Barnsley Home Guard WW2 Outside Eastgate Drill Hall

Barnsley Home Guard during WW2 outside Eastgate Drill Hall

This group photograph shows the Officers and NCO's of a detachment of the Barnsley Home Guard. The photograph is taken outside the Eastgate Drill Hall in the centre of Barnsley.

The photograph is interesting from several aspects. The senior officer sitting centre, front row is Lt Col John George Edmund Rideal mentioned on previous pages of this website including a photograph of him as a Territorial Officer wearing his Full Dress Uniform. In 1915, Capt Rideal as he was then, left the Eastgate Drill Hall to fight in the Great War and here he was again pictured outside the same Drill Hall during the Second World War.

A variety of cap badges can be seen. Rideal appears to be wearing a bullion badge on his side cap (of the style of collar badge i.e. Tiger with a Rose on its back). Some officers wear bronze Officer Service Dress badges, others wear a silver and gilt badge in their side caps. The NCO's and Other Ranks appear to be wearing the standard Tiger and Rose cap badge.

It is noticeable that whilst the uniforms appear to have Home Guard shoulder titles, no evidence can be seen of a Battalion number. 

The man standing in the centre of the centre row appears to be either a Fireman or a Policeman.