[jamesicus]

When the Home Guard (originally, but only for a short time, called the LDV - Land Defense Volunteers) was first formed in 1940 weapons were in very short supply. In Burnley -- and I am sure throughout Lancashire -- some were drilling with broomsticks and garden hoes.

My father's (#1 Burnley) Company was eventually issued US lend-lease. I went with my father to the Hambledon Hill rifle range (just outside Burnley near Hapton) a few times when they did familiarization/qualification shooting in 1940/1941. My cousin, Alan Parkinson, and I used to dig bullets out of the back stop when they were through shooting and collect spent cartridge cases that had been overlooked.

Some NCO's were issued either US lend-lease Thompson sub machine guns (Tommy guns) or British Sten sub machine guns. My father was a Corporal and was issued a Sten gun which he kept at our house (no ammunition) -- I used to play soldiers with it.