1941: On this day, 814 20-year-old city girls responded to their call-up papers - although some forgot their registration card! Many of the girls had come with their mothers, while others had their boyfriends for company. Some are described as arriving 'with an army escort on either side'. Quite a few perambulators are also recorded as being parked outside the building. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
1941: The Peterborough Group of the Home Guard consisted of two battalions - the city and the soke. On this Friday, the largest muster of the city battalion was present when it paraded past a saluting base set up in front of the Town Hall. Brigadier-General Sir Hereward Wake, Commandant of the Northamptonshire Group, was supposed to have taken the salute but he had been called away to see the king, so his deputy, Colonel Hobson, filled in. For some strange reason, the parade was led by a gramophone, with an amplifier mounted on a lorry. This was NOT a good idea as few could hear the music. (Gray, David, Peterborough at War 1939-1945, David Gray, 2011)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.