 5. Sgt. Les Mole, 6. Sgt. George Coates, 7. Cpl. R. 'Bob' Ponder.

The following were not present when the photograph was taken: L/Cpl. H.E. Bass, Ptes. A.B. Balls, E.R. Balls, W.H. Balls, A.B. Carter, C.C. Collins, W. Knight, J. Knight, O. Neville, J.W. Pratt, F. Purtell.

The mascot was a tame fox Renny held by B.I. Pullen. Hoppy Osborne was the dispatch rider. Ivan Pullen's family kept the Peldon Rose.
Large photo on mount, from West End Studios, Colchester. Back of photo says "Photo including Mr Lee Michael Smith". But there is a large mounted photograph with a full caption in the Peldon Rose

Date:cDecember 1944
Source:Mersea Museum / Leo Michael-Smith Collection