Ministry of Information leaflet collected by D Delay while serving in the Home Guard, 1943-44

This leaflet gives details on action to be taken by civilians in the event of a German invasion during the Second World War (1939-45).

Apart from the training given to the Home Guard, the civilian population was given relatively little guidance about what to do in the event of an invasion. They key instructions from leaflets like this were to stay put, avoid spreading rumours, only take order from uniformed British officials and listen to the wireless for instructions.

When the Local Defence Volunteers were formed, it was open to men aged between 17 and 65 otherwise unfit or ineligible for military service, who had fired a rifle and were 'capable of free movement'. These qualifications were not rigourously tested, and at first the force was an under-equipped militia-style group. But the LDV, later renamed the Home Guard, evolved into a well-equipped and well-trained army of 1.7 million men who were readied for invasion.

Men of the Home Guard still had civilian jobs, but undertook German language lessons and were trained in patrolling Britain's urban and rural areas, taking part in exercises involving Air Raid Precautions personnel and the police. The Home Guard had a role in providing useful training for young men prior to them reaching military age and being called up to the army.