World War 2 Eighty Years On - 1944 - Home Guard

December

Disbandment for the local Home Guard Battalions was held at Windsor Castle on Sunday, December 8th. Among the Home Guard units on parade were the Heavy AA Battalion, the 8th Berks. (Windsor Borough Batt.), the 9th. Berks. (Windsor Crown Land Batt.) and ‘D’ Stretch Upper Thames Patrol who were under the command of Major C.D.N. Butler.  Assembling at Victoria Barracks the parade marched to the Castle via Sheet Street and Park Street. With the band of the Royal Horse Guards playing an appropriate march the troops arrived at their appointed places for inspection by the King. Among those on parade was Alf Cook from Eton Wick to whom the King put questions about the cap badge of the Upper Thames Patrol.

 

King George VI, a keen collector of cap badges, taking a close interest in Eton Wick resident Private Alf Cook’s ‘Upper Thames Patrol’ unit Badge.

The summer had seen the successful invasion of German occupied France and the Allied Armies had by December liberated Paris. V-1 flying bombs still fell on London and Manchester where fifty Heinkel Bombers launched a V-1 raid killing 37 people. Anti Aircraft Gun batteries were strengthened more raids materialized.  The introduction by the Germans of  a new and more deadly weapon had  came into use which was officially revealed by the Prime Minister in November.  The  V– 2 rocket travelled at 3000 miles per hour carrying a one ton of explosive.  The first arrived on September 13th falling on Chiswick causing much destruction and heavy casualties.  Against the V–2 there was no defence and  it was of utmost priority that the Allied armies capture the launching sites in Holland.   

Units were affiliated to their regular county regiments.

December 8th 1944

 Stand Down of the Windsor and Eton Home Guard Battalions

 King George VI inspects lady Home Guard volunteers 

who had been the back room support manning telephones,  

clerical, and catering.

2nd right , Mrs Lovell,  of Eton Wick.

Windsor Home Guard Anti  - Aircraft  Battery

The home Guard Gunners served alongside Royal  Artillery  AA Batteries. The formation of Home Guard AA units allowed the release of regimental Royal Artillery gunners for posting to active war fronts. The 3.7” guns shown in the photographs were located in the Windsor Great Park. 

The 3.7”  heavy A.A gun was designed to engage raiders up to 30,000 ft or more. The difficulty of getting a hit on target resulted in a timed fuse to burst the shell when it had been calculated to reach the target giving a radius of burst of approximately 60 feet.. Precise fuse setting  was required for the shell to burst at the exact point to damage and bring down the target as the shell, travelling at 2000ft./sec., having an error setting error of one tenth of a second would  cause a burst  200ft. From the target.    Improved performance  of the 3.7” was achieved by lining down a 4.5” to shoot a 3.7” shell using a 4.5” cartridge. This proved highly successful until the A.A. gun was replaced by the guided weapon.

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham. 

World War 2 Eighty Years On - Eton Home Guard Platoon

 Eton Home Guard Platoon

On May 14th 1940 Anthony Eden, War Secretary in Churchill’s Government , broadcast to the nation regarding the threat of invasion by German Parachutists and Fifth Column agents. He called upon men between the ages of 17 and 65  and not   engaged in  military service to offer their service to  form  a  local defence force, to known as Local Defence Volunteers, LDV for short. These came forth in great numbers, reporting to Police Stations to register.  Weapons were short, shotguns being the armaments of many. The volunteers helped in the construction of anti - tank ditches,  placing obstacles on possible air landing points as well as helping to guard strategic landmarks and communications.

The Initials ‘LDV’ was quickly translated by comedians of the day into “Look, Duck and Vanish”.  

By July 1940 the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, Renamed the force, ‘Home Guard’. Units were affiliated to their regular county regiments.

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham. 

Eton Wick History Group Talk - Maidenhead and the Movies with Richard Poad - 30th October 2024

 

The Eton Wick History Group have a series of talks each year and they can be found by following this link or using the Programme of Talks button below the masthead.

