THE
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
HOME GUARD

1940 ~ 1944

The Pitsford Home Guard living history unit continues to research the history of Northamptonshire Home Guard. The following pages contain platoon photographs and information about the Home Guard in Northamptonshire during the war years from Anthony Eden's broadcast on 14th May 1940 until the stand down in December 1944.

We are grateful to Northamptonshire Records Office, Pitsford Parish Council and Brixworth, Pitsford and Spratton History Societies for their invaluable assistance.

The Battalions of Northamptonshire Home Guard are listed below. They are sub divided into Companies and Platoons and information will be added as our research continues. You will be able to click on an entry where we have information and/or photographs for a particular Company or Platoon. Click on the County Insignia to jump to the required Battalion.

1^st (City of Peterborough) Battalion

Originally raised as Peterborough Division, Local Defence Volunteers and formed into six groups - City No's 1,2 & 3 and Soke No’s 1, 2 & 3. Retitled and split into two Battalions on 17th July 1940. Transferred to the Huntingdonshire Zone in August 1942.

2^nd (Soke of Peterborough) Battalion

Formed on 17th July 1940. Transferred to the Huntingdonshire Zone in August 1942.

• A Company
• B Company
• C Company
• D Company

3^rd (Oundle & Thrapston District) Battalion

Raised in May 1940 as Oundle and Thrapston District L.D.V. and retitled in July 1940. Battalion strength about 2000.

• A Company - Kingscliffe
  • No 1 Platoon
  • No 2 Platoon
  • No 3 Platoon
     
• B Company - Bulwick
• C Company - Barnwell
• D Company - Thrapston
• E Company - Oundle Boys School
• F Company - Oundle Town (Later HQ Company)
• G Company - Thrapston (Off shoot of D Company)
• H Company - Thrapston (Off shoot of D Company)

4^th (Kettering Town) Battalion

Raised in May 1940. Part of Market Harborough sector. Originally 4 Companies – No.1 West, No.2 South, No.3 East, No.4 North.

• HQ Company
• A Company
• B Company
• C Company
• D Company
• E Company
• F Company
• G Company - LMS Railway
• H Company

5^th (Kettering District) Battalion

Raised in May 1940. Part of Market Harborough Sector.

• A Company - Corby (Transferred en bloc to 6th Battalion in 1942)
• B Company - Desborough & District (split into two in February1943 to form new A Company)
• C Company - Rothwell & District
• D Company - Burton Latimer District (part transferred to C Company in 1943)
• E Company - East Farndon & Clipston
• F Company - Welford & Naseby

6^th (Corby Works) Battalion

Part of Market Harborough Sector. Raised as Stewarts and Lloyds Group within Kettering Division. Retitled to Corby Works Battalion in November 1940.

• HQ Company
• A Company - Gretton Brook
• B Company - Corby & District Water Co.
• C Company - Corby Works
  • No 1 Platoon
  • No 2 Platoon
  • No 3 Platoon
     
• D Company
• E Company
• F Company

7^th (Wellingborough Town) Battalion

Raised on 1st June 1940 as Wellingborough Town Group, Local Defence Volunteers. Responsible for defence of Sywell Aerodrome in 1941 and 1944. Part of Northampton Sector.

• A Company - Wellingborough West Ward

  • Mears Ashby
     

• B Company - Wellingborough North Ward

• C Company - Wellingborough East Ward

• D Company - Wellingborough South Ward

• E Company - LMSR Railway (from Feb 1941 - June 1942)

• F Company - Finedon

• H Company - Harrowden, Isham, Orlingbury & Hardwick

• I Company - Irthlingborough & The Addingtons

• L Company - Wellingborough Iron Works

• M Company - Wellingborough L.M.S. Railway

• P Company - Wellingborough Iron Company, Thingdon Mines

• S Company - Wellingborough School O.T.C.

 8^th (Wellingborough District) Battalion

Raised in May 1940 as Wellingborough District Group, Local Defence Volunteers.

