BHritish Home Army Sniper

[pzrwest]

Were there any British Home Army snipers? I have my doubts but could wrong..... Thank you in advance.... Harold

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Harold, do you mean Home Guard snipers?

Cheers, Ade.

[pzrwest]

Yes sorry I ment to type Home Guard, thank you for pointing out my typing error

[tinlid]

Not sure if there was specific training for HG snipers or even that there were snipers, but google home guard.Look at the images & the amount that were photographed with camo feils on, google also redhil & reigate home guard some nice pics there too.

[pete]

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What about the people trained in the only recently (past 10-20 years?) public Auxiliary groups?


Pete

[JamesT]

Hi

In both the British Regular Army and the Territorial (Reserve) units of the British Army the sniper is an important constituent of each infantry unit.

The Home Guard of WW2 was a very different organisation; established in an emergency at a very dark time of the war. Initially the WW1 veterans and teenagers were a bit of a joke but they became very professional. Only now are papers emerging about plans to set up highly organised resistance parties. Among them will have been snipers, explosive experts, demolition and IED experts.

So in answer to your question there will have been snipers but the records and documents are probably very scarce

James

[Seaforth72]

Home Guard Snipers

Sniper rifles were in short supply in the UK early in WWII, but the Auxilliary Units, a secret branch (I believe) of the Home Guard, were organized as stay behind parties with stashed weapons, ammunition etc. The Auxilliary Units were issued with .22 calibre sniper rifles fitted with silencers. As I recall one of is/was on display at the Imperial War Museum.

After WWI the British apparently removed most of the telescopes from the Lee-Enfield Mo. 1 Mk. III/Mark III* sniper rifles. There were some P-14 rifles still fitted with telescopes in WWII.

The Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk. I (T) and Canadian Made No. 4 Mk. I* (T) did not come into general use until about 1943. Trials rifles were fitted with No. 32 Mk. I telescopes. New production Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk. I (& I*) (T) rifles are basically 1943-1945. Mine is dated 1943.

Having said that, the LDV (later renamed Home Guard) in 1940 were armed with anything and everything including Thompson 1928/1928A1 Machine Carbines (SMGs). I expect that mixed in were some sporting rifles with telescopes and possibly a few WWII sniper rifles that were still floating around.

See http://www.coleshillhouse.com/the-we...liary-unit.php

http://www.coleshillhouse.com/colesh...nabble-td16223

Botom line - It would be possible but not typical for Home Guard sniper rifles (other than the Auxilliary Units' .22" silenced snipers)

Were there any British Home Army snipers? I have my doubts but could wrong..... Thank you in advance.... Harold

Colin

[pete]

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Well, regardless of the Sniper or not their first job on an Invasion was to "Snipe/otherwise get rid of" the guy who recruited them in the village according to the History channel documentary.

I used to own a No4 T.

Regards,

Pete

[Seigfried]

Were there any British Home Army snipers? I have my doubts but could wrong..... Thank you in advance.... Harold

I expect that there must have been some qualified snipers who had served in the Great War.

[pzrwest]

Thank you for all the replies. I asked the question about Home Guard snipers because I couldn't think of a use for a sniper in the Home Guard. It's not like they would have anything to shoot at unless England had been invaded and Axis troops were roaming around

[Seigfried]

Thank you for all the replies. I asked the question about Home Guard snipers because I couldn't think of a use for a sniper in the Home Guard. It's not like they would have anything to shoot at unless England had been invaded and Axis troops were roaming around

As we weren't invaded there wasn't a use for any of the HG short of maintaining a presence/deterrent.

[pete]

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Great film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLon8MkeTNE