248. MIXED BAG - Dad's Army
Presented by: Ron Bellamy
Review written by: Norma Vaughan
It was a pleasant walk back in time for many U3A members today. The topic was "Dad's Army", but there was not a sign of the popular British TV comedy series. The respectful talk was about the valuable work of the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV), and the subsequent formation of the Home Guard as they later came to be known, during the WW2 years between 1940 to 1944. Everything that Ron Bellamy presented was the genuine article. He handed around a set of original Sergeant's stripes, with rough bits of khaki stitching cotton still attached, genuine insignia, deliberately left unpolished, from the uniform of the Home Guard and real Ration Cards, Identity Cards and wartime postcards about the Home Guard with the four halfpenny stamps still attached, all showing dates in the early 1940's.
Then there was the music. Ron illustrated his talk with appropriate video clips as he discussed the origins of the LDV (no, not Look, Duck and Vanish), in May 1940. We heard about the development of their improvised weaponry, from homemade Molotov cocktails to homemade bren gun carriers constructed from old motor cars, often interspersed with video footage of solders in khaki uniforms marching and singing about 'Calling out the Territorials'.
Ron switched seamlessly back and forth between small batches of facts, to stories about his own personal experiences, which included being evacuated from London as a boy. Nothing was read out, he related it all from memory, as if it were yesterday. He welcomed similar stories from ex-servicemen and others in the audience and the interaction with the group added another realistic and enjoyable facet to the presentation.
No war-time talk would be complete without a few songs from Vera Lynn. The number of British and Australians in the audience was roughly equal, but regardless of nationality, they all knew the words and sang along. The theme continued during the break, when bluebirds in Dover fluttered about, while we were kissed goodnight by a Sergeant Major, and so on. Even Ron's "I'm Getting Married in the Morning" London accent added to the absolute authenticity of his talk. It was a great privilege and quite moving to see almost forgotten glimpses of the real thing today.