HOME GUARD [Main Title]

A Home Guard officer in a village pub talks to his friends about his week at a Home Guard training school.

Bernard, in Home Guard uniform, enters village pub and starts talking with his friends about his new role. After briefly describing the history and role of the Home Guard "it might make Hitler think twice". He then describes his activities at a training course (illustrated by flashbacks): parade, mock air raid attack, rifle grenade and machine gun practice, hand grenade procedure (trained by Spanish Civil War veteran), signalling and so on. He concludes by getting out his Home Guard notebook and quotes Shakespeare's King John: "This England never did, nor never shall lie at the proud foot of a conqueror, but when it first did help to wound itself, nought remains to rue if England to herself remains but true" ("Oi reckon that's about roight too"). Village Home Guard convenes and practises.

35mm