TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to the real Dad's Army - exactly 60 years after the force was stood down.

Dressed in uniforms of the time, volunteers took up arms at the Yorkshire Air Museum near York, to mark the anniversary of the standing down parade that took place in London in December 1944.

They were inspected by the station commander of RAF Leeming, Group Captain Ian Morrison, who was making his first visit to the museum in his capacity as vice-president.

The Home Guard arose as a political response to public fears of a possible German invasion, the emergence of unregulated militias and pressure for a localised defence from the establishment.

On May 14, 1940, Anthony Eden announced the formation and recruitment of a new force, to be known as the Local Defence Volunteers.

Volunteers between the ages of 17 and 65 were called for and, although mostly men joined up, a number of women also came forward and were enrolled in the force.

Winston Churchill took a personal interest in the LDV and forced through a change in name to the Home Guard.

But by the time the 1.8million Home Guard volunteers were in any sort of military order, the imminent threat of invasion had passed.

But they also undertook many others roles including observation, guard duties, anti-aircraft gunners, signallers, bomb disposal, air raid precaution, fire wardens and a plethora of other mundane tasks that released hundreds of thousands of active servicemen to more aggressive duties in the front line.

Museum director Ian Reed said: "We are delighted to pay this small tribute to the men and women of the Home Guard. Their contribution is a fascinating aspect of the Second World War in this country and should not be forgotten.

Published: 04/12/2004