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Hi Owen.
I serve in the Rebridge Southampton unit of the Home Guard. We guarded the Totton flyover bridge and the railway yard, I cannot recall the battalion. That was during the Blitz. We were out and about during the bombing on the town and docks.
Then I was moved to Poole, where I belonged to the Hamworthy Home Guard. Our HQ was in an old wooden building on a spare bit of ground next to the Pub. It was the pub that was at the end of the road, when you crossed the lifting bridge onto the Hamworthy side. I know the wooden building went years ago. I am not sure if the pub is still there?
Again I cannot recall what battalion I serve in? I was very young at that time. Much of our duties were night time Guard and mine watching over Poole harbour. We had a compass with a pointer ,.If we saw a sea mine being dropped froma aircraft, we had to make a reading of the splash.
We never did see one! But one lunch time while were eating our sandwiches, A Catalina came in, touched down on the water and blew up in a myghty explosion. Nothing left all gone!
Oddly enough, when I joined the army, I was told to report to Newcastle (Gosforth) in my full HG uniform. I still had it when I finally departed in Holland.
sapper
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