Contesting home defence: Men, women and the Home Guard in the Second World War (Cultural History of Modern War)

Contesting home defence is a new history of the Home Guard, a novel national defence force of the Second World War composed of civilians who served as part-time soldiers: it questions accounts of the force and the war, which have seen them as symbols of national unity. It scrutinises the Home Guard's reputation and explores whether this 'people's army' was a site of social cohesion or of dissension by assessing the competing claims made for it at the time. It then examines the way it was represented during the war and has been since, notably in Dad's Army, and discusses the memories of men and women who served in it. The book makes a significant and original contribution to debates concerning the British home front and introduces fresh ways of understanding the Second World War. Offering A New Contribution To Debates About The British Home Front In Wwii, This Book Addresses The Way The Home Guard Has Been Remembered In Popular Culture Through Examination Of Key Films, As Well As Tv's Dad's Army. The Authors Also Explore The Personal Memories Of Individuals Who Served In The Home Guard. Political Challenges -- People's Army: Competing Visions Of The Home Guard -- Women, Weapons And Home Defence -- Representations -- Home Guard In Wartime Popular Culture -- Representatives Of Women And Home Defence -- Dad's Army And Home Guard History -- Personal Testimony -- Men's Memories Of The Home Guard -- Women, Memory And Home Defence. Penny Summerfield And Corinna Peniston-bird. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 292-297) And Index.