| National Defence Companies | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 September 1936 |
| Disbanded | 1939 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Role | Defence from invasion |
TheNational Defence Companies of the Territorial Army were a voluntarymilitary reserve force of theBritish Army, for the purpose of home defence in the event of war. Enlistment was limited to former members of theBritish Armed Forces between the ages of 45 and 60. The scheme was established in 1936, duringrearmament prior toWorld War II. On the outbreak of war in September 1939, the National Defence Companies were called up for service and became the basis of theHome Service Battalions.
After the end ofWorld War I, responsibility for home defence on land rested with theTerritorial Army and also theRoyal Defence Corps which consisted of regular army soldiers who were too old or unfit for front line duties. With the rise ofNazi Germany during the 1930s, thegovernment of the United Kingdom came under political pressure tomodernise and re-equip the Armed Forces. As a part of that process,Duff Cooper, theSecretary of State for War, announced the disbandment of the Royal Defence Corps and the establishment of National Defence Companies that were to be a part of the Territorial Army. In a statement to theHouse of Commons on 21 July 1936, he said that thecompanies would be formed on acounty or city basis, each being linked to their local Territorial battalion. Enlistment would start on 1 September of that year, and was open to "ex-members of His Majesty's Forces, normally between the ages of 45 and 60 years". Their role was stated to be "to protect important points in Great Britain when war is threatening or has actually broken out, but members of the force will not be called up until these conditions arise, nor will they be called up on account of civil disturbance". Cooper stated that the national establishment would be 8,450 officers and men, "and I have every confidence that I shall have no difficulty in securing this number of men in a very short time".[1]
The National Defence Companies were mobilised on 25 and 26 August 1939, in the week before war was actually declared.[2] In answer to a question in the House of Commons on 26 September,Leslie Hore-Belisha, the Secretary of State for War, said that he had "in contemplation a change in the present method of manning vulnerable points".[3] On 3 October, SirVictor Warrender, theFinancial Secretary to the War Office, announced that recruitment to the companies was "not open at present".[4] In November 1939, the National Defence Companies were formed intobattalions attached to regular army regiments;[5] renamed "Home Service Battalions", they would guard vulnerable points andPrisoner of War camps in the United Kingdom throughout the rest of the war.