Boris to give green light to a new 'Home Guard' sort of thing

[The_Poltroon]

I'm almost certain that late last year I saw a news report on the TV saying that Boris is going to give the green light to create a 'Home Guard' type of thing...which would be used primarily in a sort of support role ... presumably taking on the sort of things the reserve are doing as they themselves start do do more actual soldiering to take up the slack left by the cutbacks to the regular Army.

Can anyone else remember this or did I dream the whole thing?

I'd certainly be up for joining

 

[Taffwob]

Has someone sidled up to Boris and suggested
"Are you sure that's terribly wise, sir?"

 

[RaiderBoat]

Could work. Call them...Territorial Army or something new like that?

 

[Awol]

Are there enough SLRs left?

 

[ThunderBox]

Why does it need to be military, Australia has SES, State Emergency Services and RFS, Rural Fire Services, voluntary, those who do volunteer are usually supported by their employers (volunteer leave etc).

 

[Lardbeast]

Boris Youth too, just for shits and giggles. I like it. If it causes tears, heaping of ashes and rending of cloth among the usual Boris grrr suspects I'm all for it.

 

[JasonArgo]

I have a family member who was in this in the 1980s in the UK. It was called Home Service Force (HSF). He was in the same force in Rhodesia first, then came to the UK after guarding against the insurgents in Rhodesia.
In the UK they guarded Key Point Infrastructure (like for example a bridge or a radio mast on top of a hill or a reservoir etc.) They would take a GPMG machine gun and dig in a trench, hidden in the woods. Mostly rehearsing for if Russian paratroopers or special forces to drop down.

I think the difference between the HSF and the TA, was the HSF would always rehearse going to guard the same place (near their own homes) so they knew the area very well. They did not even need maps. The TA would go to different parts of the UK to visit the regular army etc. The HSF did not involve the regular army, they knew their own patch and their own job without being told what to do. Plus they knew the local farmers. My family member knew someone in the UDR in Northern Ireland and he said HSF was a bit like UDR, but obviously just rehearsing, not actually fighting any real insurgents.

 

[Whining Civvy]

So Boris will have a small number of very highly trained and role-specific professional troops and a large number of fyrdsmen ready to step up if needs be. Alfred the Great walt.

 

[alfred_the_great]

So Boris will have a small number of very highly trained and role-specific professional troops and a large number of fyrdsmen ready to step up if needs be. Alfred the Great walt.

Indeed; Boris is just a red-arse...

 

[alfred_the_great]

<serious mode>

This might be a very good thing for the Army. If I were being cynical, and noting the last 366 days, why am I paying for squaddies to do trade training when what I actually want is a collection of warm bodies who can do low level tasking?

 

[QRK2]

<serious mode>

This might be a very good thing for the Army. If I were being cynical, and noting the last 366 days, why am I paying for squaddies to do trade training when what I actually want is a collection of warm bodies who can do low level tasking?

We only got rid of the last attempt at this 10? years ago.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

api.parliament.uk

 

[History_Man]

<serious mode>

This might be a very good thing for the Army. If I were being cynical, and noting the last 366 days, why am I paying for squaddies to do trade training when what I actually want is a collection of warm bodies who can do low level tasking?

You don't want to keep large numbers of unskilled/semi-skilled Regular personnel sitting around indefinitely doing very little,* but there is absolutely a role here for the Reserve/Veteran community. Effectively, you want Defence to be able to (a) mobilise volunteers in a crisis and (b) undertake the provision of mass.

*With a Regular Army of just 72k, you want everyone to be as skilled as possible.

 

[History_Man]

We only got rid of the last attempt at this 10? years ago.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

api.parliament.uk

ISTR the RNR having quite a role in it.

 

[Ursus Major]

Battalions of the Mobile Defence Corps

The Mobile Defence Corps (Army Emergency Reserve) was part of the Civil Defence Corps and organised into battalions spread throughout the United Kingdom. 1st (Cinque Ports) Battalion in Shorncliffe recruiting from East Kent, raised in 1955 2nd (London) Battalion in London recruiting from South...

military.wikia.org

Just sayin’...

 

[QRK2]

ISTR the RNR having quite a role in it.

My recollection is of numbers of TA types who thought they'd be backing up Red Team when the next embassy was hijacked and Training Majors signing everyone up whilst rubbing their hands at the extra 2? MTDs funding this brought.

 

[wasteofrations2]

We only got rid of the last attempt at this 10? years ago.

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

Civil Contingencies Reaction Force (Hansard, 28 October 2004)

api.parliament.uk

Wow, CCRF, I'd forgotten about that. I did a couple of exercises on that, absolute gash.

 

[lokiuk]

 

[History_Man]

Battalions of the Mobile Defence Corps

The Mobile Defence Corps (Army Emergency Reserve) was part of the Civil Defence Corps and organised into battalions spread throughout the United Kingdom. 1st (Cinque Ports) Battalion in Shorncliffe recruiting from East Kent, raised in 1955 2nd (London) Battalion in London recruiting from South...

military.wikia.org

Just sayin’...

An awful lot of ex-RAF NS personnel were put into it; the whole thing died a death by 1967.

 

[History_Man]

My recollection is of numbers of TA types who thought they'd be backing up Red Team when the next embassy was hijacked and Training Majors signing everyone up whilst rubbing their hands at the extra 2? MTDs funding this brought.

ISTR that we got 5 extra MTDs each but that is because we were providing the C2.

 

[br9mp812]

don't think anyone will have issues as long as its well paid for its time,well equiped,well trained and has a clear long term goal and role set out/
so npt a ******* chance then