Gresley V2 & armed guard at Nottingham Victoria August 1939

[neildimmer]

Came across this photo in a batch I recently acquired
4831 Durham School Nottingham Victoria 27th August 1939 8 days till WW2 and a civilian with a rifle on duty



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Neil

[JASd17]

The photo of 4831 is by T G Hepburn.

John

[4493]

Fixed bayonet on the rifle too- they don't like it up em Mr Mannering!

Lovely shine on the non gangwayed coaching stock

[Kestrel]

What do you reckon to that being a spot of photoshopping and the man is a nineteenth century sailor in white trousers?

[2512silverfox]

I remember Gordon saying that the non corridor stock in the photo was just ex works after a refurbishment and being repositioned for its normal duties. The end branding shows that it is a particular set but there is not enough to identify it, or is there?

[52H]

Hi all
During war years my wife's grandad was a signalman at Stell Gill. He said when he was rostered to work night shift, he was escorted to the cabin with an armed Home Guard soldier.

[Rlangham]

Is the date definitely correct? The Home Guard wasn't created until after the outbreak of war (and is the only explanation I can think of for an armed person in civilian clothing), and the rifle looks to be the type imported across the Atlantic for Home Guard use

[John Palmer]

If the date is not August 1939 then conceivably the man with a rifle could be LDV/Home Guard. Although possession of a licensed firearm wasn't as strictly regulated in the 1930's/40's as it is today, the Firearms Act 1937 had tightened controls and I have some doubts as to whether the constabulary would have readily granted a licence for a full bore military weapon before the outbreak of the European war. I agree that the rifle looks more like the M1917 that was used by Home Guard units than the SMLE. The bayonet looks the right size for a 1907 pattern with 17" blade. Imagine having one of those on display in a public place today!

If the August 1939 date may be wrong and the sentry could in fact be LDV/Home Guard, then was rolling stock still being outshopped with this high standard of finish in May 1940 when the LDV was formed?

A pity the halftone process has concealed much of the detail that would otherwise be visible.

[neildimmer]

What do you reckon to that being a spot of photoshopping and the man is a nineteenth century sailor in white trousers?

No photo shopping straight from print

[Hatfield Shed]

...If the August 1939 date may be wrong and the sentry could in fact be LDV/Home Guard, then was rolling stock still being outshopped with this high standard of finish in May 1940 when the LDV was formed?...

The standard of finish is no objection in my opinion. It's mostly handwork - and those employees have to do something - using existing materials stocks to produce a protective finish - which the vehicles require - which can continue uninterrupted following established instructions; while management resource co-opted by government is planning how to implement the directives for war production. Just about everything I have read and heard about the 'phoney war' period emphasises that outside the relatively small number of people engaged in planning, and the armed forces, life for most in the UK went on much as normal.