• A Company - Raunds

• B Company - Rushden (Lovell's Factory)

• C Company - Earls Barton

  • No 6 Platoon - Ecton
     

• D Company - Bozeat

• E Company - Rushden (Swindalls)

• F Company - Higham Ferrers

• G Company - Wollaston

 9^th (Brixworth) Battalion

Raised as No 20 Group, Local Defence Volunteers, in May 1940. Retitled in July 1940. Part of the Northamptonshire Central Group together with Hardingstone and Daventry District Battalions and the Northampton Borough Battalions.

• A Company - Guilsborough

  • No 1 Platoon - Guilsborough

  • No 2 Platoon - Spratton

  • No 3 Platoon - Creaton & Cottesbrooke

  • No 4 Platoon - Cold Ashby

  • No 5 Platoon - Ravensthorpe

  •          Section - Thornby
     

• B Company - Brixworth

  • No 1 Platoon - Brixworth

  • No 2 Platoon - Lamport

  • No 3 Platoon - Maidwell & Draughton

  • No 4 Platoon - Old

  • No 5 Platoon - Scaldwell
     

• C Company - Harlestone

  • No 1 Platoon - Harlestone

  • No 2 Platoon - Brampton

  • No 3 Platoon - Brington

  • No 4 Platoon - East Haddon
     

• D Company - Moulton

  • No 1 Platoon - Moulton

  • No 2 Platoon - Walgrave

  • No 3 Platoon - Boughton

  • No 4 Platoon - Overstone

  • No 5 Platoon - Pitsford

  • No 6 Platoon - Holcot

  • No 7 Platoon - Hannington

  • No 8 Platoon - Sywell
     

• E Company - Sywell (from Nov 1942)

  • No 1 Platoon - Sywell

  • No 2 Platoon - Hannington

  • No 3 Platoon - Holcot

10^th (Daventry) Battalion

Raised in May 1940 as Daventry Group, Local Defence Volunteers. Part of the Northamptonshire Central Group together with Brixworth and Hardingstone Battalions and the Northampton Borough Battalions.

• A Company - Kilsby
• B Company - Daventry
• C Company - Long Buckby
  • No 1 Platoon
  • No 2 Platoon
  • No 3 Platoon
  • No 4 Platoon
  • No 5 Platoon - Braunston
     
• D Company - Byfield
  • No 1 Platoon
  • No 2 Platoon
  • No 3 Platoon
     
• E Company - Newnham
• BBC Company - Daventry

11^th (Hardingstone District) Battalion

Raised May 1940 as Hardingstone District L.D.V. in Northampton. Part of the Northamptonshire Central Group together with Brixworth and Daventry District Battalions and the Northampton Borough Battalions.

• A Company - Billing

  • No 1 Platoon

  • No 2 Platoon

  • No 3 Platoon

  • No 4 Platoon

  • No 5 Platoon - Great Houghton & Brafield
     

• B Company - Roade

  • No 6 Platoon - Salcey Forest
  • No 7 Platoon - Hartwell
  • No 8 Platoon - Roade
  • No 9 Platoon - Roade Simplex
     

• C Company - Duston

  • No 10 Platoon - Duston
  • No 11 Platoon - New Duston
  • No 12 Platoon - British Timken

  • No 13 Platoon - Harpole

  • 
     

• D Company - Yardley Hastings

  • No 14 Platoon - Little Houghton
  • No 15 Platoon - Denton
  • No 16 Platoon
  • No 17 Platoon - Yardley Hastings
  • No 18 Platoon
     

• E Company - HQ Company, Hardingstone House

  • No 19 Platoon
  • No 20 Platoon
  • No 21 Platoon
     

• F Company - Kislingbury

  • No 22 Platoon

  • No 23 Platoon - Bugbrooke

  • No 24 Platoon - Heyfords

  • No 25 Platoon

12^th (Northampton) Battalion

The Battalion was originally raised as Northampton Borough Division L.D.V. in May 1940 and formed into six groups:- Headquarters, 1(North), 2(East), 3(South), 4(West) and L.M.S. Railway groups. It was re-titled to Northampton Borough Battalion on 30th July 1940 and 12th (Northampton) Battalion on 5th March 1941. Part of the Northamptonshire Central Group together with Brixworth, Daventry District and Hardingstone Battalions.