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Community Organisations and Social Life - Eton Victoria F.C. ('Eton Vics') 1933

 

This well known local football club played their home games on Eton Recreation Ground. In the back row from the left: Bert Cox, Ted Smith, Bill Swain, Bob Quayle, Alf Young, and Alf Flint. In the centre row: Tom Hart, Alf Haskins, Les Hall, Les Balchin, Bill Weymouth, George Birch, Harry Bampton, Stan Cutts and Doug Martin. The front row: Bill Folker, Ernie Alder, Gordon Cox, Jim Middleton, Ron Cox, Ron Martin and Albe Alder. 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.

World War 2 Eighty Years On- September 1944

September

Four days after the capture of Antwerp on September 4th. the Germans launched the first V2 rocket attack against London. The V2, unlike the V1, gave no warning of its approach therefore no defence was possible. The attacks continued until the end of November and it is a belief that a V2 fell in Windsor Forest.  A defence measure against the V1's involved the deployment of anti-aircraft batteries to the south coast and those which had manned many of the sites around the Windsor - Slough district moved to become part of the defences. Sections of 608 battery went to Folkstone where they were credited with the shooting down of 102 V1 flying bombs.  

V I  [Doodlebug] flying bomb attacks 

over Bucks and Berks 1944—45

Later volunteers from 183 Regiment Batteries went to Belgium to defend Antwerp against the V1's.  

Although the blackout was still in force limited street lighting was allowed for the winter of 1944.  The observations of the local police considered that the street lighting at Eton was too bright and prevailed upon the local authority to reduce the intensity. At first the lights were turned off at night but as there was very little risk of enemy bombing at that stage of the war people asked if the street lights could be on early in the  morning. Workers on early morning shifts complained that the dark winter mornings were hazardous, with  Keates lane particularly  dangerous, it was surprising  that only one College boys had been accidentally killed. After an inspection of the street lighting the surveyor arranged for selected lights to stay on until the lighter mornings arrived. Limited lighting lasted until 20th April 1945 when the end of the blackout was announced.                   

The prospect of `Victory in Europe’ gave cause for Eton U.D.C. to discuss plans for the building of new houses in Eton Wick. The local building companies of Slough and Windsor were also considering post war construction and informed the Council that they were now able to carry out the preparation of sites and construction of houses if the necessary licenses were obtained. To quickly provide the estimated four million homes needed to replace air raid destruction and house returning servicemen and their families, some aircraft factories changed over to the manufacture of prefabricated housing. The 'Prefabs` were fitted out with all electric appliances, such as electric cooker and refrigerator and electric heating. 

This is an extract from Round and About Eton Wick: 1939 - 1945. The book was researched, written and published in 2001 by John Denham. 

The Story of a Village - Eton Wick by Judith Hunter - Chapter 1

A village is born.

How Eton Wick got it's name

What evidence is there of Eton Wick from before written records.

Eton Wick: Anglo-Saxons and Vikings

Eton Wick: The Norman's and the Domesday Book

A short history of the Manor of Eton cum Stockdale and Colenorton.

Extracts from the Court Rolls for the Three Manors 

An event in 1391

Eton Wick in the 14th Century

Dr Judith Hunter published A Village Story - Eton Wick - 1217 to 1977 in 1977. Its publication was supported by a village fund raising event lead by Frank Bond

Photographic History of Eton Wick and Eton - Community Organisations and Social Life - Eton Wick EC 1929

When the club was formed in 1881, home matches were played on Dorney Common, much later moving to their present home on Eton Wick Recreation Ground. 

This photo of 1929 shows the team at the front of the Village Institute (now Village Hall) long before the entrance stairs to the upper floor were covered. 

In the back row, left to right: Jess Binfield (committee member), Bert Percy, Tim Morrell, Bob Bond, Les Binfield, Archie Bryant, Bert Harman, unidentified, Ern Bryant. 

In the front row: M Porter (committee member) George Giles, Ted Watson, Bill Swabey (captain), Maurice Lane, (?) Prior, Tom Morrell. 

This article was first published in A Pictorial History of Eton Wick & Eton.