Over the last two training evenings the Redline Home Guard have been hard at work expanding our knowledge and skills with some of the more unusual weapons issued to the Home Guard during the Second World War – the Northover Projector and the Spigot Mortar (Blacker Bombard).
Both sessions followed the format of wartime training drills. Members learned to identify the key characteristics of each weapon and practised naming the individual parts, ensuring everyone became familiar with their design and function. We then progressed to the practical elements – going through the full cycle of loading and unloading, dry firing, and carrying out firing orders exactly as they would have been issued during the war.
Northover
The training was rigorous but rewarding, giving the platoon a chance to follow the official Home Guard manuals step by step. By repeating the drills as they would have been conducted in the 1940s, members gained a real appreciation of the discipline and precision required to operate these formidable yet improvised weapons.
Spigot Mortar
Sessions like these not only strengthen the group’s knowledge but also keep alive the authentic methods used by the wartime Home Guard, ensuring we can share them accurately with the public at future events and displays.
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