Wartime Memories from the Seavington News
The Seavington News - November 2001
SEAVINGTON HOME GUARD
At the outbreak of the 1939-45 War the Government formed a Volunteer Defence
Army known as Local Defence Volunteers (LDV) to help defend our country
against invasion by the Germans.
The name LDV was later changed to the Home Guard after it got the nickname
LOOK.DUCK.VANISH. The volunteers were mainly made up of men too old for
the armed Forces and those who were in jobs that were exempt from the Armed
Forces eg Agricultural Employees and those doing important war work; also 16
and 17 year olds before they enlisted in the services.
A Home Guard Platoon was formed in Seavington with ex Royal Navy Chief Petty
Oflicer Matt Yole (better known to his platoon as Lord Nelson) in charge. lncluded in the Seavington Platoon in the early years were Sergeant Harry (Punch) Brake. who lived in Seavington St Mary and Sergeant Eddy Baker (Ern’s brother);
Privates Frank (Shep) Male. (Sylvia’s father) and Fred (Shivvy) Male, both of
whom were Sidney Males brothers; Ron Swain, Bob Ash. John Jacobs. Reg Male
(better known as Colonel Male because of his advice given on how to defeat the
Germans when the Platoon met at the Volunteer) and Mark and Joe Poole who
lived at Seavington House.
The Platoon were part of the llminster Company which also included men from
surrounding villages, Whitelackington, Stocklinch, Kingstone and Dowlish Wake.
The llminster Company would meet on a Sunday in a field at Kingstone for military exercise and drill. They were put through their paces by a Major Metcalfe.
The exercise would sometimes include an attack on the Crewkerne or Chard Company. Sometimes they cycled to Langport for rifle shooting practice on the rifle
range.
Alter the training the men used to converge on The Castle Inn at Kingstone where
the main menu was plenty of cider!! The Landlord Tom Bulgin, Sue Dewsberry’s
grandfather, could not draw the cider fast enough; so he used to bring it across the
road to the Skittle Alley in buckets where the thirsty men filled their mugs and
glasses. After this some of the Seavington Platoon used to cycle buck to the Volunteer lnn for a nightcap. The Castle Inn at Kingstone was converted into a house some years ago, the Skittle Alley building is still there.
The residents of Seavington St Michael and Seavington St Mary could sleep peacefully in their beds knowing that the Home Guard were patrolling the surrounding roads and lanes armed with staves, air rifles and l2 bore shotguns to engage the German Paratroopers had they landed. The Seavington Platoon were later issued with rifles and bayonets but no ammunition. This was supplied a couple of months later. Only 3 of the Platoon are will with us – Bob Ash, John Jacobs (who lived at Meade Farm and now of Chaffcombe and Ron Swain. Captain Mainwaring’s Warmington-on-Sea Platoon’s escapades in ‘Dad’s Army’ on television were mild compared with those of the Seavington Home Guard!