Essex Home Guard
The Home Guard were created in May 1940 when a German invasion looked very likely. Initially they were called the Local Defence Volunteers but shortly after renamed the Home Guard. The men wore were aged 17 to 65 years of age and initially wore civilian clothes with armlets labeled LDV and were armed with local weapons but later they were issued with denim uniforms and finally army uniforms and rifles. Many of the officers and men were retired members of the regular and territorial Essex Regiment who were too old to enlist at the outbreak of war
By February 1941 when it became clear that the new force was likely to be needed for some time it was recognised as an official military unit and so adopted army military ranks and operated alongside the regular army battalions on home defence duty.
There was very close liaison between the home defence battalions of the Essex Regiment and the Essex Home Guard with the Home Guard often using the same training venues and borrowing instructors from the Essex Regiment. The Home Guard HQ and the administration in Essex was by the Essex Regiment Territorial Army at Market Road, Chelmsford.
The home defence battalions of the Essex Regiment tended to guard the more important installations like airfields, ports and coastline with the Home Guard looking alter vulnerable but less important targets like road junctions, railway lines and stations, bridges, factories and even valuable agricultural sites.
Had the Germans invaded the Home Guard were instructed to defend Essex although their priority was to assist in the civilian evacuation for which detailed plans were developed.
At the start of the war the men were poorly equipped and trained and as a result the but of wartime jokes but by 1945 they had become efficient at carrying out the tasks required of them.
On 7 November 1948 470 ex members of the Home Guard paraded at the Essex Regiment Chapel, Warley to celebrate the stained glass window erected in honour of the Home Guard. The inscription read - This window was erected to the glory of god and to commemorate the services of the 115,000 men and women who served in the Home Guard 1940-1945 in the defence of Great Britian and for the preservation of liberty and freedom.
Essex was part of the East Anglian South Zone with and internally organised as Western Division, Eastern Division and Independent Divisions:-
Western Division
1st Essex Battalion - HQ Wickford - Companies at Canvey Island, Rayleigh, Rochford, Southend on Sea and Wickford
4th Essex Battalion - HQ Romford - Companies at Romford, Harold Wood, Collier Row, Hornchurch and Upminster
5th Essex Battalion - HQ Brentwood - Companies at Brentwood East, Stapleford Abbots, Ingatestone, Laindon and Brentwood West.
10th Essex Battalion - HQ Harlow - Companies at Harlow, Epping and Ongar
11th Essex Battalion - HQ Braintree - Companies at Bardfield, Good Easter, Little Waltham and Braintree
12th Essex Battalion - HQ Stansted - Companies at Stansted, Newport, Dunmow and Saffron Walden
15th Essex Battalion - HQ Dunmow - Companies at Dunmow, Halstead and Great Yeldham
20th Essex Battalion - HQ Romford - Companies at Hornchurch, Upminster, Rainham Road and Emerson Park
Eastern Division
2nd Essex Battalion - HQ Maldon - Companies at Danbury and Maldon
3rd Essex Battalion - HQ Orsett - Companies at Tilbury, Stanford le Hope and Pitsea
6th Essex Battalion - HQ Chelmsford - Companies at Chelmsford
7th Essex Battalion - HQ Witham - Companies at Witham, Kelvedon and Copford
8th Essex Battalion - HQ Colchester - Companies at Boxted, Halstead, Great Yeldham and Colchester
9th Essex Battalion - HQ Weeley - Companies at Brightlingsea, Clacton on Sea, Harwich, Mistley, Thorpe le Soken and Walton on Naze
14th Essex Battalion - HQ West Thurrock - Companies at Grays Town, Grays Riverside, Purfleet and South Ockenden
16th Essex Battalion - HQ Prittlewell - Companies at Hadleigh, Chalkwell, Belfairs, Thorpe Bay, Shoeburyness, Southchurch and Southend on Sea
17th Essex Battalion - HQ Clacton on Sea - Companies at St Osyth, Clacton, Gt Bentley, Brighlingsea and Walton on Naze
18th Essex Battalion - HQ Blackheath - Companies at West Mersea, Rowhedge, Tollesbury, Stanway, Tiptree and Layer de la Haye
19th Essex Battalion - HQ Grays - Companies at Grays and South Stifford
Independent Essex Divisions
1st Essex ( Electric Supply Company) Battalion - HQ Rainham - Companies at Chelmsford, South Benfleet, Romford, Rainham and South Woodford
2nd Essex ( Essex Rivers) Battalion - HQ Chelmsford - Companies at Thames, Crouch/Blackwater/Chelmer and the Stour/Colne
13th Essex ( Post Office) Battalion - HQ Chelmsford - Companies at Southend on Sea, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Bishops Stortford
Anti Aircraft Batteries
7th Home Guard (Anti Aircraft) Battalion - HQ West Bergholt - Rocket Batteries - 101 Essex Home Guard Rocket AA Battery - Based at Chelmsford Recreation Ground and 102 Essex Home Guard Rocket AA Battery - Based at Colchester Army Barracks
131 Home Guard LAA Battery - HQ Shenfield - Batteries at Harland & Woolf Tilbury , Thames Board Mills Purfleet, Hoffmans Chelmsford, Shellhaven Corringham and Murex Rainham.
Motor Transport Companies
2005 Essex Home Guard Motor Transport Company - Romford
2009 Essex Home Guard Motor Transport Company - Chelmsford
2010 Essex Home Guard Motor Transport Company - Ipswich
2017 Essex Home Guard Motor Transport Company - Colchester
2018 Essex Home Guard Motor Transport Company - Stowmarket