• HQ Company
  • No 1 HQ Platoon
  • No 2 HQ Platoon
  • No 3 HQ Platoon
  • No 4 HQ Platoon
  • No 5 HQ Platoon

• A Company (from 5th March 1941)
  • No 1 Platoon - Kingsley
  • No 2 Platoon - Kingsthorpe
  • No 3 Platoon
  • No 4 Platoon
     
• B Company (from 5th March 1941)
  • No 5 Platoon
  • No 6 Platoon
     
• C Company (from 5th March 1941)
  • No 7 Platoon
  • No 8 Platoon
  • No 9 Platoon
  • No 10 Platoon - Bushland Road
     
• D Company (from 5th March 1941)
  • No 11 Platoon
  • No 12 Platoon
  • No 13 Platoon
     
• E Company (LMS Railway) - formed 5th March 1941. Transferred to 15th Battalion on 1st July 1943
  • No 14 Platoon
  • No 15 Platoon
  • No 16 Platoon
  • No 17 Platoon
     
• F Company (The Keep) - formed June 14th 1942
  • No 19 Platoon
  • No 20 Platoon
  • No 21 Platoon

• G Company (Sub-District Reserve) - formed July 1942
  • No 22 Platoon
  • No 23 Platoon
  • No 24 Platoon
  • No 25 Platoon
     
• H Company (Battalion Reserve)
  • No 26 Platoon
  • No 27 Platoon
  • No 28 Platoon

13^th (Towcester) Battalion

Raised in May 1940 as No 36 Group, Local Defence Volunteers. Part of Towcester and Brackley Group.

• A Company - Blakesley
  • No 1 Platoon - Greens Norton & Bradden
  • No 2 Platoon - Litchborough, Grimscote & Cold Higham
  • No 3 Platoon - Maidford, Addstone & Blakesley
  • No 4 Platoon - Weston & Lois Weedon
  • No 5 Platoon - Wappenham & Abthorpe
     
• B Company - Blisworth
  • No 1 Platoon - Blisworth Village
  • No 2 Platoon - Gayton
  • No 3 Platoon - Milton
  • No 4 Platoon - Pattishal
  • No 5 Platoon - Blisworth Railway
     
• C Company - Towcester
  • No 1 Platoon - Silverstone
  • No 2 Platoon - Towcester
  • No 3 Platoon - Paulerspury
  • No 4 Platoon - Wittlebury
  • No 5 Platoon - Stoke Bruerne, Shutlanger & Easton Neston
     
• D Company - Potterspury
  • No 1 Platoon - Deanshanger
  • No 2 Platoon - Old Stratford
  • No 3 Platoon - Potterspury
  • No 4 Platoon - Cosgrove
  • No 5 Platoon - Yardley Gobion, Grafton Regis & Alderton
  • No 6 Platoon - Wickem

14^th (Brackley) Battalion

Raised in May 1940 as part of Towcester and Brackley Group, Local Defence Volunteers.

• A Company - Thenford
• B Company - Brackley
• C Company - Farthinghoe
• D Company - Syresham
• E Company - Eydon

15^th (Northampton) Battalion (from July 1943)

Raised on 1st July 1943. Battalion strength in 1943 about 1000. Part of the Northamptonshire Central Group together with Brixworth, Daventry District and Hardingstone Battalions.

• HQ Company - Drawn from Express Lift Works
• A Company - Drawn from Northampton Electric Light and Power Works
   
• B Company - Drawn from D Company, 12th Battalion
  • No  1 Platoon
     
• C Company - 3 Platoons (2 general service, 1 drawn from employees of Northampton Gas Works)
  • No 1 Platoon
  • No 2 Platoon
  • No 3 Platoon
     
• D Company - Employees of LMSR
• E Company - Employees of LMSR transferred from E Company 12th Battalion.

We would be delighted to hear from you if you have any information or photographs of interest. Please email us.

Copyright © Pitsford Home Guard 2005-2011